An end of the year trip always has a good combination of activities for everyone and allows you to get to know the city better … Do you want to know what to visit in Madrid in 2 days? Keep reading.
We know that school trips do not usually last more than 4-5 days. For this reason, we recommend prioritizing and avoiding going crazy with the activity program. Without a doubt, it is better to know the 10 best places to visit in each destination with peace of mind, than to try to cover it all. In this article we prepare a 2-day city tour of the main monuments. In this way, they can spend the rest of your time enjoying other types of excursions.
Day 1: visit to the Center and its monuments
The visit to Madrid starts at kilometer 0: Puerta del Sol. This emblematic place is where every New Year’s Eve they ring the chimes that announce the New Year. To visit its surroundings, you can take Arenal street that begins at Puerta del Sol, and ends at Opera. Opera is famous for housing the historic building of the National Theater. If you go in that direction, you will find the Plaza de Oriente with the Royal Palace. These places are essential on any visit.
Then, head for the Plaza Mayor (the easiest way is to return to the Puerta del Sol and access from the Calle Mayor). Around it you can find many tapas bars and beer, at exorbitant prices because it is a very touristy area, where you can taste the typical squid sandwich. It is also essential to visit the San Miguel market, which is next to one of the entrances to the square.
If you go down the opposite entrance, you will arrive in 10 minutes to the historic neighborhood of La Latina. There you can eat tapas in the most famous bars (la Búha, el Viajero, el Pez Tortilla…), visit the squares full of people, go to the wonderful Mercado de la Cebada, with many traditional stores; or if you prefer, walk a little further and eat in the Jardines de las Vistillas, from where you will have stunning views of Madrid.
Shopping and tapas
In the afternoon, you will return once again to Sol, to go up the commercial Calle Preciados (where we can make a stop for shopping of all kinds) to the Plaza de Callao and Gran Via, and down this famous street to Plaza de España, one of the largest and most remarkable squares in Madrid. Going down the entire square and continuing on the right, you will find the temple of Debod, located in a viewpoint with its own gardens. A magical and peaceful place, from which you can see one of the best sunsets in the city. Choose a place with time!
After this moment, the best option is to finish the day in the nearby neighborhood of Malasaña, known for its hipster aesthetics. From 8 a.m. onwards, the streets fill with people, hustle and bustle, terraces and good vibes, and you cannot miss any of the typical tapas served in the bars of this neighborhood, the trendiest in the city!
Day 2: cultural tour
What else can you visit in Madrid in 2 days? On the second day of the tour, the Atocha station is the starting point, which is a historic building. There are several options from Atocha, all of them with many possibilities. You can visit the nearby Retiro Park, just walking up the Cuesta de Moyano. There you can find the typical stalls of first- and second-hand books, which have been there for many years. Then, you should visit at least one of the museums of the famous triangle: Thyssen, Prado and Reina Sofia. And, next to them, the Botanical Garden, which has free admission on Tuesday afternoons. If you take the Paseo del Prado and leave the museums behind, you will find two of the most important fountains for the people of Madrid: the fountain of Cibeles and the fountain of Neptune.
When the monumental visit is over, take a leisurely stroll through the streets of the Barrio de las Letras, one of the most important and oldest neighborhoods in the city. Or move from Atocha to the multicultural neighborhood of Lavapiés and discover all its bars, with a wide and diverse culinary offer.
And don’t forget that if your stay in the city on a Sunday, you will have to visit the biggest and most famous flea market in Spain: the Rastro (flea market).
What else can you visit in Madrid in 2 days? Extra excursions
If your program includes more than 2 days in the city, we recommend excursions to the outskirts of the city and to the Sierra of Madrid, or to neighboring cities and towns, such as Toledo, Avila, Aranjuez, El Escorial or Alcala de Henares.
On the other hand, it would probably be very interesting for students to visit one of the city’s theme parks: Parque Warner, Parque de Atracciones or Parque Europa.
And for soccer fans, there is also the possibility of visiting the soccer stadiums of the two antagonistic teams of the city: the stadiums of Real Madrid, Santiago Bernabéu; and of Atlético de Madrid, Wanda Metropolitano.
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