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Evening and Morning in Madrid in early June - What to See/Do

Posted by on

My husband, daughter, and I will have a layover in Madrid. We'll arrive in early evening and depart the next day at 2 PM by air.

I'd love suggestions for things to do in the evening after arrival as well as morning, to make the most of the time and still allow plenty of time to get back to the airport for our return to the US.

I'm assuming we'd want to get a hotel in Madrid, spend the evening wandering around, do some kind of early tour and then head out by ? Uber?

All advice on places to stay, transportation, planning for timing, etc., will be appreciated. Places to eat for 3 primarily vegetarian people, also helpful.

We love nature, architecture, vistas, etc. Museums are good, but I think we'd appreciate taking in the scene there. Thanks in advance!

Posted by
4962 posts

I would stroll El Retiro park, maybe hit one of the museums in the morning, but time will be fleeting with a 2pm departure. MAD is huge and you will need the typical advance time. I'd take a taxi but there is train.
Maybe google for one of those "weekend in Madrid" type of articles and pick out what appeals to you for your amount of time.

Madrid is so big, and while it makes perfect sense to do a quick flyby like this, you also might consider little Alcala de Henares, a college town very near the airport, birthplace of Cervantes. It is perfect for a night, and came to mind just in case you want something less ambitious, more relaxing.

Posted by
1881 posts

I would suggest that after arriving in Madrid in early evening, you might not have a ton of energy to head into the city for such a short evening, sleep in Madrid city and then head back to the airport the next day. It takes a least 30-40 minutes to get back to the airport either by metro or taxi.

I would suggest getting a hotel reservation at the airport for the night so you will be near the airport the next day for your next day flight. Remember, you will be checking in just like a domestic flight in the US, so you'll need to be at the airport at least a couple hours before if not longer.

After you check-in, take a taxi to Madrid city and have nice dinner and walk around the area near Plaza del Sol and perhaps Plaza Mayor. Taxi back to your hotel when you are done walking around and are ready to crash for the evening. The metro is an option if you are familiar with public transportation otherwise I would stick with a taxi.

Can't help you on vegetarian restaurants, but plenty of sites can assist you with those in the areas around the Plazas. Enjoy.

Posted by
7157 posts

To correct EC, if you have a 2pm flight you should be at the airport 2.5-3 hours in advance. Depending on where the hotel is and how you’re getting to the airport, you can add about an hour to that. That means you need to leave for the airport no later than 10:00-10:30 am.

You won’t have any time to see anything on your departure day if staying in the city, so staying near the airport makes sense.

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks to all of the above for responses so far!

Anyone have thoughts on Debod Temple at dusk? We may be able to just make it there before sunset.

Posted by
7157 posts

It’s not a huge site and a lesser site for certain, but you may be able to get some nice photos at dusk. It’s very close to the Royal Palace. Even if you don’t get into the palace its Sabatini Garden is near the temple. If you enjoy Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, the temple is a 10 minutes walk from the small Plaza de España with large sculptures of Cervantes’ characters.

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