Madrid
World-class galleries, late nights and the best day-trip network in Spain.
Photo: Zarateman (CC0)
Moderate rain warning · Area: Meseta de Segovia · From 2026-10-16T17:00:00+00:00 · until 2026-10-16T19:59:59+00:00
Moderate thunderstorm warning · Area: Meseta de Segovia · From 2026-10-16T17:00:00+00:00 · until 2026-10-16T19:59:59+00:00
Severe rain warning · Area: Campo de Cartagena y Mazarrón · From 2026-10-17T06:00:00+00:00 · until 2026-10-17T21:59:59+00:00
Good to know
You can travel without a visa to the Schengen area, which includes Spain, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period…
Spain follows Schengen area rules. Your passport must: have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive – if you renewed your passport before 1 October 2018, it might have a date of issue that is more than 10 years ago,…
The European Union’s (EU) new Entry/Exit System (EES) is now being implemented across the Schengen area…
There are strict rules about what goods can be taken into and out of Spain (PDF). You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty…
Spanien: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise
Spanien: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise
Metro line 8 links Barajas airport to Nuevos Ministerios in 15 minutes, with a supplement on top of the normal fare.
The Prado is free for the last two hours of the day, and the Reina Sofia for the last two hours except Tuesday.
Toledo and Segovia are both around 30 minutes away by high-speed train, easy as a half-day trip.
La Latina on a Sunday after El Rastro market is the classic vermouth and tapas crawl.
Local knowledge
Contributed by guides, operators and creators on the ground. Community advice, kept separate from official sources.
Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen all have free evening slots. Arrive 30 minutes before and do one wing properly rather than all of it badly.
Sunday from noon on Cava Baja. Start at the top of the street, one drink per bar, and you will have eaten dinner by accident.
Frequently asked questions
Metro line 8 or the Cercanias C-1 train both reach the centre in about 25 minutes with one change. Taxis are a fixed fare into the central zone.
Yes in high season. Free evening entry has long queues, so a booked timed ticket saves an hour on a busy day.
Toledo, Segovia and Avila are each under an hour by train and comfortably done in a day.
April to June and September to October. July and August routinely pass 35C and much of the city empties out.
English is common in hotels and central restaurants, but a few words of Spanish go a long way in neighbourhood bars.
For details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s Spain guide. Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
There are strict rules about what goods can be taken into and out of Spain (PDF). You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty. Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
Global Affairs Canada currently advises high degree of caution (level 2 of 4). Advice differs slightly between governments, so check your own country's advisory before you travel.
Run tours in Madrid? Publish them everywhere from one place.
Tourpublish takes the tours already in your reservation system and publishes them to your website, social channels, messaging apps, AI assistants and marketplaces.
Travel information last reviewed 16 October 2026. Compiled from European Commission Newsroom, IATA Timatic, Open-Meteo and Tourpublish Travel Intelligence. Always confirm entry rules and safety guidance with official government sources before you travel.
Advisories, entry rules and alerts apply to Spain as a whole.
Aggregated from official sources. Content is never rewritten — always display the publisher, publication time and original source link.
Photography: Zarateman (CC0); Emilio J. Rodríguez Posada (CC BY-SA 2.0); Max Alexander / PromoMadrid (CC BY-SA 2.0).