Madrid, Spain

Photo spots in Madrid

• Royal PalaceHistoric
  Official royal residence with ornate facade and changeover ceremony at noon
• Plaza MayorHistoric
  Historic central plaza with porticos; outdoor cafes and street performers
• Retiro ParkParks
  Large urban park with lake, tree-lined paths, and cultural monuments
• Prado MuseumMuseums
  World-class art museum with Spanish masters and European paintings
• Reina Sofia MuseumMuseums
  Modern art museum featuring Picasso's Guernica and contemporary works
• Thyssen-Bornemisza MuseumMuseums
  Private collection spanning multiple art styles; completes the Golden Triangle
• Templo de DebodLandmarks
  Egyptian temple with city skyline views; magical sunset light from hilltop
• Puerta del SolHistoric
  Central square with iconic Bear and Strawberry Tree statue; bustling energy
• Cibeles FountainLandmarks
  Ornate neoclassical fountain; beautifully illuminated at night
• Gran Via AvenueArchitecture
  Madrid's main avenue with grand early-20th-century architecture
• Atocha Train StationHistoric
  Ornate historic station with ironwork and tropical plant atrium
• Barrio de La LatinaNeighborhoods
  Medieval narrow streets with traditional taverns and Sunday flea market
• Malasana NeighborhoodArchitecture
  Bohemian district with vintage shops, street art, and hip cafes
• SegoviaDay trips
  UNESCO city with Roman aqueduct, castle, and historic old town charm
• Parque Warner MadridTheme parks
  Full-scale film-studio park in San Martin de la Vega, about 25 km south, with Gotham City and Hollywood Boulevard back lots built as walkable sets. The Gotham street empties in the last hour before closing, which is when the set lighting actually reads.
• Parque de Atracciones de MadridTheme parks
  City amusement park inside Casa de Campo, reachable on metro line 10 to Batan, with Abismo and the Lanzadera drop tower as the big rides. The tower gives a clear elevated look back at the Madrid skyline if you shoot on the way up.
• Zoo Aquarium de MadridZoos & aquariums
  Combined zoo, aquarium and dolphinarium in Casa de Campo, one of the few European zoos with giant pandas. Go at opening; by midday the park is full of school groups and the panda house queue runs long.
• Teleferico de MadridTransit
  Two-and-a-half kilometre gondola from Paseo del Pintor Rosales over the Manzanares into Casa de Campo, still running as of 2026 but weekends-only outside summer, so check the calendar before you go. Sit on the east side of the cabin for the Royal Palace and Almudena in the return view.
• Santiago Bernabeu Stadium TourSports
  Self-guided tour of the rebuilt Real Madrid stadium, including the retractable-roof bowl from the upper tier and the trophy room. Tours are cancelled or cut short around matchdays, so check the fixture list before booking a slot.
• Faro de MoncloaViewpoints
  A 92 m glass-topped tower with a 360-degree view west over Casa de Campo to the Guadarrama and east across the university district. Cheap and rarely busy, but closed Mondays and it shuts earlier than sunset in midsummer.
• Real Jardin BotanicoParks
  Eighteenth-century terraced botanic garden immediately south of the Prado, quiet enough to work slowly with a macro. The Villanueva greenhouse holds tropical collections and gives you a warm indoor option when the light on the terraces goes flat.
• Museo Arqueologico NacionalMuseums
  Major paid museum on Calle Serrano holding the Lady of Elche and a full-size replica of the Altamira cave paintings. Admission is only a few euros and the top-lit central courtyard is the best-lit interior in the building.
• Plaza de Toros de Las VentasSports
  Neo-Mudejar bullring from 1929 whose brickwork and ceramic tiling glow at the end of the day; the audio-guided tour puts you down on the sand. Tours run daily outside event days and are far cheaper than attending a corrida.
• Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El EscorialHistoric
  Philip II's granite palace-monastery about 45 km northwest, reachable on Cercanias C-3a in an hour from Atocha. No photography in the basilica or the royal pantheon, so plan the shoot around the exterior from the Jardin de los Frailes terrace.
• Carlos Sainz Karting MadridGo-karting
  Indoor karting.

Where to stay

Hotels near these spots are shown on the map as bed pins, grouped into three price bands, with a booking link for each one. Open the map and tick “Hotels” in the legend.