1. THE SHOPPING SPREES: Big brands, boutiques and ‘Made in Madrid’
With an eclectic blend of international brands and boutiques, market stalls and local ateliers, Madrid’s shopping scene is an exciting one, inviting purveyors to celebrate high-end and home-grown in equal measure. Nothing beats strolling the streets of Barrio de Salamanca for some luxury treats or exploring the neighbourhood of Las Salesas to witness the rise in Madrid’s slow-fashion movement. If you’re looking for the best in seasonal fashion, point your feet towards the pedestrianized Calle de Fuencarral, where you’ll find street performers, international brands, and local boutiques. For a multi-brand experience, look to Galería Canalejas for luxury fashion and foodhalls, or to the innovative WOW Concept, which is filled with fashion, beauty, wellness, and tech. For more artisanal ‘Made in Madrid’ pieces – from artists, tailors, basket-weavers, and potters – simply spend time ambling along the streets of Lavapiés, the Barrio de Las Letras Literary Quarter, Chueca, Las Salesas and La Latina. We can guarantee you won’t walk away empty-handed.
2. THE DINING SCENE: A city that never sleeps - and always eats
Madrid has long been known as a city with soul, with its amazing atmosphere often centred around the table, where friends and family linger of long meals and late nights. Emerging as a gastronomic destination in its own right, the capital has everything you’d want to titivate your tastebuds. Cobbled streets lead to incredible calamari sandwiches in Plaza Mayor, centuries-old restaurants, and neighbourhood markets where you can buy and feast on some of Spain’s best home-grown produce and authentic dishes. The 100-year-old Mercado de San Miguel is one of the city’s most iconic food markets and a must for all foodies. The Michelin Guide has also put Madrid firmly on the haute cuisine map, with 22 Michelin-starred restaurants across the capital, such as three-starred DiverXO, which serves up avant-garde seafood dishes in a highly eclectic setting; and two-star Coque and one-star El Invernadero, which both also hold a Michelin Green Star for their innovation around sustainable gastronomy.
3. THE FLAMBOYANCE OF FLAMENCO: The best places to dance the night away
Madrid is known as the ‘Capital of Flamenco’, where you can experience this flamboyant, passionate, and intense dance experience any day of the week – and almost any hour! The city is teeming with different shows, from grand performances to small songs and dance recitals in tablaos (flamenco bars) or halls, so there’s literally no better place for a foray into Flamenco. You can either book Flamenco de Leones tickets for a high-end ‘dinner and a show’ gastronomy experience, which will have you clapping from sunrise to sunset, or visit Corral de la Morería – one of the city’s oldest tablaos, which has welcomed some of the world’s most renowned flamenco artists to it stage. Here, you feast while you watch flamenco, as chef David García creates magic on a plate at the one Michelin-star Corral de la Morería Restaurant.
4. THE FOOTBALL FEVER: For the love of the game
If you know football, then you’ll know Madrid, as its home team Real Madrid is considered one of the most successful football clubs of the 20th century. To watch the ‘Merengues’ (so-called because of their white T-shirts) play at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is something of a sporting institution when visiting the city. As is as a visit to the Metropolitano Stadium to see Atlético de Madrid in action, and a visit to the all-new Legends: The Home of Football museum is a must for football fans. Spread across 4,000 square metres, its seven floors invite you to go on a chronological journey through the history of football, featuring state-of-the-art technology and over 4,000 sporting objets d’art – such as Pele, Maradona, and Messi’, football kit, and boots and balls used by the first world champions. If you build up an appetite, you can replenish at LaLiga TwentyNine’s LEGENDS restaurant, Madrid’s first themed restaurant, which blends sport, leisure, innovation, and gastronomy.
5. THE HAUTE HOTELS: The best places to bed down in
Every city escape deserves a beautiful place to stay, and with over 35 five-star properties scattered through the capital, it’s rich pickings for haute hotel connoisseurs. The last two years have seen a huge surge in luxury hotel openings too, with the city welcoming Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid, Four Seasons Madrid, Rosewood Villa Magna, JW Marriott Madrid, The Madrid EDITION and Thompson Madrid by Hyatt. Nobu Madrid is set to open next year along Calle de Alcalá, and just a few doors down, the iconic Metrópolis Building will become home to a new boutique hotel. Those looking for an experiential stay can check into the new UMusic Hotel Madrid – the first of its kind hotel from Universal Music Group, which is also home to the newly-restored historic Teatro Albéniz, that hosts musicals, dramas, concerts, and other live shows.
