Madrid, Spain’s vibrant capital, is a city where history meets modern charm, offering a stunning architecture, world-class museums, and a dynamic food scene. Whether you’re strolling through the elegant streets of Gran Via, indulging in Tapas at a traditional Mercado, or admiring masterpieces at the Prado Museum, Madrid has something for every traveler. This ultimate Madrid travel guide covers how to get there using Points and Miles, the top things to do, must-visit attractions, local food experiences and insider tips to help you make the most of your trip. Get ready to explore Spain’s cultural heart with this comprehensive itinerary!
Table of Contents
Getting to Madrid
We booked our flights directly with the Iberia website using points and miles. We transferred points from Amex and Chase to Iberia. At the time of this post, this flight cost 42,500 points and $128 in taxes and fees per person one way to fly in business class or 17,000 points and $63 in taxes and fees per person one way to fly in economy from Miami to Madrid.
Hotel
We stayed at the Hyatt Centric Gran Via Madrid. It cost 21,000 points for off-peak nights and 25,000 points for standard nights. We needed 67,000 points for our three-night stay, which were transferred from Chase to Hyatt.
Itinerary
Day 1
Our flight arrived very early in the morning. We took an Uber from the airport to the hotel; it cost € 25 euros. The Hotel let us check-in early and so we left our luggage in our rooms and explored the city for the rest of the day.
We first stopped at the Puerta del sol and saw the statue of The Bear and the Strawberry Tree which represents the coat of arms of Madrid.
Then we walked to San Gines Chocolatery to try their iconic churros with chocolate.
Our last stop of the day was Plaza Mayor. There are a few restaurants located in Plaza Mayor, but they didn’t catch the interest of the entire group, so we decided to head back to the hotel. From Plaza Mayor to the Hyatt Centric Gran Via Madrid it is a 9 min walk.
If you like seafood there is a restaurant called Puerto Rico that is around the corner of the hotel, about a 2–5-minute walk, and has a great variety of seafood items with great reviews. One of our family members doesn’t eat seafood so we opted to eat at “MU! El Placer de la Carne” which is an Argentinian restaurant also 2 minutes away from the hotel. We bought a Family deal that included a Tomahawk steak with salad, sausage, French fries, and 5 drinks for €75.
Day 2
Our day started with the amazing Globalist Breakfast at our hotel that we were able to get for free thanks to a friend that gave us a Gift of Honor Award at Hyatt which includes other perks like room upgrades, bottled water, etc.
Then we walked to Catedral de la Almudena and the Royal Palace of Madrid.
The Cathedral is closed to tourists on Sunday, but you can enter if you want to attend mass.
Then we walked to Basílica de San Francisco El Grande, Temple of Debod, and Plaza de España. Then we ate tapas for dinner at Mercado San Miguel.
Our last stop of the day was for a Flamenco Show. This show is conveniently located 1 min away (walking distance) from the hotel. We absolutely loved the experience, could not recommend this enough. The dancers showed so much passion and joy for what they were doing. You can’t leave Spain without seeing a Flamenco Show.
Day 3
On our last day full day in Madrid, we explored Calle La Gran Vía, Cibeles Fountain, Puerta de Alcalá and strolled through El Retiro Park. The Glass Place at Retiro Park is under renovation during this time so we didn’t get to see it. Our day ended exploring new eats at Mercado San Anton.
Day 4
Since we had a late checkout thanks to our friend giving us the Gift of Honor (another perk) and our flight was in the late afternoon, we went shopping again at the Gran Via.
Final Thoughts
Three days is more than enough time to explore Madrid in depth without feeling rushed. You could certainly do a day trip to nearby cities like Toledo or Segovia within this time frame. We opted for a slow and relaxed pace to really enjoy and soak in the beauty of this city.
Have you ever been to Madrid? What is your favorite place or hidden gem? Let me know in the comments!