If you travel in 2024, you might decide you want some international experiences. You can check out London, Paris, or Tokyo. Maybe you’ll target Amsterdam or Brussels.
You should at least consider Spain, though. Barcelona has its admirers, but you might prefer Madrid. There, you can store your luggage with Nannybag, a company with luggage drop-off locations. You can retrieve those bags whenever you’re ready.
Now, let’s talk about Madrid and what you might expect there. We’ll also discuss some of the things that tourists like there and that you shouldn’t miss during your trip.
How’s Your Spanish?
First, let’s mention the obvious. You’re in Spain, and you’ll hear everyone speaking Spanish. Many people do speak English as well, but you never know whether someone you stop on the street might speak it.
If you know Spanish, that will undoubtedly help you while you’re there. Even if you don’t know much, even a little Spanish should help.
If you took Spanish classes in school, it should come back when you hear everyone around you speaking it. If you never took any Spanish lessons, you might use an app and learn at least some basic phrases that can help you order food, purchase train tickets, find a bathroom, etc.
If you speak no Spanish at all, you might use a phone app that can translate the phrases you speak. That can help you communicate if you meet someone and they do not speak any English.
Jetlag Might Come into Play
Madrid might seem wonderful if you’re sleeping at the same time everyone else does. If you arrive and you are there for several days, then usually, your body’s internal clock adjusts.
If you arrive and you’re not there for very long, though, you might struggle if your body’s sense of night and day can’t adjust. You might have insomnia at night because you feel like it’s daytime.
There’s no easy answer, but if you take some sleeping pills at night, that might help. The longer you visit, the more your body should adjust.
The People Eat Dinner Later in Madrid
As you look around and assess Spanish culture, you might notice a phenomenon that’s not generally true with America and Americans. Madrid residents often eat dinner much later than you may expect.
In America, you might eat dinner around 5:30 or 6 pm. In Madrid, people would consider that very early. Instead, they might eat around 9:00 pm or even 10:00. Not everyone eats at that time, but many people do.
You might take a nap or read a book during your regular dinner hours and then go eat at 9:00 if you can find a nearby restaurant. You’ll likely find many people doing the same thing. It’s a common Spanish custom.
Should You Get a Hotel or Try an Airbnb?
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You can easily get a hotel in Madrid, but maybe you think you would feel better exploring some of the Airbnb options. Madrid has Airbnb, just like America does, and you might rent someone’s apartment if they’re not around. You can also stay in their place when they’re still home if you don’t mind meeting some new people.
If you get a hotel, you can get room service, and they usually speak English at the desk. At an Airbnb, you get an entirely different experience. Maybe you’ll prefer one or the other. Getting an Airbnb means you’ll likely have an adventure and get some more local flavor, and perhaps that’s what you want.
What Should You Do While You’re Visiting Madrid?
Madrid certainly has many tourist options. You might check out El Retiro Park. You can enter and walk around without paying anything, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.
You will find more than 15,000 trees there. It’s a green oasis with water features and shady plazas through which you can stroll. It’s a World Heritage Site as well, confirming its iconic status.
You should visit the Museo Nacional del Prado as well. You must pay for this attraction, but it’s well worth it. This art museum has many works you’ve only seen on postcards and in art books.
If you appreciate great art, you’ll love your time there. This museum has a permanent collection on display, and it also brings new pieces from other museums and countries frequently.
What Else Might You Do During Your Visit?
Source: theculturetrip.com
You can also visit Madrid’s heart, Plaza Mayor. You can see the Baroque Royal Palace and Armory. There, you can see amazing weaponry that’s still meticulously maintained.
You can eat at one of the famous restaurants. You might nibble on some tapas and have an aperitif. You might even take a paella cooking class and enjoy a wine pairing.
There’s perhaps just one thing you can’t miss, though. That’s a tour that hits Avila and Segovia. You can reach these sites easily enough, though you’ll need either a car or a train ticket.
These tours show you Avila and then Segovia, where you can see stunning monuments. They represent a bygone time. Avila’s walls have original stonework dating back thousands of years.
You can see the Cathedral and Basilica while you’re there. There’s religious iconography that’s incredibly beautiful.
After that, you’ll see Segovia, with Alcazar, the towering aqueduct from Roman times. You’ll feel small and inconsequential standing beside it when you see its antiquity.
In Segovia, you can also enjoy sit-down restaurants that serve whole pig feasts. They roast the entire pig, and you can eat almost all of it, including the face if you’re feeling adventurous. The cheeks get crispy and taste like the best pork rinds you’ve ever encountered.
You should enjoy your time in and around Madrid. More than three million people live there, and they love their city.
Many times, you’ll find they’re friendly and accommodating. You can easily drop off your luggage and start wandering around, or you can sign up for a guided tour. Either way, you’ll make some lasting memories.
