Affordable luxury in Madrid on a budget with this perfect Madrid one day itinerary. Discover the city’s top sights without breaking the bank and experience the best of Madrid’s culture, history, and charm in just one day.
Madrid One Day Itinerary: Morning
Where to Have Breakfast in Madrid
First things first—breakfast (or at least a good coffee) is a must! Since we’ll be heading to the Prado Museum later, we’ve rounded up some of the best breakfast spots near the Prado. But if you’d rather eat closer to your hotel, we’ve also got a few great recommendations in other parts of the city. No matter where you are, you’ll start your day in Madrid the right way!
Café del Art
If you’re looking for a great coffee spot in Madrid with a delicious breakfast, Café del Art in Lavapiés is a fantastic choice. One of their must-try dishes is the melted burrata on warm toast drizzled with honey—a perfect mix of creamy, savory, and sweet.
Café del Art is laptop-friendly, and you’ll find plenty of people working here throughout the day. If you’re on a business trip in Madrid, this is a great café to grab coffee, answer emails, or even take a work call in a relaxed setting.
Located in the artsy neighborhood of Lavapiés, Café del Art is also a great starting point for a street art walk. Just a short stroll away, Embajadores Street is known for some of the best street art in Madrid. If you love discovering vibrant murals and graffiti, this area is worth a visit.
How to Get to Café del Art
- Nearest Metro Stop: Tirso de Molina (5-minute walk).
- Lavapiés Metro Stop: Slightly further, about a 10-15 minute walk.
- Walking Distance from the Prado Museum: Just 20 minutes, taking you through some beautiful Madrid streets.
Alma Nomad Bakery: A Must-Try Breakfast Spot in Madrid
If you’re looking for freshly baked pastries and great coffee in Madrid, Alma Nomad Bakery is a fantastic option. Located in the Chamberí neighborhood, this relatively new bakery has already earned rave reviews—and we can confirm, it’s worth the hype!
What to Try at Alma Nomad Bakery
Everything here is made with organic ingredients and sourdough, ensuring top-notch quality and flavor. If you’re in the mood for something savory, their tomato, spinach, and mozzarella quiche is a must-try—rich, creamy, and full of flavor.
Alma Nomad Bakery is primarily a takeaway spot, with just a small counter and a few bar stools. If you’re looking for a quick breakfast in Madrid that’s both high-quality and delicious, this is the place to go.
How to Get to Alma Nomad Bakery
- Closest Metro Stop: Iglesia (Line 1)
- Alternative Stop: Bilbao (if you’re on Line 4 and want to avoid switching)
- Alternative Stop: Quevedo (if you’re on Line 2 and prefer a direct route)
If you’re staying nearby or don’t mind a short metro ride, this hidden gem is well worth a visit for a quick yet satisfying breakfast in Madrid!
Watch our video where we’ve mapped out the ultimate one-day itinerary in Madrid on three different budgets, from saving to splurging. Plus, you’ll get a visual guide to these cafés so you can see exactly what to expect. Click to watch and plan your perfect day in Madrid!
Bond Madrid: A Charming Vintage Café in Madrid
If you’re looking for a cozy and beautifully designed café in Madrid, Bond Madrid is a must-visit. This small but stunning café has a sophisticated vintage vibe, with elegant cups and plates that make your coffee experience even more special.
What to Try at Bond Madrid
Everything on the menu looks amazing, but we highly recommend the cappuccino and their signature violet cake—a unique and delicious treat. The sponge cake was so moist and the violet buttercream tasted like marshmallow. Whether you’re stopping by for a coffee break or a sweet indulgence, you won’t be disappointed.
Unique Gifts & Takeaway Options
Not only is Bond Madrid a great spot for coffee and cake, but they also sell beautiful, unique gifts, like unique puzzles, playing cards, diy book nooks, home goods, etc. Since this café is becoming increasingly popular and only has three tables, it’s best to go early. But don’t worry—there’s a takeaway section at the front if you’re on the go.
How to Get to Bond Madrid
- Closest Metro Stop: Banco de España (Line 2)
- Close, but further away: Antón Martín (Line 1)
National Prado Museum Café Restaurant
If you’d like or don’t feel like running around, they do have a café inside the museum that we thought was really great. Most of their things are a little bit on the pricier side, but you can get a coffee and and something small to eat for around 8-10€.
National Prado Museum (Museo Nacional del Prado)
Ultimate Guide to Visiting the Prado Museum in Madrid
If you’re visiting Madrid, the Prado Museum is an absolute must. It’s Spain’s most famous art museum, home to masterpieces by Velázquez, Goya, Rubens, and Bosch. But before you go, here’s everything you need to know—how to get there, the best time to visit, how to buy tickets, and a few mistakes to avoid (like accidentally grabbing a museum map in Portuguese and German—which we did).
