We were recently in Madrid for a family vacation/reunion. It was my very first time in Spain and visiting Madrid was a dream come true. It was a dream I had, to experience the Madrileño lifestyle, ever since taking Spanish at University. So here was my bucket list for our one week stay. With a lot of walking, small bites and some money-saving tactics, we were able to check out almost everything without breaking the bank.

Diplotummy

• Cochinillo at El Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world
• Watch a Real Madrid game at a neighborhood tapas bar
• Churros con Chocolate at Valor and San Gines
• Bocadillo de Calamares at El Brillante
• Museo del Jamon
• Tapas at Jose Luis
• Sandwiche at Rodilla
• Tapas Bars at Calle Echegaray (pass by Hotel Ingles where Jose Rizal stayed)
• Mercado San Miguel

Sightseeing

• Gran Vía
• Plaza Mayor
• Puerta del Sol
• Palacio Real
• Catedral de la Almudena
• Sabatini Gardens
• Plaza de Castilla
• Day trip to Toledo
  • Alcazar de Toledo and it’s Military Museum
  • Try Santo Tomé Marzapan
  • Lunch at Casa Aurelio, it claims to be the oldest restaurant in Toledo center

DiploShopping

• Spanish fans at El Corte Ingles
• Luscious leather ware at Salvador Bachiller
• Spanish flair and big-bootie-jeans at Zara

Museums

• Museo del Prado
• Museo Lazaro Galdiano
• Reina Sofia
• Bernabéu Tour

The only thing I wasn’t able to do was dine on cochinillo in El Botin, because they open only at 1pm and our flight on our last day was earlier than we thought so we had to skip it. I heard that the cochinillo isn’t really the best, but it’s the ambiance that makes it worth a visit. It’s another reason to go back to Madrid.

The photo above is one I took of the Puerta de Europa (Gates of Europe), otherwise known as KIO towers, which is a distinct feature of the madrid skyline.