✈️ TLV to Madrid (MAD)
Spain
Madrid
CityMAD
IATA3551.4 km
Distance4h 47m
Flight TimeCoordinates: 40.4936, -3.56676
Airlines:
About Madrid
Weather in Madrid
Understand
Madrid has over 3.2 million residents within the city limits and 6.8 million people live in the autonomous Community of Madrid region (as of 2018).
Climate
The climate of Madrid is continental, mainly dry and quite extreme at times. Madrid experiences a characteristically hot and dry summer, along with a fairly cold winter with frequent frosts during the night and occasional snowfalls. Spring and autumn are generally mild with the most rainfall concentrated in these seasons. Spring and autumn are definitely the best times to visit, especially the months of April, May, June, September and October. There is very little rainfall during summer and also less rainfall during winter. During winter, snow occurs sporadically; however, snow usually lasts only for a few days, but there is abundant snowfall in the adjacent mountain ranges nearby.
See
Madrid is one of the top addresses in the world for art, both contemporary and not-so-contemporary, with Goya's most famous works in the Prado, Picasso's Guernica in the Reina Sofía and countless other works in those two museums and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The Prado goes back to the royal art collection which - for a nation that was the world's leading superpower for two centuries - is of course quite impressive. The Reina Sofía was opened to house what the Prado "had no room for" with a dividing line based on era ultimately being drawn. Besides art, Madrid also boasts some impressive architecture courtesy of kings who had access to the wealth of two continents and no qualms in spending it for extravagant royal residences. The following is a non-exclusive taste of what Madrid has to offer. Dive into the districts to find more! 40.41381 -3.69224 1 Museum Triangle . This is Madrid's museum district, named for the three major art museums clustered along Paseo del Prado east of the old city: the Museo del Prado , one of the finest art museums in the world, the Thyssen-Bornemisza , a baron's collection of classical art, and the Reina Sofia , Madrid's modern art museum. However, a couple of smaller museums also occupy the neighbourhood which are well worth seeing as well. 40.418 -3.7142 2 Royal Palace . An enormous palace, one of the biggest in Europe, with scorching plains of concrete around it. Though it is the official residence of the King of Spain, the royal family does not actually reside here and it is generally used only for state ceremonies. The Royal Palace is considered to be one of the most emblematic and beautiful buildings in Madrid. 40.41537 -3.70726 3 Plaza Mayor . Perhaps the best known plaza in Madrid, this impressive square is now one of the main stops on any tourist visit. 40.41689 -3.70347 4 Puerta del Sol . This plaza is the heart of Madrid and one of the busiest places in the city – a hub for the local transit system, a favourite meeting spot for locals, a visible area for festivals or political demonstrations, and an opportune location for tour guides, street performers, pickpockets and anyone else looking to take advantage of all the tourists on-hand. Several of Madrid's landmarks are found here: the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, the main Post Office with its iconic clock tower and Kilometre Zero of the Spanish road network. 40.41998 -3.70162 5 Gran Vía . One of the busiest avenues in Madrid, the location of the cinema district and a number of shopping malls and is lined with large billboards and lights. 40.41932 -3.69307 6 Plaza de Cibeles . Large roundabout in the city centre with the neoclassical Cybele Fountain and the imposing eclectic Cybele Palace. Spain's former Palace of Communications is now the seat of the municipal government). 40.41537 -3.70904 7 Mercado de San Miguel . Sets the ambience of a traditional market, with the advantages of the new times. It has an iron and glass structure from the 20th century. 40.41578 -3.71444 8 Catedral de la Almudena . The main church of Spanish Catholicism, in neo-Gothic style. Built from the 19th century to the 1990s. 40.42327 -3.7126 9 Plaza de España . A prominent square adjacent to two of the tallest buildings in Madrid: the Torre de Madrid and the Edificio España . 40.41428 -3.68239 10 Parque del Retiro . The main park of Madrid, the perfect place to take a rest during a sunny day, or take part in the drum circles around the statue of Alphonso XII on summer evenings. 40.424053 -3.717778 11 Templo de Debod . Ancient Egyptian temple that was moved to Madrid's Parque del Oeste after the construction of the Aswan High Dam.
Buy
Major credit cards and foreign bank cards are accepted in most stores, but it is common practice to be asked for photo-ID (DNI). If asked for your DNI present your passport, residency permit or foreign ID card — anything with your photo and name on it will be accepted by most shopkeepers. The signatures on credit cards are usually not checked.
Sleep
While of course it is most convenient to have an accommodation close to the sights in the city centre, you should also consider hotels or apartments in the other districts. For example, Malasaña and Chueca are just 1 km north of the city centre, Chamberí 2 km, but the rates may already be noticeably lower. When travelling as a family or small group, you may also think about renting an apartment via AirBnB or similar sharing platforms. They are usually located in residential neighbourhoods and include a kitchen, so you can do your shopping on markets, supermarkets or alimentación stores and prepare some meals yourself. That way you may experience more of the Madrilenians' everyday life and reduce the total cost of your stay significantly. You will also find restaurants in these districts catering to locals rather than tourists.
Stay safe
Madrid is a very safe city, with some of the lowest crime rates among Europe's largest cities. The police is highly visible, and the city is equipped with cameras. There are always people in the streets, even at night time, so you can walk across the city generally without fear. Travellers who remain aware of their surroundings, and keep an eye on their belongings, should have little to worry about.
Go next
While Regional and Cercanías tickets don't have to be pre-bought and don't sell out, tickets for AVE, Avant and other long distance trains sell out once all seats are gone. if you want to take a day trip to Sevilla or want to take one of the faster trains to Segovia, buy your tickets in advance. Easy day-trips from Madrid include : Alcalá de Henares is a charming old university town, birthplace of Miguel Cervantes the author of Don Quixote . Reach it by local train within 50 min. Aranjuez has the Palacio Real , the Bourbon monarchs' summer home, and the lavish Casa del Labrador near the river. Local trains take 45 min from Atocha, 55 min from Chamartin. Ávila has the most intact walled old town in Spain, spectacular when floodlit at night. Fast trains from Chamartin take 90 min. Chinchon is a hilltop small town that retains its character from the 1700s. No train, drive or take the bus. El Escorial is a huge monastery and palace, the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Reach it within an hour by local train from Atocha or Chamartin. Near El Escorial is Spain's most controversial monument - Valle de los Caìdos. Built by Spanish republicans taken prisoner during and after the civil war, it is a gigantomanic underground church with a huge cross on top of the mountain an edifice very much in the fascist style. It is the burial place of many fallen of the civil war, and it housed the tomb of dictator Francisco Franco until October 2019. There's an infrequent public bus to the entrance, from where it's another 9 km hiking. The nearby mountains, Sierra de Guadarrama , are the setting for Peñalara Nature Park. El Pardo is a village 8 km from Madrid with the Palacio de El Pardo , which in 1739 hosted a peace conference between Spain and England. War broke out. A bus runs from Madrid Moncloa. Segovia is a medieval city perched on a hilltop, with a great Roman aqueduct leaping across the valley to bring in the water supply. It's 30 min by train from Chamartin. Toledo is a medieval walled city and former capital of Spain, with excellent architecture and artwork. It's 30 min by train from Atocha. Further afield , day-trips at a stretch but deserving at least an overnight stay, are Salamanca , Leon , Valladolid , Zaragoza and Córdoba .