What to do in Madrid | Summer 2014

Madrid is one of the biggest small towns I know.  It has all the benefits of a major cosmopolitan capital with a great diversity of food, nightlife, art and culture while contained in a central location thats easily walkable. And summer time with its long day light hours creates the perfect environment to enjoy all the things to do in Madrid, morning to night. Anyone who has been to Madrid before will understand what I am about to explain, Madrid is geographically gifted (Spain should actually be on the same time zone as London), it has a special quality of light that is crisp and clear in the mornings and has a warm high definition quality that energizes in the evening.  The sun sets late and a deep blue twilight rises into the night with an magical fairytale quality, making the transition into dark seem some how light and effortless.  I believe this to be one of the reasons you will find people shopping at ten pm and eating dinner at 11pm. So its no surprise that Madrid hosts summer long festivals with stages set up across the city for performances of flamenco, concerts, theater, and dance.  You could say Madrileños live in the street all summer long. Here are some of my essential thing to do during the summer in Madrid.

Walking Madrid

Considering Madrid is the 3rd largest city in Europe by population, it is surprisingly very easy to walk from one end of the center to the other (at least the parts worth seeing) and there is no better way to discover the Madrid than by walking cross town.  It is perfectly reasonable to meet for tapas and drinks in the up and coming part of town, then walk over to a museum and finish afterwards with a stroll in the park and beer on a terrace.

Some of of the best walks are walking from Puerta Alcala next to Retiro Park through Plaza de Cibeles and up Gran Via to Plaza España. If you were to charge straight through you could do it in 30 minutes, but all the fun is taking your time and wondering through the neighborhoods in-between. On each side of Gran Via you will discover various neighborhoods each with its own distinctive character.  To the north of Gran Via, you will discover trendy Chueca, Malasaña, and Tribal.  To the south the historic district of Las Letras and Sol. Walking from the Royal palace through Austrias and down to La Latina you will experience the part of Madrid that is over 500 years old.  Be sure not miss the tree lined boulevards of Paseo de Recoletos and Paseo del Prado down to Atocha train station, stop for coffee at an out door terrace along the way.

If you have some down time and want to relax visit some of the many parks in Madrid. My favorites are Parque Oeste with Templo Debod, the Madrid Rio (offers the best views of the Palace and Cathedral), the lake at Casa de Campo and of course the the classic El Retiro.  At each one you will aways find a terrace to stop at to enjoy a cold drink with a green view.

If you have limited time, take a private walking tour of Madrid when you first arrive.  Private guides are a fantastic resource for the rest of your visit and you will see a Madrid through the eyes of a local. It gives you a chance to get an over view of the city and find out what parts you like the best to go explore later on your own.

Eat & drink your way across Madrid

There is not just one “It” place or “hot spot”. There are many hot spots in every neighborhood of Madrid and Madrileños have made a tradition of trying as many as possible. According to “Anuario Económico de España 2013 de La Caixa” which measures economic indicators and statistics in Spain, Madrid has 31,748 bars and restaurants to choose from! So just picking one place is not an option.

Spain is famous for tapas and Madrid’s tapas selection make it a perfect place to try them.  You will encounter classic tapas, contemporary tapas, gourmet tapas and even regional tapas from across Spain.  A tapas tasting is easy to do, pick a starting place, order a tapa and a drink then move on to the next place, usually just down the block. With the food markets like San Anton and San Miguel trying tapas from all over Spain is easier than ever. Every Sunday La Latina is packed as its most known for its density and selection of tapas bars but you can tapa hop in every single neighborhood in Madrid.  Grandma’s to babies and students to Michelin starred chefs can be seen enjoying this old city tradition. Its not to be missed!

If you are not sure how to go about tapas hopping, jump on a tapas tour!

If you prefer eating in a more relaxed manner we always have the classic family style Sunday lunch.  Spaniards are very family oriented and if you live in the same city as your parents, having Sunday lunch is usually a requirement.  The rest of us however just go and have a long lazy lunch (and it doest necessarily have to be on Sunday).  As this big meal of the day starts at 2pm, you will understand why taking a siesta is more of a side affect rather than a lifestyle choice. It usually begins by meeting at a bar for an aperitif and tapa, then walking over to your choice of restaurant. There you will settle in, order a bottle of wine and actually enjoy the slow paced meal of at least three courses.  Expect to take two hours.  During sunny months there is no shortage of tasty places that have outdoor seating.

After lunch is a good time to go on that walk through the park!

Grand Museums & Exhibits

In between tapas crawling and lazy lunches you must try a museum or two.  From the big three, the Prado, Reina Sofia, and Thyssen to the smaller intimate Sorolla and Caraballo.

