Are you planning a trip to Madrid? I’m sure you’ve already informed yourself before and know what places you want to visit, but in this post I’m going to give you some tips for travelling to Madrid that will be very helpful when you get there. Get a pencil, paper and take notes!
Tips for travelling to Madrid
What do you mean you haven’t booked accommodation yet? What are you waiting for? Madrid is a very touristy capital and good accommodation is booked quickly. Luckily it’s a big and well-connected city. As long as you are within the M-30 you will have public transport no more than 20 minutes from the centre. You may be wondering… What is the M-30? Well, here’s your answer: It’s a ring road that surrounds the city centre of Madrid.
If you want more info, we’ll save you the search. Here are our recommendations on where to stay, neighbourhoods, areas and platforms to book… And if you click here, what happens? How curious are you? Can you keep reading without clicking? Come on, let’s go on with the tips for travelling to Madrid, that’s why you came here.
Public transport
How do you plan to get around in Madrid? If you’re a great athlete, of course, you can walk everywhere, but when your little feet ask for a break, what better way to get around than by public transport, which will take you to the other side of the city in 15 minutes? We recommend that you get a travel card. Don’t know where to get one? There are machines in every metro station. And there are all kinds of top-ups. Depending on how many days you travel, your top-up will depend on how many days you travel.
If you are only going to be in Madrid for a few days, you should get the Tarjeta Multi, which costs 2.50€. You can load credit or transport vouchers in the same machines and with one card you can travel with several people. There is a 10-trip card that costs 12.20€ and allows you to save a few euros, as a single ticket costs between 1.50€ – 2€, depending on the area.
Travel in comfort
When packing a suitcase, always travel light… You don’t need that pair of jeans you never wear, don’t bring them “just in case” because you won’t wear them here either. This is important: keep in mind that the city has many slopes and downhills, some are very steep and the pavements are narrow, if you have to walk a lot with your luggage, it won’t be very comfortable, and there are stairs everywhere. Think carefully when choosing what you are going to bring your belongings in, whether it is more comfortable for you to bring a backpack or a suitcase on wheels.
Plan your trip
Have you ever visited a city and later found out about a beautiful place you would have liked to go? Us too, but… HERE’S THE MIRACULOUS TIP! To make your trip better and your life easier, plan ahead what you want to do and see in Madrid. Basic, isn’t it? This will allow you to better manage your time and organise yourself in terms of locations and distances.
Madrid is a very big city and there is a lot to see, so our recommendation is to be realistic, make a list of the must-see places and a list of the interesting places for you. Once you have finished your list of must-sees, if you have time, continue with the list of interesting places. The beauty of travelling is that you have to be open to everything. It is likely that you arrive in Madrid and because of some building works or national holidays, what you had planned to visit is closed. But don’t worry, they say that when one door closes, two open. Maybe you won’t be able to go there but I’m sure you’ll find something even better on the way.
Immerse yourself in the culture
Talk to strangers – is that the opposite of what your mother used to tell you? Mmm well, you better be careful which stranger you talk to… Well, you know what I mean. What I mean is, in Madrid it’s very easy to make friends. It’s a multicultural city and everyone is open to meet people. We love to talk and we have no problem chatting as if we were lifelong friends.
A tip for travelling to Madrid: Get to know and try to imitate Madrid’s customs… You’ll see how nice it feels! For example, we give two kisses when we greet each other. Did you think it was only in Italy? We also love the siesta… And you? You’ll notice it when you see the city with less people than usual at that time. And another very important thing, we love terraceo (the art of having a beer on a terrace) and I’m sure you’ll get into this habit very quickly. It’s a great plan to go for a beer and tapas outdoors to enjoy the weather and be open to see what happens after a couple of beers or sangrias.
Documents always at hand
The next tip for travelling to Madrid can now be applied to all your next trips. It’s all about security. Specifically, I’m talking about copies of documents: It is essential that you keep copies (both physical and electronic) of all your important documents.
We all have a Google Drive account, don’t we? If not, how come you’re still alive? Create a folder with all your important scanned documents and photos, so you’ll always have them at hand. If you lose or get your physical papers wet, you’ll always have infinite copies in the magical cloud to save you in a pinch. This won’t take you more than 30 minutes. Come on! Don’t complain, you can do it all with your mobile phone. There is an app called Adobe Scan, which simply by taking a photograph you can scan all your documents and upload them automatically. And that’s it.
We have come to the end my dear traveler. This has been my list of tips for your trip to Madrid. I hope it has helped you. If you want to travel in an organised group, you can click here. See you soon!