How to Get to the Prado Museum
By Metro. The closest metro station to the Prado is Banco de España (Line 2, Red Line), just a 5-minute walk from the museum entrance.
A common mistake? Getting off at Estación del Arte near Atocha train station. It’s not much further, but it drops you off on the opposite side of the entrance you actually need. So unless you want to take the scenic (and slightly confusing) route, Banco de España is the better option.
By Free Electric Bus. Madrid has a free electric bus (Line 001) that stops near the Prado Museum. It’s a great option if you prefer the bus over the metro. (For a full breakdown of Madrid’s public transport, check out our video on how to get around Madrid on a budget!)
Buying Prado Museum Tickets
You can buy tickets:
- Online (Recommended): Saves you time and helps you skip the lines.
- At the entrance. But expect to queue, especially during peak hours.
Ticket Prices:
Standard entry: 15€
Entry + audio guide: 20€ (highly recommended!)
Which Entrance Should You Use?
- If you don’t have tickets: Puerta de Goya (this is where the ticket booth is)
- If you already bought tickets online: Puerta de los Jerónimos.
Funny story—we arrived 10 minutes late because we couldn’t find the entrance. Luckily, they still let us in, so either they were in a good mood, or they don’t mind a little lateness!
Best Time to Visit the Prado Museum
Want to avoid the crowds?
- Visit early in the morning when they first open
- Go in the late afternoon
- Tuesdays to Thursdays are the quietest days
- Weekends? Packed.
Can You Visit the Prado Museum for Free? Yes! But there’s a catch.
Free Entry Times:
- Monday to Saturday – 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- Sunday & Public Holidays – 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
These times get really busy, so expect long lines. If you don’t want to wait, buying a ticket is worth it.
Tips for Exploring the Prado Museum
1. Grab the Right Map
When you enter, pick up a museum map—it’ll save you from aimlessly wandering around. Just double-check that it’s in the right language! We accidentally grabbed Portuguese and German maps because they weren’t in the right spot—oops!
2. Get the Audio Guide
The Prado Museum isn’t massive (like The Louvre, for example), but it can be confusing to navigate. The audio guide is a lifesaver, offering pre-made routes based on how much time you have:
- 1-hour route
- 2-hour route
- Full museum tour
It also gives you insightful history you won’t find on the display boards!
Must-See Artworks in the Prado Museum
Ground Floor:
- The Garden of Earthly Delights – Bosch: if you love surrealism, this is a must-see!
First Floor:
- Las Meninas – Velázquez: The most famous painting in the Prado.
- Goya’s Paintings: Especially La Maja Desnuda.
- Rubens’ Masterpieces.
Super Important: No Photos or Videos Allowed!
We found this out the hard way—the guards are extremely strict about this rule. At first, it wasn’t clear, so we took a few clips before realizing. If you don’t want any trouble, it’s best to just put your camera away and ignore the guards so they don’t hover over you.
Final Thoughts: Is the Prado Museum Worth Visiting?
Absolutely! We spent about 3 hours inside and had a fantastic time. The museum is packed with incredible masterpieces, and the audio guide makes the experience even better.
Funny enough, even though we’ve been living in Madrid for years, this was our first time visiting. Don’t make the same mistake—put the Prado on your Madrid itinerary!
What to see & do in Madrid
Have a picnic in Retiro park
Order a brunch box to go at Balbisiana in Velázquez (just a 10 minute walk from the iconic Retiro Park) and have a picnic lunch in the park. It’s 29€ for a box for 2 people. You have to order it online before your trip and ask to pick it up at the shop. And just so you know, their pistachio and white chocolate tart is insane! So good.
See the Palacio de Cristal
The Palacio de Cristal is a stunning glass and iron structure in Madrid’s Retiro Park, originally built in 1887 as a greenhouse. Today, it’s used for art exhibitions, but the real attraction is its beauty—sunlight pours through the glass, reflecting off the lake in front of it, making it one of the most picturesque spots in the city. It’s a must-see for anyone who loves architecture, photography, or just a peaceful place to relax in nature.
Rent a rowing boat in Retiro Park
After your brunch you can go on one of the rowing boats that go out on Retiro’s big pond. They cost 6€/boat on weekdays and 8€ on weekends and each bost can hold up to 4 people. They ride lasts 45 mins and can a fun relaxing activity for a couple or a family—or solo of course.
Go up the Riu Hotel Building
You can actually go up Riu Hotel, it costs 10€ to go up and you get the most incredible views of the city and there is a glass floor section that you can walk over if you’re brave enough.
See a show at the theatre in Gran Vía
Why not see a show at the theatre? This is the website where you can buy tickets. Of course, they are in Spanish, but I still think it’s a fun experience regardless. We highly recommend Aladdin and The Lion King.
