11 cheap (and free!) things to do in madrid

let’s be honest, travelling in europe can get expensive.

while we found spain to be reasonably priced you can save a lot of money by taking advantage of some of these cheap (and even free) things to do in madrid!

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the prado museum

this world renowned art museum houses many famous artists including bosch, rembrandt, and goya. tickets are not what i would consider cheap at 15 euros.

luckily the museum has free hours the last two hours of each day. we went during these free hours from 6-8pm on a monday. there will be a line so get there early. we happened to wander over at about 515pm and there were already at least 100 people in line! by the time 6pm rolled around, there were at least 100 more people in line behind us.

even with the line, they are efficient and organized for getting people in during free hours and we were looking at art by 615pm. they send groups of people to different entrances to help reduce overcrowding.

the reina sofia museum

another amazing art museum in madrid that has free admission during certain hours. we aren’t too artsy of people, so one art museum was enough for our short time in madrid. if we had more time we would’ve added this to our list

retiro park

a beautiful large park you can easily spend a day here when the weather is nice. take a picnic lunch and find a spot to relax on the grass and enjoy nature.

also in the park are a few buildings with beautiful architecture. there are so many pretty spots, but here are just two.

crystal palace

this glass house is perfect for a photo op and also has a small lake with a fountain. there were a lot of families there feeding the fish and turtles while the weather was nice.

alfonso xii monument

in this area there is a little lake where you can rent a row boat to ride around. there were a lot of people out rowing and a great spot for people watching.

tapas at el tigre

there are still a few spots in madrid that will give you free tapas when you order a drink. most places are down to bread or something small, but el tigre still goes all out.

when you order a drink here you will get a huge plate of delicious assorted tapas. the drinks are a little pricey compared to other spots, but they are also much larger than other places. and the free tapas can easily be a full meal.

we hit this place us for dinner on our last night in madrid and i am so glad we did! heads up they only take cash, so make sure you come prepared!

there are a ton of great spanish dishes you should try why you are in spain, so don’t be afraid to ask a local and try as much food and drink as you can!

puerta del sol

puerta del sol is centrally located in madrid and a spot that a lot of tours leave from. the most famous monument here is la osa y el madrono, the bear and the tree. it is the symbol of madrid.

the locals meet here at new years to eat 12 grapes as part of their new years tradition. the streets surrounding contain a lot of restaurants and shops, both touristy and hundreds of years old.

every evening and night you can find performers from dancers to singers to magicians. it is also very conveniently located with 3 metro lines to connect you with the rest of the city. we stayed about 2 blocks away in this air bnb and it was a great location for exploring. if you haven’t used air bnb before, use my link to sign up and get money off your first trip and we’ll get something off our next trip too!

plaza mayor

plaza mayor is the main plaza in madrid. it is pretty touristy at this point, but is a great place to walk through and learn about the history of madrid and spain. a lot of tours leave from this plaza.

there are restaurants in this plaza that do have great menu del dia options.

take the metro

a lot of attractions in madrid are walkable. even with taking the metro we easily hit 20,000 steps per day, so don’t feel like you’re cheating by saving a few steps.

the metro makes madrid very easy to travel through. you can buy a metro card in any metro station for about 12 euros that is good for 10 rides. you simply scan your card to enter the station, board the metro (heading in the right direction!) and get off at your destination.

we bought one card and scanned it once for each of use to pass through. you can add more rides to your card as needed. while in madrid, be like a local and take the metro!

catedral de la almundena

this cathedral in madrid looks a little strange from the outside. the architecture is a little disjointed and not typical.

there is a suggested donation of 1 euro for entry to the cathedral and it is well worth it. the ceiling of this cathedral was renovated recently and i absolutely love all the colors. this is the most colorful cathedral i’ve seen outside of barcelona.

royal palace

taking a tour of the royal palace is not free, but you can walk around outside for free. the building and grounds are impressive. we learned a lot about during our free walking tour of madrid.

mercado san miguel

san miguel market in madrid is a foodies paradise. it is free to walk around, but you will have to pay for whatever delicious treats you want to try. and trust me you will want to try something. prices are a little high in my opinion, but you are getting high end food.

there is everything here from tapas to wine, fish to pastries, and a lot of other things i can’t even remember. pick a few things to try and enjoy the skills of these local cooks.

take a free walking tour

on our first day in madrid we took a free walking tour. if you haven’t done a free walking tour yet, i highly recommend it as an inexpensive way to get the lay of city and learn the history of the city and country you are in.

both in ireland and here we took sandemans free walking tour. it took about 3 hours and we got to learn a lot about the history of spain and the role madrid played in it. we have now had two great sandemans guides in two different countries.

if you aren’t familiar with a free tour, basically you sign up for a tour for free, and then at the end of the tour you pay what you think it was worth, or what you can afford. there are tons of options around in european cities and they are even becoming more common in the united states.

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what is your favorite free thing to do in madrid?

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