Itinerary: Madrid & Seville

I recently wrote this 10-day itinerary to Madrid and Seville for a job application and realized that someone may want to use it as a guide if they are visiting Spain! I studied and taught English in these two cities and believe they are essential to anyone new to the country. 

Welcome to España! I congratulate you on your decision to explore the land of sunshine and olive oil. I can guarantee that your time on the Iberian Peninsula will leave you wanting more! This trip should give you a comfortable amount of time in each city and the following selections were chosen to highlight some of Spain’s best artwork, cuisine, and history. I have personally been to every landmark, restaurant, and museum included here and I am delighted to share it with you. ¡Buen viaje!

Day 1: Touchdown in Barajas, Madrid

¡Bienvenidos a Madrid-Barajas! I hope you were able to sleep on the ride over because the fun is only beginning. Once you’ve collected your bags, head to the center of Madrid: La Puerta del Sol. To reach your hotel (TBD), you can either pay a flat fee of 30€ for a taxi (right outside the exit, salida) or less than 5€ for a metro ticket. Both options are well indicated on the airport signs and take approximately the same amount of time (metro map available at the back of this document).

After a rest in your hotel, make your way to Alambra located at C/de la Victoria, 9 right off of Puerta del Sol. Enjoy some high quality tapas for a reasonable price and very friendly staff. Puerta del Sol is fun to explore by night as most Spaniards go out and eat dinner starting at 22:00! (Military time is used in Spain and throughout Europe. Please pay attention to this throughout your trip.)

Day 2: Royal Palace and Surrounding Attractions

Today, you will experience Madrid for the royals. After breakfast, make your way to Madrid’s Royal Palace (Palacio Real de Madrid) in the west of the city. It is one metro stop (Sol to Ópera) or a simple walk from Puerta del Sol. With 2,000 rooms, the palace will surely take your breath away. Remember, no photos!

The Gardens of Sabatini are immediately outside the palace and provide a quaint oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the center. The Templo de Debod is also right up the street if you’d like to discover an Egyptian temple gifted to the city of Madrid.

Our next stop will be the iconic Gran Vía where you can walk and admire the cosmopolitan hub of the city. To get there, you can walk or take a short metro ride from stops: Ópera to Gran Vía. There are endless shops and stores along this walk including one of Gran Vía’s newest 12,000 square meter department stores, Primark. The interior is worth a short visit for a photo.

For lunch, I recommend the cider bar: El Tigre, located off of Gran Vía at Calle de las Infantas, 30. You will receive free tapas with a beverage purchase. I enjoy a refreshing Spanish favorite: tinto de verano. This is red wine mixed with lemon (limón) or orange (naranja) Fanta, yum!

*Other beverages: cerveza, beer
sidra, cider
sangria, red wine with chopped fruit (sometimes brandy)
vino tinto, red wine
vino blanco, white wine

For one of the best views of Madrid, head towards Calle de Alcalá and cross the street to visit Circulo de Bellas Artes. For a few euros, ride the elevator to the roof and enjoy a coffee or drink while admiring a bird’s eye view of the city.

Tonight, I recommend one of my all-time favorite Madrilenian restaurants: Badila. I encourage you to arrive as soon as the doors open at 21:00 for they have limited seating. The one menu is located on the wall and changes on a regular basis. All of Badila’s produce is fresh daily and for 15,50€, you get a menú del día (menu of the day), which includes your choice of drink, appetizer, main dish, and dessert (plus bread). The menu may vary with choices such as huevos rotos (a Spanish favorite of fried eggs with Iberian ham), hamburguesas del buey (ox hamburgers), ensalada mixta (mixed salad with raspberries, tomatoes, and cheese), croquetas (croquettes), and albondigas (meatballs). I’ve never been disappointed at Badila (closest metro stop is Tirso de Molina and is located at Calle (street) San Pedro Mártir, 6).

Day 3: Art in Madrid

Today is your day to soak in some beautiful artwork from the Louvre of Spain: The Prado Museum (Museo del Prado). Some of Spain’s most prominent artists have work here including El Greco, Velázquez, and Francisco de Goya. Make sure you pick up a map at the entrance and select which floors you’d like to visit. It’s easy to spend a few hours and only see a small selection of the collection. Two works I especially recommend viewing are Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights and Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez; one of the royal family’s portraitists.

The Prado is open Mon-Sat from 10:00-20:00 and Sundays from 10:00-19:00. You can visit for free from 18:00-20:00 from Mon-Sat, and 17:00-19:00 on Sundays, but you may run into larger crowds. Metro: Atocha, address: Paseo del Prado (signs will indicate the way).

For lunch, Brillante is right next to the Atocha metro stop (Plaza Emperador Carlos V, 8) and worth a visit for a bocadillo de calamares (calamari sandwich). This bar is a great place to watch the bartenders energetically give orders to the cooks and work at lightning speed. You can have your bocadillo with or without aioli or mayonnaise.