During summer we have Photo España, a yearly exhibition of photography that involves dozens of venues across the city.  It is virtually impossible not to come across it during a visit in Madrid. One museum many over look that I like to visit in summer is  Romantic Museum in Tribunal. It’s an interesting view into Madrid of the 1800s but it has a beautiful garden cafe with some of the best cakes in town.

Clients and visiting friends always ask me which to museum visit if they are short on time.  I say do one big museum and then visit one of the small specialty museums.  The small ones are more focused, like Sorolla, it was his home and studio.  If you are a big fan of contemporary go to the Reina Sofia, if you have more of a classic traditional taste go to the Prado and if you really do not know what you like or want a bit of everything go to the Thyssen, it’s personally my favorite, and arranged in chronological order from top to bottom.  For something different they just reopened the renovated National Archeological  Museum (MAN in Spanish)

I recommend for all the big museums and the Royal Palace visits that you order advance tickets online. Why wait in line!  (also many hotel concierge have a daily allotment of tickets available to their guests)

Take time for a terrace view

Terrace time in Madrid is a bit longer than just June through September.  This year I was on a roof top terrace in Tribal as early as March, jacket off in T-shirt.  The season can go as long as November. Since the city streamlined permit requests and allows virtually anyone to get a permit, Madrid’s rooftops and side walks are over flowing with great views and even better people watching.  From posh uptown gardens to trendy hotel terrace tops there is a view just for you. My favorites include the beautiful view of the river and palace from the Rio Cafe, the garden sanctuary of Atenas in the “Parque Atenas” and of course the spectacular panoramic views from the Azotea of Circulo de Bellas Artes.  If it’s a clear night, head to Lago in Casa de Campo for a dinner at sunset. The skyline rises above the lush green of the park and glows under that incredibly dark purple blue that is special to Madrid in the summer.  Absolutely magical on a warm summer evening.

There are dozen of terraces, picking some of the more out of the way spots like Atenas, Gau Cafe or Cafe del Rio. Less tourists, better local insight.

Nightlife can be a way of life

If you have not  heard, Madrid is the runner up to the city that never sleeps.  You will find more people on Gran Via at 5am than at 5pm especially during summer. When Paris is rolling up its side walks Madrileños are just hitting the clubs.  When I first arrived in Madrid we would start getting ready around 11pm, meet for drinks around 12:30, be in the club at 2am, stumble home at 7am. The marathon partiers would continue on to the after hours clubs until 12 noon.  But there is more than just late nights in Madrid, summer time in Madrid features great festivals and events including the Suma Flamenco festival in June and the season long “Verano de la Villa” with outdoor performances of dance,theater and concerts all across the city.  And the best part is they do not start at 2am! There is nothing quite like watching a modern flamenco performance on an out door stage with the Royal Palace as the back drop or watching Madame Butterfly on a jumbo TV screen in the park in front of the Royal Theater.

Look into events online before you arrive or send me an email.  If you are going to go out to party reserve a table and bottle, its a much better value for a group and you will not have to wait in line.

Get out of town and do a day trip

Madrid’s central location makes it a great destination for visiting other cities. El Escorial at the base of the mountains just within site from downtown Madrid. (45 minutes by commuter train) Just north of Escorial on the other side of the mountains is the summer palace of La Granja in  San Ildefonso. Try and schedule your trip here on a day when the fountains or running.  Only 12 km further to the north you will run into Segovia with its ancient aqueduct and fantastical fortress. Eat at a local “asador” and try the roast “cochinillo”.

South of Madrid just 30 minutes on the fast train is multi cultural Toledo, Spain’s previous capital home to muslims, christians and jews. It is rich in history and architecture and makes a great visit with private guide.

During summer go north, its higher and cooler.  Toledo is great but in summer its almost always a few degrees hotter than Madrid.  And if you find yourself in Madrid July 5th or 12th you must go to La Pedraza for the “Concert of the Candles”  The entire stone village is decorated with white candles and features an outdoor classical concert.

A day trip does not have to be a city visit, try hiking in the mountains or do a vineyard visit. You can hike to Escorial if you take the commuter train out one or two extra stops. Only 35 minutes from Madrid I recently discovered a beautiful green oasis to the west of Madrid which produces one of Spain’s most unique and exclusive wines. If you can not make it to the northern wine regions for a wine tasting this makes for an excellent option. It is truly a special experience.

Schedule an extra night in Madrid so you can do a day trip.  Each is different and certainly worth of a good half to whole day.