Top Things To Do in Madrid in the Summer
Madrid can be a magical place during the summer months. The sun is shining 99% of the time. Sunset isn’t until almost 10:00 pm. And the midday siesta is an absolute must.
Here are a few of our favorite things to do in Madrid in the summer:
Have a tinto de verano in a beautiful plaza
Enjoy a Tinto de Verano at one of the many outdoor cafés like this one at the Terraza de las Vistillas.
Getting a drink at a terraza is a Madrileño favorite. Our summer drink of choice is a tinto de verano, which is like a local version of sangria. (Hot tip: sangria is drank almost exclusively by tourists! Stick to tinto de verano for a more authentic experience and much less of a headache!) Tinto de verano is a wine spritzer made from red wine, lemon Fanta or Casera (like sweet sparkling water) and sometimes a splash of sweet Spanish vermouth. It is perfect for sipping in the sunshine!
Here are some of our favorite plazas for outdoor drinking and people watching:
Plaza de la Paja in the La Latina neighborhood.
Plaza de los Comendadoras in the Conde Duque neighborhood.
Plaza Dos de Mayo in the Malasaña neighborhood. Head here for bottles of the local lager: Mahou.
Plaza de Olavide in the Chamberí neighborhood. This plaza is ideal if you are traveling with kids! The center of the giant square (which is really more of a circle) is filled with playgrounds. It’s also great for breakfast at one of the many cafés that line the plaza.
Plaza del Rey just off of Gran Via heading into the Chueca neighborhood. This plaza is ideal for a mid-afternoon vermouth at either Revoltosa or Sifón, two great bars on the north end of the square.
Plaza Gabriel Miró (La Terraza de las Vistillas) in the La Latina neighborhood has sweeping views of the Almudena Cathedral and is the perfect spot for a sunset drink.
Wander through Madrid's Jardín BotAnico
Madrid’s Botanical gardens are a shady and lush city retreat. Just next to the famous Prado museum, you can stroll through the manicured paths and take highly Instagrammable photos with fountains, flowers, statues and more!
Visit one of Madrid’s many small collection museums
See Joaquin Sorolla’s dreamy seascapes at the enchanting Museo Sorolla.
Everyone loves the Prado and the Reina Sofia museums, but Madrid has so much more to offer! For a more intimate experience, we love the dreamy seascape paintings and fountain lined gardens at the Museo Sorolla. The museum is housed in the artist’s former home and has a spectacular collection of paintings, ceramics and period furniture.
Picnic in Retiro Park
The Retiro is a giant green oasis in the center of the city and a perfect place for a picnic. Before going to the park, head to the Mercado de la Paz market to pick up provisions like jamón, cheese, bread, olives and fruit. This market is also home to what many in the city bill as the best Spanish omelet in Madrid! Brave the lines and grab either a slice or a full tortilla from Casa Dani.
Take a day trip Outside Madrid to a Spanish mountain village
Toledo is perhaps the most popular day trip from Madrid. But with soaring temperatures, it can be a little stifling in the summer. Why not try something off the beaten path? Cercedilla is a favorite with Madrileños with its stone houses, hiking trails and great restaurants tucked into the Sierra de Guadarama mountains. You can get a train from the Chamartin station and in a little over an hour be breathing in the cool mountain air!
Have a Menu del Día on a Terrace
La Cruda in Madrid is one of the best spots for natural wine in the city! They have a fantastic lunch menu as well, which is one of our favorite things to do in Madrid on a sunny day.
Combine our two favorite things (the classic 3-course lunch menu aka menu del día and sitting outside) for a true Spanish lunch experience. A menu del día is the weekday menu that features a couple of options for both the first and second course followed by either coffee or dessert. A drink is included and the price usually comes in under €15. Yep, Madrid is that awesome. Here are a few restaurants we’d recommend, all of which offer outdoor dining:
La Cruda - One of Madrid’s best natural wine bars with a hand full of outdoor tables and a lunch menu.
Bar Cruz - This old school dive in Plaza Cascorro is as classic Spanish as they come!
El Buti - Feast on traditional Spanish dishes upgraded with a modern flare as you sit in the shadow of the beautiful Iglesia de Santiago, which is tucked just minutes away from the Royal Palace.
Abbasid - This is Mediterranean food at it’s finest and one of the best spots for a lunch menu in the Chueca neighborhood.
Take in an outdoor concert
With warm breezy nights, there are tons of options for outdoor music in the summer. One great option is the Noches del Botánico concert series that showcases Spanish and international jazz, pop and folk artists.
Cool off at a pool
A rooftop pool is an oasis in the city center of Madrid!
There are two ways to thrive during the hottest months of the year in Madrid: sip something ice cold while sitting in the shade of a beautiful plaza or dunk yourself in a swimming pool. Personally, we prefer a combination of both! Madrid has tons of well-located hotels with pools. Here are a few of our favorites! Keep in mind they are only accessible to their hotel guests.
Dear Hotel
Pestana Plaza Mayor
Hotel Urban
Room Mate Oscar Hotel
If you are staying somewhere without a pool, you can still take a dip in one of Madrid’s many public pools, complete with areas to lounge and bars to grab a drink or snack. Entry is €2.25 to any of the city-run pools. Be sure to reserve your spot as the best pools tend to fill up fast!
To reserve, visit https://deportesweb.madrid.es/DeportesWeb then click “Accesso no identificado” on the right then “Entradas picnina de verano.” Choose which pool you want to go to. Then choose whether you want morning “mañana” tickets (from 10 am until 2:30 pm) or afternoon “tarde” tickets (from 4:30 pm until 9:00 pm). Go through the checkout process and voila! You’re ready for one of the best summer plans in Madrid.
Here are our favorite public pools in Madrid:
Casa del Campo
Ciudad Universitaria
Canal
See Madrid from Above at a Rooftop Bar
One of the best things to do in Madrid in the summer is to head up to a rooftop bar. The city is positively spectacular when seen from above. The clay-tiled roofs of centuries-old buildings stretch as far as the eye can see. And as a bonus, rooftops are often some of the coolest places in town on a hot summer day as the cooling breeze doesn’t get blocked by surrounding buildings!
These are our favorite rooftop bars in Madrid:
Hotel NH Madrid Suecia - Hit up their buffet brunch and then top it off with a cocktail on the roof!
Picalagartos - The place to see and be seen in Madrid, Picalagartos boasts one of the best rooftop views in the city.
Hotel Riu - This rooftop was the talk of the town when it opened in 2019! While you do have to pay to access the rooftop, it could be worth it for 360º views from the tallest building in the city center. There’s also a glass walkway if you’re feeling particularly daring.
Azotea Forus Barceló - This hidden rooftop bar on top of the Mercado Barceló is the perfect place to catch a glimpse of Madrid’s tiled roofs and city views.
Take a siesta!
Take a cue from folks in Spain and avoid being out and about during the hottest hours of the day, between 2pm and 5pm. Take a nap after a late Spanish lunch then lounge by the hotel pool or find someplace air-conditioned or shady to rest up during siesta time!
Go on a Tapas Tour
Spend a perfectly curated night on the town with our De Tapas experience!
At Walk and Eat we plan our experiences to help you beat the heat. Our De Tapas: Evening Tapas and Wine Experience is the perfect summer evening stroll and culinary adventure. You’ll try spectacular tapas at 4 bars and restaurants in the iconic Malasaña neighborhood and pair each with a local drink (6 in total!).
If you’re like us, you don’t want to waste one bite while on vacation and this experience was crafted to make sure every single bite showcases the best Madrid has to offer! Your guide will also give you tons of personalized tips for enjoying the rest of your time in Spain.