Best views in Madrid: rooftops and viewpoints compared, with prices, hours and closed days

💡 The Short Version: The Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop is €6 and open late: to 01:30 Sunday to Thursday and to 02:00 Friday and Saturday, 56 metres above Calle de Alcalá. CentroCentro in the Cibeles Palace is €4, by 88 steps, and closed Mondays. The Almudena dome is €8 with the museum, Monday to Saturday to 14:30. The Faro de Moncloa is €4 for 30 minutes at a set hour, and closed in bad weather. The Mirador de la Cornisa is free, daily from 12:00 to 22:00. Or book a tour: the Welcome to Madrid walking tourad is from €25.11 (GetYourGuide).

The viewpoints compared

Prices are the adult rate.

Círculo de Bellas Artes

Calle de Alcalá 42 · €6 · to 01:30 or 02:00

A glass-doored lift on the top floor takes you to the rooftop, 56 metres above Calle de Alcalá, beside the bronze Minerva by Juan Luis Vassallo that crowns the building. Hours are Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 01:30 (last access 00:30) and Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 02:00 (last access 01:00). The operator says tickets bought between 14:00 and 16:00 and after 21:00 are sold only at the building’s reception; at other times they can be bought online. The ticket gets you onto the terrace but does not guarantee a table at the rooftop café-restaurant, which takes reservations separately at azoteadelcirculo.com. The restaurant runs 10:00 to 01:00 Sunday to Thursday and to 01:30 on Fridays, Saturdays and the eves of public holidays. The ticket office page is circulobellasartes.com.

The Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop, with the Minerva statue. Photo: Zarateman, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

CentroCentro

Plaza de Cibeles · €4, plus €0.50 online · Tuesday to Sunday

The viewpoint is in the great tower of the Cibeles Palace, with a 360-degree view of the city and plans that name the buildings. You reach it from floor 6E by 88 steps; lifts are reserved for people with reduced mobility and adults with prams. Hours are 10:30 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:30, with a pass about every 30 minutes and the last access half an hour before closing. Tickets for the day are sold at the ticket desk on floor 2 from 10:00 to 13:40 and 15:00 to 19:10. If you book a slot online, arrive at least 20 minutes early. It is closed on Mondays, on 1, 5 and 6 January, 1 May, and 24, 25 and 31 December, and can close for weather or security. Free guided visits of 30 minutes, in groups of 9 with a guide, run on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:30 and Wednesdays and Fridays at 17:00, and must be booked in advance on +34 914 800 008. Reduced tickets at €2 apply to Madrid City Card holders at the ticket desk. Metro Banco de España. See centrocentro.org.

Almudena Cathedral dome

Plaza de la Almudena · €8 with the museum · Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 14:30

The climb to the dome is part of the museum visit: the museum’s rooms first, then the dome, with views over the city. Tickets are €8, or €5 reduced, from the ticket office on the steps of the main façade, with no booking. The museum and dome are closed on Sundays, holy days of obligation and days of special services. The cathedral recommends going between 10:00 and 11:00 or between 13:00 and 14:00. Photos are allowed only on the balconies and in the dome. On the first Wednesday of the month, when the Solemn Changing of the Guard takes place in the Plaza de la Armería, extended stays on the balcony are not allowed. The Royal Palace page covers the cathedral and the ceremony.

Faro de Moncloa

Avenida de la Memoria 2 · €4 · 30 minutes · Tuesday to Sunday

A former transmission tower of 1992, 110 metres high, with a panoramic lift that rises 92 metres to the deck. The glass windows look onto the Royal Palace, the Almudena Cathedral, the Telefónica building on the Gran Vía, the Cuatro Torres business area and, on a clear day, the Sierra de Guadarrama. Tickets are for a set hour, bought in the main hall, at the Plaza Mayor tourist office or online. The stay is limited to 30 minutes, and the last admission is half an hour before the 20:00 closing. The deck is closed in bad weather and on Mondays, except on listed dates: 2 and 9 November, 7 and 28 December 2026 and 4 January 2027. Fares are €4, with €2 for ages 7 to 14, over 65s and the unemployed. Metro Moncloa (lines 3 and 6). See Tourism Madrid’s page.

The observation deck of the Faro de Moncloa. Photo: Carlos Delgado, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Free views

• The Mirador de la Cornisa is a terrace between the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral, open daily from 12:00 to 22:00, with views of the Campo del Moro and the Casa de Campo. It is also the way into the Royal Collections Gallery.
• The Retiro’s monument to Alfonso XII has a viewpoint over the city, beside the Estanque Grande. See the Retiro page.

Which to choose

• One view after dark: the Círculo de Bellas Artes, open to 01:30 or 02:00.
• The cheapest paid view: CentroCentro or the Faro de Moncloa, both €4.
• A view with a visit: the Almudena dome, as part of the museum.
• No money: the Mirador de la Cornisa, from noon.
• A Monday: the Círculo, or the Almudena dome until 14:30.

The Madrid City Card gives a 50% discount at CentroCentro and the Faro de Moncloa. Free things to do in Madrid lists what else costs nothing, and what to book before you go to Madrid has the closed days for every sight. For a guided walk past the Cibeles Palace and the Gran Vía, see Madrid walking tours.