In this guide
💡 The Short Version: One day: the Royal Palace at 10:00 (€18 self-guided), lunch round the Plaza Mayor, the Prado in the afternoon, then tapas and flamenco. Two days: add the Retiro and its free Palacio de Velázquez, the Thyssen (€14), the Temple of Debod (free) or the Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop (€6), and the Reina Sofía (€12, free from 19:00). Tuesday closes the Reina Sofía, Monday the Debod, and Sunday the Royal Palace at 16:00. Or book a walk: the Welcome to Madrid Guided Walking Tourad is from €25.11 for 2.5 hours.
What to book
| Booking | Price | Hours and closed days |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Palace | €18 self-guided, €26 guided | Mon to Sat 10:00 to 18:00, Sun 10:00 to 16:00 from October to March; to 19:00 from April to September. Closed 25 December |
| Prado | A timed pass; prices on its page | Hours and closed days on its page |
| Reina Sofía | €12 | Mon and Wed to Sat 10:00 to 21:00, Sun 10:00 to 14:30; closed Tuesday |
| Thyssen-Bornemisza | €14 | Tue to Fri and Sun 10:00 to 19:00, Sat 10:00 to 23:00; Mon 12:00 to 16:00 and free |
| Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop | €6 | Sun to Thu until 01:30; Fri and Sat until 02:00 |
| Flamenco | From €31 | Evenings; book the night you want |
The Royal Palace, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen come to €44 for the general adult tickets. The Palace’s price is for the self-guided visit; the guided visit adds €8 and runs in English at 10:45, 11:45, 13:45 and 15:15 from Monday to Saturday. For the full list with the booking links, see what to book before you go to Madrid.
One day: the Palace, the squares and the Prado
The sights are within about a kilometre of the Puerta del Sol: the Plaza Mayor is 0.31 km away, the Royal Palace 0.83 km and the Prado 1.06 km, in straight lines. This is the order for a Wednesday to Saturday.
10:00, the Royal Palace
€18 self-guided · allow about 45 minutes for the halls · the Royal Armoury about 30 minutes
Book the first slot of the day. The self-guided visit of the halls takes about 45 minutes, and the Royal Armoury about 30. The free slot on Monday to Thursday late afternoon is for citizens of the European Union, residents and holders of a work permit there, and Latin American citizens; everyone else pays. See Royal Palace tickets.
The Almudena Cathedral above the Manzanares. Photo: Luis García (Zaqarbal), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
12:30, the Plaza Mayor and lunch
Free · the Mercado de San Miguel is open Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 24:00 and Friday and Saturday to 01:00
The Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol are free and always open: see the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol. The bars round them are in Madrid tapas and the old taverns in where to eat in Madrid. Calle Botoneras, beside the Plaza Mayor, is where the lists send readers for the squid sandwich.
15:00, the Prado
A timed pass · allow two hours
The Prado holds Velázquez’s Las Meninas and Goya’s paintings, and two hours covers a short route. The museum sells timed passes: see Prado museum tickets.
The Fuente de Cibeles, at the top of the Paseo del Prado. Photo: Ank Kumar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Evening, tapas and flamenco
Shows from €31 · an hour
The Cava Baja and the streets round the Plaza de Santa Ana are the tapas streets: see Madrid tapas. Torres Bermejas prices its show without a drink at €31, and Cardamomo, Las Tablas and the Teatro Flamenco Madrid list their own: see flamenco shows in Madrid.
The second day: the Retiro, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía
Morning, the Retiro
Free · open 06:00 to 22:00 from October to March, to midnight from April to September
The park is free. The Palacio de Cristal has been closed since 2023, and an installation covers it. The Palacio de Velázquez is open and free, from 10:00 to 18:00 in winter, and shows La Perla Peregrina until March 2027. See Retiro Park.
Midday, the Thyssen
€14 · Monday 12:00 to 16:00 free · Saturday 21:00 to 23:00 free for the temporary exhibitions
The Thyssen completes the Paseo del Arte with the Prado and the Reina Sofía, and the Paseo del Arte card combines the three: see the Paseo del Arte card and the Thyssen.