After lunch, it’s on to the Reina Sofía museum for some more modern art from the 20^th-century (Calle de Santa Isabel, 52). The Reina Sofía is home to Picasso’s dramatic La Guernica, which was painted after the bombing of Guernica (in northern Spain) by Nazi Germany. Most of the works you’ll see in The Reina Sofía are by the Spanish masters including Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró.

For a respite from the bustle of the museum, head across the street to one of my favorite places in Madrid: Parque del Retiro (Retiro Park). This is sort of like the Central Park of Madrid and is very extensive. I would recommend strolling by the Estanque Grande (the “lake”) and casually watch visitors enjoying the rowboats. Boats are available for under 10€ if you’d like to join in too! Not too far away is the Palacio de Cristal, also within the park. Signs will lead you to a beautiful metal and glass structure that is sometimes used for exhibitions. Feel free to walk inside.

For dinner, you’re in for a real treat! You will be going on a tapas tour with Devour Madrid. Although this is one tour I have not participated in, I have it on very good authority that you will have a wonderful, sensory experience. They have chosen dinner for you in four family-run authentic tapas bars where you’ll try traditional dishes and local wines, beers, and vermouth.

Day 4: Toledo

Today you will get to visit a 2,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site: the entire city of Toledo, Spain! This medieval city is surrounded by water and full of winding streets and beautiful damascene artwork.

Take the Cercanias train from the Atocha train station and arrive in less than 30 minutes from Madrid. Your first stop in Toledo will be the Plaza Zocodover where you’ll get a ticket for a small tram ride. Depending on when the next tram departs, take some time to wander the streets and admire the shops, which are absolutely bursting at the seam with damascene artwork: steel with elaborately pounded designs of gold and silver threads. Many shops have live demonstrations to show how the artwork is produced.

When your scheduled tram time arrives, try to sit on the right side of the bench inside for the best views. An audio guide is included with your ticket and you will be able to see the enormous front gate as well as beautiful panoramic views of the entire city. The entire ride will last about 30 minutes.

Upon returning to Plaza Zocodover, make your way to the Toledo Cathedral (Catedral de Toledo), Calle Cardenal Cisneros, 1. This stunning Roman Catholic church was completed in 1493 and is one of my personal favorites. Audio guides and entry tickets are available right across the narrow street and there is often a guitarist playing to make your wait more enjoyable.

Choose any restaurant that is appealing to you for lunch. Menú del días are available everywhere and are generally similar in prices. Remember that the closer you are to the plaza, the more expensive the restaurant.

The rest of the afternoon is available for you to explore Toledo’s numerous attractions and museums including the Alcázar of Toledo, The Greco Museum, the Alcazar Army Museum, and the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes. Depending on your train’s departure time, you can stay and have dinner in Toledo or make your way back to Madrid. I highly recommend Taberna de la Daniela for some more classic Madrilian cuisine located at Plaza de Jesús, 7 in Madrid (metro: Antón Martín). They have phenomenal croquetas and delicious tostada with grilled peppers and quail eggs!

 Day 5: Welcome to Sevilla!

Today, you will make your way south to my favorite city in Spain, Seville (Sevilla in Spanish). Again, you will hop on the metro and make your way to the Atocha train station for departure on the RENFE. Seville is only 2.5 hours away.

After checking into your hotel, I suggest selecting a restaurant along Calle San Fernando and Puerta de Jeréz for lunch. The University of Seville (Universidad de Sevilla) is along this street and open for visitors if you’d like to stroll inside the courtyard. The building used to be the Royal Tobacco Factory, which inspired Bizet’s famous opera, Carmen and at one time produced three-quarters of Europe’s cigars.

Continue up the street to my favorite place in all of Spain: The Plaza de España. This beautiful landmark was built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition and has appeared in movies such as Star Wars and Lawrence of Arabia. The semicircle design is supposed to represent a hug, embracing all the provinces of Spain symbolized on the hand-painted tiled benches.

This evening you will experience a sevillano tradition: flamenco dancing! Get ready for some beautiful, passionate dancing and singing from local artists at the Casa de la Memoria (Calle Cuna, 6).

Day 6: Sevilla from Above

A traditional Spanish breakfast includes a tostada (toast) with jamón (ham) or with aceite de oliva (olive oil) and tomate (tomatoes). These pair great with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a cup of coffee. Almost every restaurant will provide these options so pick a restaurant and dig in. It’s fun to sit outside and watch people go by as you enjoy your meal.

After eating, it’s on to the third largest church in the world: the Seville Cathedral (Catedral de Sevilla) on Av. de la Constitución. This beautiful church is home to Christopher Columbus’s tomb and the Giralda tower, providing beautiful views of the entire city. The only way up is to walk up the winding ramps, as there is no elevator. It’s worth the hike! Be sure to walk around the patio on the ground level as well which is full of beautiful orange trees.

