Spain / Madrid & Castile / Madrid

Madrid

The Prado, the Royal Palace and Tapas Late Into the Night

3 daysIdeal stay₹10,120From / night₹3,200Food / day₹1,600Entry

Spain's capital and its main arrival airport: the Prado, the Reina Sofía (Picasso's Guernica) and the Thyssen on one boulevard, the Royal Palace and the Almudena cathedral, the Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, and the Retiro park. Madrid eats late: tapas from 20:00 and dinner from 21:30. It is the hub of Spain's high-speed rail, with Toledo and Segovia half an hour away and Seville, Barcelona and Málaga 2.5-3 hours. Indian restaurants are easy to find, many in the Lavapiés district. Summers are very hot.

Highlights

Velázquez and Goya at the Prado
Picasso's Guernica at the Reina Sofía
Royal Palace
Plaza Mayor and the Mercado de San Miguel
Rowing on the Retiro lake
Sunset at the Temple of Debod
Tapas in La Latina
Flamenco show
Day trip to Toledo or Segovia

Things to do

Prado MuseumMorning · 3h
Royal Palace and Almudena CathedralMorning · 2h 30m
Reina Sofía: Picasso's GuernicaAfternoon · 2h
Retiro Park and the Crystal PalaceAfternoon · 2h
Plaza Mayor, Sol and a tapas crawl in La LatinaEvening · 3h
Flamenco showEvening · 1h 30m
Day trip to El Escorial monasteryMorning · 6h
Thyssen-Bornemisza MuseumAfternoon · 2h
Temple of Debod at sunsetEvening · 1h
Santiago Bernabéu stadium tourAfternoon · 1h 30m
El Rastro flea market (Sunday mornings)Morning · 2h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Madridvia GetYourGuide Tours & tickets in Madridvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: March – June, September – November

Heads up

Summer Heat in Andalusia and Castile

July and August inland are fiercely hot: 38-42 °C is normal in Seville and Córdoba and heatwaves pass 45 °C; Madrid, Toledo and Granada reach the high 30s. Sightsee from opening time until about 13:00 and again after 19:00, rest in the afternoon as the Spanish do, carry water, and book rooms with air-conditioning. Many sights open early and late in summer; the coast is cooler. June and September are hot too.

Christmas markets and the Three Kings — From late November Madrid's Plaza Mayor and Barcelona's cathedral square hold Christmas markets of nativity figures and decorations, and the streets are lit, Málaga's Calle Larios famously. Spanish children get their presents from the Three Kings: on the evening of 5 January every city holds a parade, and 6 January is a holiday when many shops close.

Part of a longer route

Madrid is a stop on a curated circuit through Spain.

💃

Madrid, Seville & Lisbon

Stop 1 of 3 · 9 days · easy

Getting there

Fly into Madrid (MAD)

Search flights to MAD from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhi (1 stop)from ₹23,500
From Mumbai (1 stop)from ₹23,000
From Ahmedabad (1 stop)from ₹24,500
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹25,000

Fly into Barcelona (BCN), 505 km away

Then: Train · 3h (AVE / Ouigo / Iryo high-speed train, Madrid Atocha or Chamartín–Barcelona Sants)

Search flights to BCN from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Mumbai (1 stop)from ₹22,000
From Delhi (1 stop)from ₹23,500
From Ahmedabad (1 stop)from ₹24,000
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹25,000

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹11,290

Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at a BLS International Spain visa centre in India (Spain uses BLS, not VFS), 4-8 weeks before you fly, and at least 6 weeks ahead for trips from April to July, when appointments are scarce (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Spain if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen, at the centre for the state you live in. The fee is €90 (about ₹9,600; €45 for children 6-11) plus the BLS service charge of about ₹1,500-2,000, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused.
At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). Allow at least 15 working days for a decision, longer in summer or if other Schengen states are consulted.
If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time at Madrid and Barcelona airports.

Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form and two recent photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary, with the trains or flights between cities; Hotel bookings for every night; Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).

One Schengen visa covers Spain and every other Schengen country (France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and more) for up to 90 days in any 180, so a tour that adds Paris or Rome needs no second visa. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. Appointment waits and BLS charges vary by centre and season: check india.blsspainvisa.com for your city before you book flights.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in Madrid & Castile

🗡️ Toledo · The City of Three Cultures on a Hill Above the Tagus
🏯 Segovia · A Roman Aqueduct and a Fairy-Tale Alcázar
🎓 Salamanca · Golden Sandstone and Spain's Oldest University

Plan a trip to Madrid

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at Madrid (MAD)