Madrid in 3 days: itinerary, where to eat and what it costs
Three days of museums, tapas and plazas, with the hours when the Prado and the Royal Palace let you in for free, and checked 2026 prices.
In short. In three days you can see Habsburg Madrid and the Royal Palace on the first, the Prado and the Retiro on the second, and the Reina Sofía, Lavapiés and the Gran Vía on the third. Excluding flights and hotel, budget around €67 per person per day, which makes Madrid one of the cheapest cities in these guides (October 2026 prices).
- the Prado, Monday to Saturday from 6pm to 8pm
- free
- ten metro and bus journeys in 2026
- €7.30
- per person per day, excluding flights and hotel (example)
- €67
Madrid has no single monument that sums it up, and that’s exactly why people fall for it. It has three of Europe’s great art museums less than a kilometre apart, a park that was once a royal garden and a street life that only gets going properly after nine at night.
It’s also the cheapest capital in these guides for getting around: with the discounts that remain in place in 2026, ten metro and bus journeys cost €7.30. And there are hours when the Prado and the Royal Palace open their doors for free, which changes the sums for anyone who knows how to use them.
Where should you stay in Madrid on a first visit?
Between the Puerta del Sol and the Paseo del Prado. Central Madrid is flat and easy to walk; the metro takes care of the rest.
Sol and Huertas
The centre of everything, including the Barrio de las Letras (the Literary Quarter), where Cervantes and Lope de Vega lived, five minutes from the Prado.
La Latina and Habsburg Madrid
The oldest streets, around the Plaza Mayor, with the tapas bars of Cava Baja. Lively until late.
Malasaña and Chueca
Neighbourhoods of independent shops, cafés and nightlife, just north of the Gran Vía.
Salamanca
Elegant and quiet, next to the Retiro, with the shops of Calle Serrano.
How do you get from the airport to the centre?
Barajas is about 13 km from the centre, and both cheap options work well. On the metro, journeys that start or end at the airport carry a €3 supplement.
| Airport | How | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barajas, Exprés Aeropuerto bus (203) | To Cibeles and Atocha, 24 hours a day; overnight it terminates at Cibeles | 30 to 40 min | €5 |
| Barajas, metro line 8 | To Nuevos Ministerios, connecting with the rest of the network | with a change | ticket + €3 |
On the bus you pay on board, by cash, bank card or phone.
What can you do in Madrid in 3 days?
The Prado and the Royal Palace have free hours at the end of the day. They save money, but you’ll queue and race the clock; for a first visit to the Prado, it pays to buy a ticket and go in the morning.
Morning
The Royal Palace
It has more than three thousand rooms and is still used for state ceremonies, so only part of it is open to visitors: the grand staircase, the throne room, the Royal Armoury. Next door are the Almudena Cathedral and the Sabatini Gardens.
Practical. €18. Free for EU citizens from Monday to Thursday, 5pm to 7pm (4pm to 6pm in winter), with ID.
Afternoon
Plaza Mayor and the Mercado de San Miguel
Walk down Calle Mayor to the Plaza Mayor, all arcades and brick-red façades, which over four centuries hosted bullfights, coronations and autos-da-fé. Next door, the iron-and-glass Mercado de San Miguel is lovely to look at and expensive for what it serves.
Evening
Bar-hopping on Cava Baja
Cava Baja is a whole street of tapas bars and old taverns. Do as the madrileños do: one drink and one tapa in each bar, then on to the next. To round off the night, chocolate with churros at San Ginés, open since 1894.
Morning
The Prado Museum
Go at opening time, 10am, and decide beforehand what you want to see: Velázquez’s Las Meninas, Goya’s Black Paintings, Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights. Those three rooms alone make the trip. Two to three hours is enough for a first visit.
Practical. €15. Free from Monday to Saturday, 6pm to 8pm, and on Sundays and public holidays, 5pm to 7pm.
Afternoon
Retiro Park
Behind the Prado begins the Retiro, once the royal garden and now the park where Madrid comes to unwind. Hire a rowing boat on the lake, find the iron-and-glass Palacio de Cristal, and leave by the Puerta de Alcalá.
Evening
The Barrio de las Letras
Have dinner in the Barrio de las Letras, around the Plaza de Santa Ana, where lines by famous writers are set into the pavements.
Morning
Guernica at the Reina Sofía
The Museo Reina Sofía, in a former hospital next to Atocha, is home to Picasso’s Guernica, best seen unhurried and from a few steps back. In the rooms around it are Dalí and Miró.
Afternoon
Lavapiés and El Rastro
Head up to Lavapiés, Madrid’s most mixed neighbourhood, with Indian and African restaurants alongside old-fashioned taverns. If it’s a Sunday morning, start at El Rastro, the city’s most famous street market, which spills through the streets of La Latina.
Evening
The Gran Vía and a rooftop
At the end of the day, walk down the Gran Vía, the avenue of cinemas and theatres, and go up to a rooftop terrace to watch the sun set over the city. The one at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, with a fee at the door, is among the best known.
Direct flight from Lisbon to Madrid: about 1h15. See the flight estimate for your dates.
What if you have one more day?
With a fourth day, Madrid has two historic cities about half an hour away by high-speed train.
Toledo
The old capital, on a hill wrapped in a bend of the Tagus, with a cathedral, synagogues and a mosque in the same neighbourhood. High-speed train from Atocha in about half an hour.
Segovia
The Roman aqueduct in the middle of town, the Alcázar and roast suckling pig. Fast train from Chamartín in about half an hour, then a bus from the station into the centre.
Where can you eat well and cheaply in Madrid?
