Madrid 3 Days

You can stay in the city Center so you are close to everything

Leonardo Hotel Madrid City Center
$87 a night

3-star hotel

Calle de Alberto Aguilera, 18, 28015 Madrid, Spain•+34 914 46 09 00

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2061480?guests=1&adults=1

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/16606749?location=Centro&adults=2&guests=1&s=1_cJVJ6_

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9128910?location=Centro&adults=2&guests=1&s=1_cJVJ6_

Itinerary for 3 Days:

Madrid

Madrid (Day trip to the city of Toledo via Train - 55 minutes train ride)

Madrid (Fly Home)

The food is not bad but they eat dinner late there like around 10pm.

You could also check Hotel Europa. It is nice and on Puerta del Sol. It is a pretty and lively area, but the hotel rooms are quiet even though they have views of puerta del sol. I agree with Jean suggestion to take a day trip to Toledo. If that doesn't work out or appeal, look at a day trip to Segovia. For Madrid activities, if you like art, Madrid has world class art museums. If not, you could visit the royal palace. If you are close to the royal palace, it is pretty at night.

1.) Which part do you recommend we stay in?

Near Puerta del sol if you can afford to.

2.) What do you recommend we have on our itinerary for such a short trip?

Go see the bull ring if art museums aren't your thing; it was an interesting tour.
https://www.las-ventas.com/

Definitely the Retiro Park is worth a stroll through have a picnic there weather permitting.
https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/parque-del-retiro
The Spanish have some of the best parks all over Spain

Go tour the Royal Palace
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_Madrid

3.) We leave next week, I have an autoimmune diseases so no sugar or starch intake, usually I make beef jerky and take it as a backup, how is the food? Everything pretty much pure?

The Spanish are big on meat and ham (Jamon Iberico) in general (the best is the kind where the pig was raised on a diet of olives, chestnuts or acorns) and all kinds of cured meats and cheeses. Tapas are a big part of the eating scene as well. Lunch starts around 2 and dinner around 9.
You should be able to find something with out sugar or starch at this landmark market thought it can get really crowded
https://mercadodesanmiguel.es/

Don't miss going to Toledo, you can take the train.

Ham is a key Spanish meals, they eat lots of it.

Check out some Tapas bars where you buy a drink and enjoy small plates of food from about 5-6PM. Many tapas dishes are meat.

One budget hotel is Sleep’N Atocha. It’s by the Reina Sofia museum and Atocha train station. The Plaza Mayor is a 15 minutes walk. Retiro Park is essentially across the street. The Prado is a few blocks away. As you are on a limited budget, go to the Prado or Reina Sofia during their free hours (or any museum for that matter). Some free things one can see; Retiro Park, the outside of the royal palace and nearby gardens, Plaza de Espana, Plaza de Cibeles, Alcala and Toledo Gates, Puente de Toledo, Fuente de Neptuno, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, and Rana de Suerte statue.

I'd also look at the Mercado de San Miguel. Yes, it's touristy but you can get some good tapas and people watch.

I stayed at Sleep’N Atocha in 2016. My single room was small, but it was fine. The hotel had a relatively new feel. However, I don't know what sort of rate you'll get now for a March. When I tried to add an additional 2-night booking at the hotel for 7 to 10 days later, the rate was going to be substantially higher than I had paid when I booked about 3 months in advance. It certainly can't hurt to check, though.

Check Air BnB- Booking.com- Orbitz- Expedia- Trip Advisor- shop around for rates- then you can go to the hotel site directly and see if they have a rate cheaper. Enjoy your trip!

Happy Travels💫✨

Hi! Does anyone know how is the best way to book a sleeper train? Is it better to do it in Europe? In Paris, the prices were much cheaper than when I booked from here.

Generally train travel tickets you buy in advance are cheaper.
What site are you using to research train trips?
Between which cities do you want a sleeper ?

We land in Madrid. We will spend 1 full day there.
The next night, my boyfriend wants to go to Lisbon
spend the full day there. Then he wants to go somewhere near the southern coast that night. The plan is to travel at night and that is also our accommodations. Do you guys recommend Seville, Granada or Marbella.
Then that night, take the train back to Madrid for our flight out that morning.

Book that sleeper in advance not when you get there. The time you want could sell out.
Madrid to Lisbon this site will give you all the information:
https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/trainhotel-lusitania-from-madrid-to-lisbon.htm

What sites do you use to buy the sleepers? There are sooo many websites, I am feeling overwhelmed.

This one for Spain
https://loco2.com/en

I recommend Seville the take train from there back to Madrid

the link to Seat 61 provides is a sort of encyclopedia for train travel. It tells you what websites to use and is full of helpful suggestions and links. I understanding that in 3 days you want to visit Madrid, Lisbon and then somewhere in Andalusia (Southern Spain)? You will not have a whole lot of time in any of your cities. I get that you intend to use sleeper trains, which are not always available for every train route and sleeper trains can be difficult for sleeping, believe it or not. I would strongly suggest you stay around Madrid. If you don't really want to actually visit Madrid, there are quite a few of day trips you could do--Toledo, Segovia, etc.