I was starved of Vitamin D and craving some adventure when I impulsively booked flights to Madrid for a July weekend. I was hoping for some interesting sights and tasty food – and wow, did Madrid deliver! Here’s how I spent a perfect 48 hours in the city.
But first, Brunch
Juliet and I woke slowly after a highly-delayed flight meant a late arrival, but comforted ourselves that it simply meant we were already on Spanish time. We made our way down to the Puerta del Sol, where my impulsive decision to escape London immediately felt justified – just check out that blue sky! I have to say right at the start, a huge shout-out to Courtney of Adelante – many of our stops were suggestions from her excellent guides to Madrid so be sure to check those out too.
Brunch had to be one of my Barcelona favourites, Federal – I’m so glad there are a few of them about! The food and coffee are on-point, and I love their decor too. A Bloody Mary and baked eggs with bacon was, quite simply, the ideal start to my day.
A little culture, if you please
I love to take in a city view, and Parque del Oeste offered some pretty magnificent vistas of the Royal Palace and Madrid. I’ve posted all about my favourite Parks and Palaces in Madrid here and – spoiler alert – there’s Egyptian temples and a lot of palatial gold bling involved!
Temple of Debod
The amazing Palacio Real
To market, to market
After all that culture, it was definitely feeling like snack time again. We wandered the sun-soaked streets, admiring the beautiful facades and colourful buildings, as we made our way towards Mercardo de San Miguel.
This hundred-year-old market was recently renovated and not only is it pretty, there’s also a ton of tasty treats to choose from. So overwhelmed were we by the selection, it took more than a few laps for us to decide on some of the huge stuffed olives – and only a few minutes perched on a stool to finish them!
Fortunately, this meant I also had room for sorbet from the awesome Mistura Ice Cream near Plaza Mayor. The Plaza itself was incredible – I loved the bright red!
You might think after all that it was siesta time… but not quite. Ocean had recommended a semi-hidden rooftop bar, Atico 11, which turned out to be the perfect spot to cool off and gaze over the city streets. A giant jug of sangria (I know, it’s touristy… but delicious!) was also quite helpful in the refreshment department.
That sunset though…
And then it was siesta time. When we emerged the sun was just setting, so we dashed for one of the city’s rooftop bars to admire the beautiful facades washed gold.
With an Aperol Spritz, of course. Next time I would book a table at Terraza Cibeles as hovering between tables didn’t really do the sunset or the incredible building justice.
First food, then party
As the last of the rays faded, our stomachs reminded us that even on Spanish time, it was time to sort dinner. I had read of a magical street where you could go on a tapas crawl of delectable delights, but we were such fans of Casa Lucas that we ended up staying there, sampling the incredible squid and tapas – and the vermouth!
Madrid has a bit of a party reputation, so Juliet and I were keen to see where the night took us. In the most amazing, serendipitous manner, we headed to the Chueca area and into the first interesting bar we saw. Some friendly locals adopted us and before we knew it, we were debating politics and pop music, then partying the night away in a mega club. Such a fun night!
A little more brunch never hurt anybody…
Needless to say, the morning after was a tad slow… fortunately brunch was right down the street from our Air BnB. And even more fortunatley, it was delicious! I highly recommend Pum-Pum, and not just for the instagrammable decor.
Our final activity was a leisurely stroll through the streets to El Retiro Park, where we made a beeline for the beautiful Crystal Palace.
Peace out in the Park
So there you have it – our perfect 48 hours in Madrid. Want to recreate it for yourself? Here’s the map… with one or two extras for experts!
What does your perfect 48 hours in a city look like?
Linking up with Emma, Angie and Jamie – check out their blogs for the monthly Travel Linkup and more perfect travels!
