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Tips for your first trip to Madrid

October 28, 2019 By Jeannette Kaplun

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If you’re planning your first trip to Madrid and need a few recommendations, you will love our tips. Madrid is beautiful, fun and simply fascinating. Plus, the food is outstanding. Not only are there tasty tapas, tortillas de patatas (potato omelettes) and wines, but the bakeries offer the freshest and most delicious bread and pastries. If you have time, you should also go see a Flamenco show or tablao.

Have you ever been to Madrid or are you planning your first trip? Here are the top things to do, including what to see, shop, and eat.The good news is that Madrid is a very walkable city and there is good public transit, as well. 

Top things to do in Madrid

Madrid with kids

  • Visit the museums: El Prado, Thyssen, and Reina Sofía are just a few of the outstanding museums in Madrid. Book private/semiprivate tours through viator.com, especially if you need to be efficient with your time.
  • Enjoy the churros: Churrería San Ginés is the most traditional. Hot chocolate in Spain is thick, almost like a pudding, so you dip the churros in the chocolate. It is not like the hot cocoa we drink in the US.Churros are a must do in Spain
  • Visit the famous landmarks: explore Parque El Retiro, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Puerta de Alcalá, Palacio Real, and Catedral de la Almudena. A Hop on/ Hop off bus is a practical way to do sightseeing if this is your first visit.
  • Do a day trip: my top choice would be to visit Toledo, a medieval town where Catholics, Jews, and Muslims coexisted until the Inquisition.
  • Eat at the delicious restaurants: El Paraguas, Ten con Ten, Ultramarinos Quintin, DSTaGE, El Rincon de Jaen, and La Tasqueria are only a few of the best restaurants in Madrid. 
  • Don’t forget to leave time for shopping: a must is El Corte Inglés (Spain’s version of Bloomingdale’s). Get tax refund forms for luxe items. Keep in mind you will need a customs seal before you pass security when you leave Spain.
  • Sample all the tapas and wine at the market: the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid is the equivalent to Chelsea Market in NYC. Try the charcuterie, wines, seafood, and ham (jamón ibérico) because you won’t regret it.

Have you ever been to Madrid? Is there anything else you would add to this list? Let me know so I can so then next time I visit Spain!

Have you ever been to Madrid or are you planning your first trip? Here are the top things to do, including what to see, shop, and eat.

Also, if you travel to Madrid and use these tips to plan your trip, I’d love to know if I helped you enjoy your visit.

Have you ever been to Madrid or are you planning your first trip? Here are the top things to do, including what to see, shop, and eat.

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All photos: Jeannette Kaplun

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: travel

About Jeannette Kaplun

Jeannette Kaplun is a Latina mom of 2, TV host, parenting author and blogger. She's the founder of Hispana Global and has appeared on Good Morning America, The Steve Harvey Show and The Chew. Previously she co-founded Todobebé and hosted the Viva la Familia TV show on Univision. She loves to help others and wrote the parenting book in Spanish Todobebé: Todo lo que necesitas saber para el primer año de tu bebé" . She also writes for Babble and Ser Padres.

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About Jeannette

 

Hi! I’m Jeannette Kaplun, a bilingual Latina mom of 2, journalist, TV host, writer, Hispana Global CEO and founder, Nutella, and Disney lover. I love traveling, writing, helping others, and supporting [email protected], ONE.org, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the UN Foundation, and other organizations. I live in Miami, FL with my family, including my dog Snoopy. To work with me, email [email protected] .

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