Best places to have lunch in Madrid
Honest Greens
One of our absolute favourite place to grab Lunch is at Honest Greens. They serve fresh, healthy food made with natural ingredients—no additives or processed stuff but so so delicious and full of flavour.
Their menu is seasonal includes many options, all inspired by Mediterranean, Asian, and Middle Eastern flavors. Our favourite things to order that is always available are the Piri piri chicken, the hot honey halloumi, the herb tofu and their garden bowls in general are incredible.
Definitely order the Ben’s sweet potato fries with beetroot ketchup and alioli. They are honestly soooo good!
Another thing we always order to drink are the kombucha and their free refill infused waters. They’re not all my cup of tea but the strawberry lemonade one is really popular and is insanely good and refreshing.
They also have a coffee bar with desserts, we don’t love those, but the coffee is really good.
Remember! You order first, you get a number and then you sit down and they bring you your food.
There are many Honest Greens but the one closest to the museum is in Gran Vía. This one gets busy so don’t go at peak lunch hour like 2 or 3pm.
Bel Mondo
It’s part of the Big Mamma group that has restaurants all over Europe. They serve indpcredible classic Italian food with a modern twist that is super affordable.
They also have another restaurant called Villa Capri close to the Alonso Martínez metro stop with a similar menu.
We love many things on their menu, but genuinely all of their pizzas or anything they have with truffle is a good choice.
Just make sure you make a reservation in advance for both of these as they tend to get fully booked quite fast.
Best places to have dinner in Madrid
Spanish people have dinner quite late (8pm to 10pm or later) so don’t go too early if you want a lively vibe but not too late that you can’t find a table. As always, making a reservation in advance is the best bet.
LaMucca (budget friendly option)
They have a mix of Spanish and Italian food. They make delicious patatas bravas and we highly recommend the black charcoal dough pizza.
Café de Oriente (a little more splurgy)
If you prefer something a little more fancy, got Café de Oriente by Plaza de Oriente where we were earlier. They have a cozy but classy art nouveau decor. We recommend the oxtail dish and the torrijas for dessert.
Hotels in Madrid – Where to Stay in Madrid
If you’re feeling splurgy…
- The Ritz Mandarin Oriental Located next to the Museo del Prado. The closest metro station is Banco de España.
- The Four Seasons Madrid This hotel isright in the heart of Madrid. The closest metro stations are Sevilla and Sol.
- Gran Hotel Inglés Madrid Located in El Barrio de las Letras, just a 5-10 min walk from Sol metro station.
- Gran Meliá Fénix This hotel is right next to the Plaza de Colón Christmas Market. It is located very close to Retiro Park and Puerta de Alcalá (10 min walk away).
- Riu Plaza España Madrid This hotel is the iconic tall building towering over the Plaza de España. The closest metro stop is Plaza de España.
- Rosewood Villa Magna The closest metro stop is Serrano.
- Wellington Hotel & Spa Madrid The closest metro stop is Retiro.
Some not so splurgy (medium budget options)…
- Only You Boutique Hotel Madrid Located between Plaza de Colón (Colón metro station), Chueca metro station and Fuente de Cibeles (Banco de España metro station).
- H10 Madrid Hotel. Closest metro station is Gran Vía.
- The Dear Hotel located on the corner of Gran Vía and Calle de los Reyes. The closest metro station is Plaza de España, or Santo Domingo which is 4 mins away by foot.
- NH Collection Hotels Madrid The closest metro station is Gran Vía.
- Radisson Blu Hotel, Madrid Prado The closest metro station is Estación del Arte.
- Barceló Torre de Madrid The closest metro station is Plaza de España.
- Hotel Atlántico The closest metro station are Callao or Gran Vía.
- Petit Palace Plaza del Carmen The closest metro station are Gran Vía, Sol or Callao.
- Emperador The closest metro station is Santo Domingo.
- Sercotel Gran Hotel Conde Duque The closest metro station is San Bernardo.
Budget-friendly hotels in Madrid
- Sercotel Alcalá 611 The closest metro station is Canillejas.
- Eurostars i-hotel Madrid The closest metro station is Colonia Jardín.
- Exe Getafe The closest metro station is Getafe Central.
- NH Alcorcón The closest metro station is Parque Oeste.
- Be Casa – San Sebastian de los Reyes The closest metro station is Hospital Infanta Sofía.
- Eurostars Madrid Foro The closest train station is the Tres Cantos Cercanías Renfe line. Keep in mind, this hotel is accessible, but not on the metro line, which can make a day trip quite inconvenient.
Other helpful blog posts to plan your next trip to Madrid…
Learn how to move around Madrid to travel confidently during your next trip by following our complete step-by-step guide to using public transport in Madrid.
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