Off to Madrid with the wife for a long weekend in a couple of weeks. I have got a couple of guide books (with lots of pictures 😀 ) that i’m working my way through, but would appreciate any recommendations for things to do / not to do .
Currently the list is
Eat lots of tapas
Drink lots of coffee
Sit in lots of cafe’s in the sun watching the world go by

Thanks

They have electric boris bikes – give one a whirl.
And guernica.

Plaza Santa Ana for coffee and people watching (and tapas).
Cafe Central for some quality live Jazz
Park Retiro for a Sunday Stroll.

Plaza dos de Mayo is better (and cheaper) than Plaza Santa Ana.
EDIT: That’s not a dig at Mackem, we was writing at the same time.

Mercado de San Miguel near the Plaza Mayor – Tapastico Fantastico.

And Guernica.

Reals stadium is well worth a visit even for a non football fan, we actually caught the open top bus tour to get to it. Rowing boats are also lovely up on the lake at park retiro. We stayed at the sol melia on plaza santa ana, the roof top terrace is worth a visit of an evening.

go up to the Sierra…
The Prado is well worth a visit.

Guernica is somethign – and exhibited very very well – but the stuff on the floor above it is really well worth a look too, and ignored.

Shop. Museo de Jamon. Be prepared to eat very late – they all do.

Papa Bravas for the best patatas bravas.

hings to do inside: palace interior, guernica
things outside: retiro on a sunday, plaza mayor, the egyptian temple randomly in the park as a present form one fascist to another.

oh and they don’t really do tapas in madrid, you can get it but its more of a southern thing, that said there is a good one near atocha at the end of calle de la huertas

But the thing for me about madrid there is no absolutely amazing set piece tourist attraction you must see its the vibe of the whole place, get up have a breakfast in a bar, mooch round a park, coffee at 11 in a bar, another mooch, lunch at 2-3 o’clock in a bar, chill/sleep till 5 have another mooch till 9 eat some food in a bar, drink in a bar, sleep. repeat.

go up to area north of gran via where the movida started is amazing to cruise around, plazas comendadoras, mayo, san ildefonso lots a shops, family, bars, cafes, restaurants.

In fact Entertainingly Madrid is also stuck in peak fixie circa 2006 so there are lots of achingly cool hipsters on track bikes cruising around. kapplemuur is a good bike shop but a bit roadie.

i really really like madrid

The Prado is well worth a visit.

This.

You can easily spend a whole day in the Prado. They have some completely amazing stuff. An astounding collection.

There also used to be a nice cafe in the basement for when your feet have had enough.

oh and they don’t really do tapas in madrid

nearly choked on my Tortilla there. OK, you have to pay for it but there’s loads of great tapas in Madrid.

Go and have a look at the turtles in Atocha station.

oh and they don’t really do tapas in madrid
nearly choked on my Tortilla there. OK, you have to pay for it but there’s loads of great tapas in Madrid.

well alright not literally, but the south does it better.

Some fantastic suggestions there, thank you all for your help,
Singletrackworld does it again ! – who needs The Lonely Planet 🙂

Have a boozy lunch, sleep it off in the Retiro

Quality Tapas isn’t Madrid’s strong point I’d agree though I’m sure there’s good stuff if you seek it out. If you aren’t afraid of heights, I’d suggest getting the Teleferico up into the big park and then wandering down to the lake for lunch where there are a couple of restaurants.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g187514-d717308-r110981873-La_Venencia-Madrid.html

It’s chuffing cold first thing in the morning at this time of the year. Pack accordingly.
I can confirm that there are good Tapas in Madrid, damned if I can remember where I had them though. Bike Spain do guided rides through the city.

sorry i’m confusing the point by dancing on a pin head of spanish food definitions. the point is madrid has lots of very very good food.

El Restro market urguably the biggest flea market in Europe a prefect way to amble through the streets of Madrid. Take the metro to Embajadores.

Anyone know if Casa Minga still exists?

This place:

Menú

Chicken, cider and Madrilenos.

Awesome

Mercado de San Miguel +1000, but try and go on an evening.

oh and they don’t really do tapas in madrid

jajajaja (that’s a Spanish version of hahahaha).

Of course they do. Cava Baja has loads of decent tapas restaurants. Start at the Mercado San Miguel (next to the Plaza Mayor, it’s overpriced and very busy but a good place to start). Then head down the road to Cava Baja.

Alternatively the area around Chueca and heading west into Malasaña is full of bars and restaurants.

Things to do, some of which have been mentioned before: Retiro park on a Sunday morning, or the Rastro market (this is conveniently close to Cava Baja, mentioned earlier…). Wander round town eating and drinking too much. The park below the Royal Palace is nice if it’s sunny. Eat and drink a bit more. The art museums – personally the Thyssen is my favourite, but you should probably do the Prado and the Reina Sofia first as they have more important works. Visit the Bernabeu and then go shopping in the enormous Corte Ingles nearby.