Late afternoon, the Temple of Debod
Free · 30 people for 30 minutes · closed Monday
The temple is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00 in winter, with the last entry at 19:30. The city recommends reserving a ticket at madrid.es/debodreservas. The Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop is the alternative view, at €6 (€5 reduced). See Madrid viewpoints.
Evening, the Reina Sofía
€12 · free 19:00 to 21:00 · closed Tuesday
The museum shows Picasso’s Guernica. The general ticket is €12. From 19:00 on Monday and Wednesday to Saturday, and from 12:30 on Sunday, admission is free with a ticket booked online, and the museum closes at 21:00. See the Reina Sofía and Guernica.
If your days are different
- Monday: the Prado, the Royal Palace, the Retiro and the Reina Sofía are open, and the Thyssen from 12:00 to 16:00, free. The Temple of Debod, the Cerralbo, the Museo del Romanticismo and the San Antonio de la Florida hermitage are closed: see Madrid museums.
- Tuesday: the Reina Sofía is closed. Use the Prado, the Palace and the Thyssen.
- Sunday: the Royal Palace closes at 16:00, so go in the morning, and the Reina Sofía closes at 14:30 with free admission from 12:30.
- Around Christmas and New Year: the Palace closes at 15:00 on 24 and 31 December and all day on 25 December: see Christmas in Madrid 2026 and New Year’s Eve in Madrid.
- In August: see Madrid in August, and the best time to visit Madrid for the other months.
- A third day: day trips from Madrid compares Toledo, Segovia and the others, and Madrid walking tours the guided walks. Football fans have the Bernabéu stadium tour.
Where to sleep and what next
Where to stay in Madrid compares the areas, and hotels near the Puerta del Sol lists the hotels within walking distance of the Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace. For the way in, see Madrid airport to the city and Madrid public transport. Where to eat in Madrid names the restaurants and Madrid food tours compares the guided evenings. For the same job in other cities, see Seville in one or two days and one day in Barcelona.
Common questions
Can you see Madrid in one day?
The centre, yes. Start at the Royal Palace when it opens at 10:00, eat round the Plaza Mayor, spend the afternoon in the Prado, and finish with tapas and a flamenco show. The Retiro, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía need a second day.
Which day of the week is best to visit Madrid?
Wednesday to Saturday, when the sights are open and the Reina Sofía has its free evening hours. The Reina Sofía is closed on Tuesday. On Monday the Temple of Debod, the Cerralbo and the Museo del Romanticismo are closed and the Thyssen opens only from 12:00 to 16:00. On Sunday the Royal Palace closes at 16:00 and the Reina Sofía at 14:30.
What should I book before going to Madrid?
The Prado, which needs a timed pass, the Royal Palace (€18, or €26 with a guide, and English guided tours at 10:45, 11:45, 13:45 and 15:15 from Monday to Saturday), and a flamenco show for the night you want. The Temple of Debod recommends reserving a ticket at madrid.es/debodreservas.
How much do the main sights cost in Madrid?
€44 for three of the paid ones: the Royal Palace €18, the Reina Sofía €12 and the Thyssen-Bornemisza €14, plus the Prado. The Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop is €6. The Plaza Mayor, the Puerta del Sol, the Retiro and the Temple of Debod are free.
Is two days enough for Madrid?
For the main sights, yes. Day one can hold the Royal Palace and the Prado, and day two the Retiro, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía. A third day suits a trip to Toledo or Segovia.
Are there free hours at the Madrid museums?
Yes. The Reina Sofía is free from 19:00 to 21:00 on Monday and Wednesday to Saturday and from 12:30 to 14:30 on Sunday, with a free ticket booked online. The Thyssen is free on Monday from 12:00 to 16:00. The Royal Palace's free late-afternoon slot on Monday to Thursday is for citizens of the European Union, residents and Latin American citizens only.
