One Full Day in Madrid

Here is what Rick Steves recommends in Madrid. You can use this list as a starting point and decide what interests you. You can also watch the RS show on Madrid, available under the Watch section of the link below:

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/spain/madrid

▲▲▲ Royal Palace Spain's sumptuous, lavishly furnished national palace.

▲▲▲ Prado Museum One of the world's great museums, loaded with masterpieces by Diego Velázquez, Francisco de Goya, El Greco, Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Dürer, and more.

▲▲▲ Centro de Arte Reina Sofía Modern-art museum featuring Picasso's epic masterpiece Guernica.

▲▲▲ Paseo Evening stroll among the Madrileños.

▲▲ Puerta del Sol Madrid's lively central square.

▲▲ Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum A great complement to the Prado, with lesser-known yet still impressive works and an especially good Impressionist collection.

▲▲ National Archaeological Museum Traces the history of Iberia through artifacts.

▲▲ Flamenco Captivating music and dance performances, at various venues throughout the city.

▲▲ Plaza Mayor Historic cobbled square.

▲▲ Sorolla Museum Delightful, intimate collection of portraits and landscapes by Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla.

▲ Bullfight Spain's controversial pastime.

▲ Retiro Park Festive green escape from the city, with rental rowboats and great people-watching.

▲ Royal Botanical Garden A relaxing museum of plants, with specimens from around the world.

▲ Naval Museum Seafaring history of a country famous for its Armada.

▲ Museum of the Americas Pre-Columbian and colonial artifacts from the New World.

▲ Clothing Museum A clothes look at the 18th–21st centuries.

▲ Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida Church with Goya's tomb, plus frescoes by the artist.

▲ El Rastro Europe's biggest flea market, filled with bargains and pickpockets.

▲ Zarzuela Madrid's delightful light opera.

Not sure where you intend to lodge, but if you don’t mind walking consider a walking tour; not a formal one, just on your own. Along Paseo Del Prado you go past Plaza de Cibeles, the Rana de Fortuna sculpture, and Fuente de Neptuno. There’s also the Mujer con Espejo sculpture by Botero if you like his work. Pass the Prado and Alcalá gate and stroll through Retiro Park. From there head up to the Plaza Mayor then over to the Puente and Puerta de Toledo. On the return go past the Royal Palace, Temple of Debod and Plaza de España. Head back to the Puerta Del Sol and then stroll down the Gran Vía. For a nice view of the area, go to the 9th floor of El Corte Inglés by the Callao metro stop.

Of course the Prado and Reina Sofía museums are worth visiting. We enjoyed the Naval Museum.

We recently returned from Madrid. The plan was for a quick 1.5 day visit but traffic intervened. We arrived to Atocha Station mid-afternoon, walked to Reina Sofia, had a snack in front of the museum and proceeded to see some Miro’, Dali and, especially, Picasso’s Guernica. We were able to walk right in (Monday, around 4PM) and unexpectedly found free admission for seniors 65+ (everyday). The museum was not crowded and seeing Guernica exceeded expectations. From there, we walked to our hotel near Puerto del Sol. The next day we (mostly) followed Rick Steves’ walking tour:

http://podcasts.ricksteves.com/pdfs/madrid-city-map.pdf

We deviated to visit a lovely shop, Cocol, that specializes in handmade in Spain items. Though modern, the Almudena Cathedral (entry by donation) has spectacular stained glass windows well worth a look. The exterior of the Royal Palace was, for us, enough. Our only miss, due to lack of time, was Retiro Park. The highlights of our short time in Madrid were seeing Guernica and the incredible meals we had at SDD2 and Tres por Cuartro.

We were in Madrid as well as Sevilla last April. In one day we went to the Royal Palace and the Prado Museum.
We also went to Retiro Park for a few hours the day prior. One place we ate for dinner in Madrid that was really excellent was Taberna El Sur de Huertas. It is rated 61 out of 12,000+ restaurants in the Trip Advisor site. I think that you can skip seeing a flamenco show in Madrid as you can see it in Sevilla where you will have more time. After all , Sevilla is the birthplace of flamenco!

I definitely would choose one museum - Reina Sofia or the Prado (Guernica would be my suggestion). Then, a focus on two additional things:
1) walking around the city - including Retiro park but also up to Plaza Major and possibly the full RS walking tour.

and
2) tasty food options.

So, to me, the Reina Sofia was a very "easy" museum that won't wear you out nor eat up too much time, but wandering the city, stopping to eat a few places, and wandering some more is always my suggestion for many cities including Madrid.

To me, part of the charm in Madrid is being out late with the crowds as they head to dinner at 9 or 10 pm. If you're flying in that day, my guess is you won't make it that late, but if you wander around the areas between Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Santa Ana you'll find some wonderfully vibrant narrow lanes with many restaurants and bars (well worth strolling in this area a little earlier too).

We also love Mercado de St. Miguel for lovely place to grab dinner, but that can be very hectic and crowded at peak times.

Our family rented bikes and rode around Retiro Park, which was a lot of fun. There are a few bike rental shops along Calle de Felipe IV on the western edge of the park. These are simple bikes for a leisurely ride around the park, but our family had a blast as we saw so much more of the park (which is massive) over a couple of hours.

Enjoy!

My first day in Madrid, I joined a food tour. It took about 3-4 hours and we walked around, seeing an old part of the city and popping into different types of stores and restaurants. It was an excellent experience! There are some great large museums in Madrid, but a smaller one that is very worthwhile is the Sorolla Museum, located in the home where Joaquin Sorolla had his studio. I love his paintings and his home with its enclosed garden is charming.