For lunch, I recommend Taberna Coloniales on Calle Fernández y González, 36. Try some new tapas you haven’t ordered before. There are dozens of different tapas in Spain. Essentially appetizers, these small plates allow one to eat a wide variety of food in one sitting. Some popular selections are tortilla de patatas (Spanish omellete), pimientos de Padrón (small green peppers cooked in olive oil until the skins are blistered and sprinkled with salt), gazpacho (cold soup make of tomatoes, bread, bell peppers, onions, garlic, water, and salt), and gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic and olive oil).

This afternoon you will relax in a Mudéjar-style palace in some thermal baths. Aire de Sevilla neighbors the Cathedral (Calle Aire, 15) and offers thermal baths and massages. Your time in the baths will leave you relaxed and rejuvenated for the evening.

Tonight you will get some more unobstructed views of the city, unlike the metal bars of the Giralda lookouts. The Metropol Parasol (Las Setas) is an enormous wooden structure built by a German architect. Locals either love or hate Las Setas for its modern, non-traditional look, but the views from the top are beautiful.

Day 7: Sevilla’s Guadalquivir

This morning you’ll start with Seville’s Alcázar: an intricately decorated royal palace and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The artistic style of the Alcázar is called Mudéjar, which refers to the Muslims who remained in Spain after the Christian reconquest. Game of Thrones fans will recognize the Alcázar from the scenes in “Dorne.” Be sure to admire the gardens outside as well as the interiors (Patio de Banderas).

Make your way down Calle Santander to reach the Paseo Alcalde Marques de Contadero. You’ll see a large cylindrical tower right next to the river called the Torre del Oro, a military watchtower built in the 13^th century. Inside is a naval museum. Make your way to the top, you’ll find a beautiful view of the Guadalquivir River and other landmarks in the distance.

A walk along the Paseo Alcalde Marques is a wonderful way to soak in some sunshine, admire the river, and watch kayakers row by. Optional: rent a paddleboat and experience the river for yourself. You’ll also get a fantastic view of Calle Betis along the walk with all of the colorful buildings straight across the water. Stop when you reach the Puente de Isabel II bridge (aka Puente de Triana) and cross into Triana.

For lunch, I recommend some tapas at the Patio San Eloy along Calle San Jacinto. Eat outside if you can so you can view the bustling street in one of Seville’s most popular neighborhoods.

After lunch, grab a taxi and take a short ride to the Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts). This beautiful collection of artwork ranges from the medieval period to the early 20^th century and is housed in a beautiful building. An hour or two is sufficient to see the highlights.

If you’d like cuisine other than Spanish, I recommend a wonderful Italian restaurant called Orsini on Calle Reyes Católicos (25), also near the river. Try the diavola pizza if you like spice! Just down the street is the best ice cream in Seville at Rayas on Calle Almte. Apodaca, 1 for a sweet ending to your day.

Day 8: Cádiz

Today you’ll take your second day trip to the oldest city in Europe: Cádiz. This glittering seaside city is famous for its seafood and Carnaval and provides pristine beaches for sunbathing and sea glass hunting. A bus from Sevilla will take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes from the Prado de San Sebastian bus station (Plaza San Sebastián).

Your first stop will be the Catedral Nueva or Cádiz Cathedral in the Plaza Catedral. This beautiful Baroque-style church took 116 years to complete. Be sure to climb the ramps of the Torre de Poniente for spectacular views of the ocean and city.

For lunch, I recommend Las Flores for some bacalao (codfish), calamares (calamari) and tortillitas de camarones (shrimp fritters), Plaza Topete, 4.

The central market or Mercado Central de Cádiz is great fun for viewing bizarre seafood and fresh flowers for sale. Make your way to the Av. Campo del Sur and walk along the coastline until you reach the Paseo Fernando Quiñones. This pathway will lead you to the Castillo de San Sebastian: one of the city’s military forts.

Playa La Caleta (beach) begins from Av. Campo del Sur and is a lovely place to sit and admire the beautiful ocean and refreshing sea breeze.

Depending on your departure time, decide if you’d like to stay in Cádiz for dinner or return to Seville.

Day 9: Return to Madrid

After breakfast, you’ll make your way back to the train station and hop on another RENFE back to the capital. Flights are generally cheaper from Madrid, which will be your departure city.

Tonight I suggest dinner in Puerta del Sol at Casa Labra for some famous fried bacalao (cod). If there’s a line, it’s worth the wait (located at Calle Tetuán, 12). For dessert, head to the Chocolatería San Gines for some delicious churros and chocolate (fried dough dipped in chocolate). Churros and chocolate go great with a cup of coffee. Even the king and queen of Spain have eaten here!

Day 10: Return to the USA

I hope you have enjoyed your stay in España! You have now experienced four of its most important and beautiful cities and I’m sure your time here will be treasured forever.

You can easily catch a taxi to the airport (flat 30€ rate) or take the metro. Be sure to plan your time accordingly and arrive early for your international departure. Have a safe flight and be sure to come back one day for more Spanish adventures.