In Madrid you eat at the bar. In some old bars the tapa still comes with your drink, and dinner means hopping from one bar to the next. A meal at an inexpensive restaurant costs around €16, and at weekday lunchtime the ‘menú del día’ is the cheapest way to eat sitting down.
The timetable is Spanish: lunch after 2pm and dinner after 9pm. In between, the vermouth hour. After dinner, ask for ‘un solo’ if you want an espresso.
- Bocadillo de calamares
- A bread roll stuffed with fried squid, the sandwich of the Plaza Mayor. Simple and cheap.
- Cocido madrileño
- Madrid’s meat and chickpea stew, served in three stages: first the soup, then the chickpeas and vegetables, and finally the meats. A winter dish, and a lunchtime one.
- Patatas bravas
- Fried potatoes with a spicy sauce. Every bar swears by its own version.
- Huevos rotos
- Fried eggs on top of chips, broken up at the table, with cured ham or chorizo.
- Callos a la madrileña
- Tripe stewed with chorizo and paprika, for cold days.
- Chocolate con churros
- Thick hot chocolate for dunking churros, at any hour and especially in the small hours.
How much does a trip to Madrid cost?
Madrid is the cheapest city in these guides for public transport and one of the most affordable for eating. The big museums cost around €15 and have free hours.
| What | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | ||
| Single metro ticket, zone A | €1.50 to €2 | Metro de Madrid |
| Ten-journey ticket (metro, EMT buses and ML1) | €7.30 | Metro de Madrid |
| Airport metro supplement | €3 | Metro de Madrid |
| Exprés Aeropuerto bus | €5 | EMT Madrid |
| Entry fees | ||
| Prado Museum | €15 | Museo del Prado |
| Prado, Monday to Saturday 6pm to 8pm and Sunday 5pm to 7pm | free | Museo del Prado |
| Royal Palace, self-guided visit | €18 | Patrimonio Nacional |
| Royal Palace, EU citizens, Monday to Thursday late afternoon | free | Patrimonio Nacional |
| Eating and drinking (averages) | ||
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | €16 | Numbeo |
| Dinner for two, mid-range restaurant, no drinks | €60 | Numbeo |
| Cappuccino | €2.74 | Numbeo |
| Draught beer, 0.5 l | €3.50 | Numbeo |
Madrid next to Lisbon
| What | Madrid | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino | €2.74 | €2.70 |
| Draught beer, 0.5 l | €3.50 | €3 |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | €16 | €15 |
| Dinner for two, mid-range restaurant | €60 | €55 |
A day in Madrid, per person
| Four journeys on the ten-journey ticket | €2.92 |
|---|---|
| Mid-morning coffee | €2.74 |
| Lunch at an inexpensive restaurant | €16 |
| Dinner (half of a dinner for two) | €30 |
| One entry ticket (Prado) | €15 |
| Total per person | €66.66 |
Example for one adult, using the prices in the table. Excludes flights, hotel and shopping.
How do you make the most of the free hours?
Combine them on the same day. The Royal Palace is free for EU citizens from Monday to Thursday, 5pm to 7pm (4pm to 6pm in winter), and the Prado from Monday to Saturday, 6pm to 8pm. On a Thursday you can see the palace in the late afternoon and go straight on to the Prado, with a queue and not much time. For a first visit to the Prado, paying €15 and going in the morning is still the best choice.
What mistakes should you avoid in Madrid?
- Expecting dinner at 7pm: many restaurant kitchens haven’t even opened yet.
- Forgetting that metro journeys to or from the airport carry a €3 supplement.
- Going to the Prado during the free hours and expecting a full visit. You get two hours, with bigger crowds.
- Keeping your wallet on show in the Puerta del Sol and on the metro.
- Ordering a ‘café con leche’ after dinner and expecting an espresso. Ask for ‘un solo’.
- Looking for El Rastro on a Saturday: the market runs on Sunday and public holiday mornings.
When is the best time to visit Madrid?
April, May, June, September and October. Summers are very hot and dry: in July and August, anyone who can leaves the city and the pace slows. Winter is properly cold, but almost always sunny.
In May come the San Isidro festivities for the city’s patron saint, with dancing in the squares. In December, the Plaza Mayor fills with its Christmas market.
Frequently asked questions
- How many days do you need in Madrid?
- Three days is enough for the museums, the Royal Palace and the neighbourhoods. With four, you can add Toledo or Segovia.
- When is the Prado Museum free?
- From Monday to Saturday, 6pm to 8pm, and on Sundays and public holidays, 5pm to 7pm, for the permanent collection.
- Is the Royal Palace free for Portuguese and other EU citizens?
- Yes, from Monday to Thursday, 5pm to 7pm (4pm to 6pm in winter), for EU citizens with ID. Outside those hours, a self-guided visit costs €18.
- How do you get from Madrid airport to the centre?
- The Exprés Aeropuerto bus (€5) runs 24 hours a day and takes about 30 to 40 minutes to Atocha. The metro costs a standard ticket plus a €3 supplement.
- Is Madrid more expensive than Lisbon?
- For food, it’s almost the same: a simple meal at €16 against €15, a cappuccino at €2.74 against €2.70, a draught beer at €3.50 against €3. For transport, with ten journeys for €7.30, it works out cheaper.
Sources and price dates
All prices were checked on 2 October 2026 on the pages below. Restaurant and café averages come from Numbeo, which collects prices submitted by people who live and travel there.
Lisbon → Madrid, return flight with hotel.
If you don’t have a flight or hotel yet, ask for a quote for your dates. It arrives on WhatsApp within minutes.
Direct flight estimate based on recent market searches. The final price, with hotel, is confirmed by the consultant.
