Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain.
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It had a population of over 3.4 million in the city proper in 2025, and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.8 million. Madrid is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), after Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the second-largest in the EU, after Paris. The municipality covers an area of 605.77 square kilometres (233.89 sq mi). Madrid lies on the River Manzanares in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula at about 660 metres (2,170 ft) above mean sea level. The capital city of both Spain and the surrounding autonomous community of Madrid, it is the political, economic and cultural centre of the country.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
Madrid is one of the top addresses in the world for art, both contemporary and not-so-contemporary, with Goya's most famous works in the Prado, Picasso's Guernica in the Reina Sofía and countless other works in those two museums and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.
- 01Museum Triangle
- 02Royal Palace
An enormous palace, one of the biggest in Europe, with scorching plains of concrete around it.
- 03Plaza Mayor
Perhaps the best known plaza in Madrid, this impressive square is now one of the main stops on any tourist visit.
- 04Puerta del Sol
- 05Plaza de Cibeles
Large roundabout in the city centre with the neoclassical Cybele Fountain and the imposing eclectic Cybele Palace.
From Wikivoyage: Madrid, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Football: the men's national soccer team don't have a fixed stadium, but often play at Bernabéu and Metropolitano stadiums in Madrid. The best known clubs are Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, both based in the Northern Suburbs. They play in La Liga the top tier, and routinely qualify for European tournaments. Other teams include Rayo Vallecano in Vallecas and Getafe in the nearby suburbs, reached by Madrid Metro.
From Wikivoyage: Madrid, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Dishes popular throughout Spain are also widely served in Madrid. In addition, Madrid has a number of typical regional dishes: Gallinejas and entresijos – Lamb chitterlings fried in its fat. Very traditional and typical from Madrid city. Callos a la madrileña – A hot pot of spicy beef tripe similar to those found in Turkey and the Balkans. Cocido madrileño – Chickpea stew with meat and vegetables.
From Wikivoyage: Madrid, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Madrid
- Airports
- Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas (MAD), 14 km · Zaragoza (ZAZ), 263 km · Valencia (VLC), 293 km
- Valencia → Madrid7109 km · quickest by air, 15h 59m · $1,070–1,660
- Zaragoza → Madrid274 km · quickest by road, 4h 31m · €32–44
- Bilbao → Madrid323 km · quickest by air, 4h 4m · €90–140
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Madrid
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Madrid. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Go nextif you want to take a day trip to Sevilla or want to take one of the faster trains to Segovia, buy your tickets in advance.
From Wikivoyage: Madrid, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01599 km
- 021,036 km
- 031,116 km
- 041,157 km
- 051,176 km
If you know how people move in Madrid – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.