The BARNAENCATA guide to a jam packed weekend in Madrid, hitting lots of the must see tourist spots. Skip to the end for a suggested itinerary for a long weekend!

Museo Nacional del Prado

Buy your tickets in advance online to avoid a major queue and set aside at least 2 hours to get around this incredible museum. I asked ChatGPT for a recommended guide to help us get around the various levels and see all the works that I wanted to see as well as to suggest others that I knew little about, and it was actually pretty good! Just make sure to grab a map at the entrance to help navigate the many floors & rooms.

No photography of any kind is permitted in here so sadly, I’ve no pics to share. The stand out works for me were:

• Velazquez – Las Meninas: a piece linking 2 of Spain’s most iconic artists. Having recently visited the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, it was very cool to see the inspiration for Picasso’s piece of the same name.
• Rubens – The 3 Graces: One of the museum’s most celebrated works, ‘The Three Graces’ portrays three voluptuous female figures symbolizing charm, beauty, and joy; a refreshing reminder that femininity and aesthetic ideals take many forms.
• Caravaggio – David with the Head of Goliath: Studying art history in secondary school, Caravaggio was always my favourite Renaissance painter. Though tucked away in a corner room of the museum alongside other Italian painters, this painting immediately stands out as unmistakably a work by Caravaggio; the delicate chiaroscuro, the realistic facial expressions, the dark subject matter. I was thrilled to get to see this work up close.
• Clara Peeters – Still Life with Flowers, a Silver-gilt Goblet, Dried Fruit, Sweetmeats, Bread sticks, Wine and a Pewter Pitcher: My mum commented as we worked our way through the vast museum, just how few female artists there were so we made it our business as a last stop to head to the 3rd floor and check out the still lifes by Flemish artist Clara Peeters. I was particularly taken with the delicate details on the silverware; if you take a closer look, you may even spot various self portraits of the artist in the reflections.

Tapa Tapa!

The food scene in Madrid is on another level and one thing that I’ve learned living in Spain that if you have your heart set on dining somewhere in particular, securing a reservation is key. Before any trip to Madrid I always take some time to scour top rated restaurants and make reservations to ensure we are never disappointed.

Check out the map at the end of the post for some restaurants that I’ve really enjoyed over the last year or so.

Something sweet

No trip to Madrid is complete without enjoying freshly made churros dipped in a taza of molten chocolate. Chocolateria San Gines is one of my favourite spots to relax among photos of all the famous people that have enjoyed churros in this establishment going back decades. Be prepared to queue for a table, this place gets busy!

El palacio // The Palace

As an Irish person, I have a somewhat complicated relationship with the concept of monarchy; centuries of oppression under one will do that to you. Still, I do love a bit of history, and a tour of the Palacio Real in the heart of Madrid gives you a snapshot into just how rich & powerful the Spanish Empire was at one point in time.

The sheer opulence of the various rooms is really quite breathtaking, at least to begin with. The rooms are so ornately adorned that by the time you get to the room that houses an actual crown studded with priceless gems, it’s almost as if my senses had been so overloaded by the all the gold, gilded rooms, luxurious fabrics and priceless works of art that the actual royal crown barely got a second glance.

Asthetic numbness aside, the tour does stay interesting with a few curious artifacts along the way, some of my favourites being a room with musical instruments, including Stradivarius violins, that were once played by famous Royals.

The verdict: the insane detail and craftsmanship of each space along the self-guided tour is definitely worth a visit in my books.

✨Itinerary for a long weekend✨

🇪🇸Saturday🇪🇸

AM: After a good breakfast, hit the Museo Nacional del Prado. Give yourself a good 2 hours to get around the museum, longer for art fanatics.

Lunch: Treat yourself to top class lunch in the nearby Restaurante Vinoteca García de la Navarra. Pricey, but offers a range of delicious seasonal dishes with excellent service.

PM: Stroll through Retiro park. If the weather allows, take a boat ride on the lake. Then wander around the upmarket Salamanca neighbourhood for a spot of retail therapy.

Dinner: Enjoy some generous portions of Tapas in Restaurante Gloria Bendita Madrid

🇪🇸Sunday🇪🇸

AM: Train to Toledo (future post all about Toledo coming soon…)

Lunch: Grab a bocadillo (Iberian ham sandwich) on the go as you hot foot it around the cobbled streets of Toledo’s old town. This place has good ones and a few seats at the back!

PM: Return train to Madrid

Dinner: Keep it simple with some delicious Italian food in Oven Mozzarella Preciados.

🇪🇸Monday🇪🇸

AM: Hit Chocolateria San Gines for churros for brekkie. Take a tour of the Royal Palace. While you’re in the area, check out the Temple of Debod.

Lunch: Go for a healthy-ish option in this stylish, modern cafe, HanSo Cafe 2. The turkish eggs were incredible!

PM: Travel home 🙂

¡Buen viaje! // Safe travels!

K