🌅 At sunset
Sunset at the Temple of DebodA real Egyptian temple reflected in the water at dusk.
✦ Your self-guided tour
Madrid
Discover the city at your own pace, with your route and your trip essentials in one place.
6 stops · about 2 h 34 · audio guide12 languages
Highlights
6 stops · about 2 h 34 · audio guide
Photos
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (each author credited) and Google.
Madrid: your route
Pay once. Access is saved on this device and sent by email.
6 stops · about 2 h 34 · audio guideTransport on the route: about €12.50
Included: the full route, audio guide in 12 languages and the travel tools. Not included: museum and monument tickets, transport tickets.
💡 Good to know in Madrid
Practical tips before you step out.
Luggage
Leave luggage at the airport left-luggage desk or a partner storage point on the route (marked ★). Carry only essentials and your passport.
Internet
EU SIM cards roam at no extra cost. From outside the EU, a 1‑day data eSIM is cheap; airports and many cafés have free Wi‑Fi.
Payments
Contactless cards are accepted almost everywhere.
Tipping
Tipping is optional; leaving small change is common.
Water
Tap water is safe and good.
Safety
Watch for pickpockets at Puerta del Sol and on the metro.
Sockets
Type C/F sockets, 230 V.
Toilets
Toilets in stations, shopping centres and museums; in a café, buy a drink first.
ⓘ Practical information compiled from official and public sources in October 2026. Not yet checked on the ground in this city — if something has changed, use “Report a problem”.
Safety in Madrid
Emergency numbers, common scams and how to get help. Free for everyone.
Emergency112
Police091
Tourist policeSATE · Calle Leganitos 19
Hospital and pharmacy search around the city centre — share your location for results near you.
Look for: Farmacia ✚
Show this to someone nearby
¡Socorro! Necesito ayuda. Por favor, llame a la policía o a una ambulancia.
Common scams and risks
Pickpockets
Crowded trams, metros and queues are their workplace. Bag in front and zipped; phone never in a back pocket.
Fake petitions
Someone with a clipboard asks you to sign for a charity, then demands money, or a partner picks your pocket. Walk on.
Free gifts
A rose, a sprig of rosemary or a "gift" is pressed into your hand, then money is demanded. Don't take it.
Fake police
Plain-clothes "officers" ask to check your wallet. Real police don't. Ask for ID and offer to go to a police station.
ATMs and money
Use bank ATMs, not independent ones, and always choose to be charged in the local currency.
👜 Watch your wallet in
Puerta del Sol · Gran Vía · Metro (line 8, airport) · El Rastro
🌙 At night, take extra care in
Lavapiés · Sol
Keep a photo of your passport on your phone, carry just one card and some cash, and stick to busy, well-lit streets.
ⓘ Practical information compiled from official and public sources in October 2026. Not yet checked on the ground in this city — if something has changed, use “Report a problem”.
General guidance. If you're in danger, call 112 now. · Madrid
Everything in Madrid
All the useful things in one place.
🆕 Today in Madrid
Friday 23 October · updated automatically every day
11° – 18°Little chance of rain
0 travellers this week0 comments · 2 posts
Experiences in Madrid
Moments, fun and events, picked for you.
Your interests
📅 At the weekend
El Rastro on SundayMadrid's famous street market, Sunday mornings in La Latina.
🌙 At night
Churros at San GinésHot chocolate and churros since 1894, near Sol. Perfect after a night out.
🕐 Flexible — check opening times
Rowing boats in the RetiroHire a rowing boat on the Estanque Grande by the monument.
🕐 Flexible — check opening times
Santiago Bernabéu stadiumTour Real Madrid's stadium and museum, or catch a match.
🌙 At night
Tapas on Cava BajaLa Latina's tapas street: bar to bar, the Madrid way.
🏛️ History & culture of Madrid
How the city came to be, in a few minutes of reading.
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.
The primitive core of Madrid, a walled military outpost, dates back to the late 9th century, under the Emirate of Córdoba.
Read the full history
The documented history of Madrid dates to the 9th century, even though the area has been inhabited since the Stone Age. The primitive nucleus of Madrid, a walled military outpost in the left bank of the Manzanares, dates back to the second half of the 9th century, during the rule of the Emirate of Córdoba. Conquered by Christians in 1083 or 1085, Madrid consolidated in the Late Middle Ages as a middle to upper-middle rank town of the Crown of Castile. The development of Madrid as administrative centre began when the court of the Hispanic Monarchy was settled in the town in 1561.
💬 What travellers say about Madrid
Tips, experiences and questions from people who've been there.