Many people believe that Madrid can´t be done in two days, but the truth is that choosing the places that interest you most of all will enable you to enjoy an amazing itinerary with your friends. The capital city always has interesting leisure attractions for all tastes, so even if you only come to Madrid for two days you will feel full of energy and vitality when you leave.
Make sure the plans for your visit to the city include the Madrid Wax Museum, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and provides visitors with countless incentives to spend an unforgettable day in the company of your relatives, partner or friends.
What to see in Madrid in two days
There are so many things to see in Madrid that your choice will need to be based on your tastes and preferences in order to fully enjoy your two-day visit. If you´re a fan of gastronomy tourism, you can choose from a wide range of restaurants serving typical Madrid-style food and traditional markets that have been upgraded to provide a first-rate service in a delightful atmosphere.
If you´re interested in monuments, then you´re in the perfect place, as the city centre boasts world-famous masterpieces including the Puerta de Alcalá, the Neptune and Cibeles fountains, the Royal Palace and many others. On the other hand, maybe you one of those people that prefers to wander around to nowhere in particular, strolling through the streets and following your intuition. In that case, we´d like to recommend a few places you´ll really want to see:
Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and Gran Via
This is the city´s nerve centre. A photo at Kilometer Zero is almost a must. This is where the country´s major motorways start out from. Other essential photos include the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, a symbol of Madrid, the Post Office Building Clock Tower, where crowds gather every December 31 to welcome in the new year, and the legendary Tio Pepe advertising poster.
You can reach the Gran Via, one of the most emblematic thoroughfares in the city, by walking down some of Madrid´s best shopping streets branching out from Puerta del Sol, such as Preciados, Carmen and Montera, where you will be able to admire magnificent early-20th century constructions such as the Telefónica, Grassy and Metrópolis buildings.
The Gran Via is home to theatres showing the latest hit musicals and a busy nightlife. Don’t miss the famous Schweppes sign lit up at night just a stone´s throw from the bustling Plaza de Callao. A good way of getting to know this entire area and experiencing the city´s pulse is on a sightseeing bus tour.
From Puerta del Sol you can also walk along Calle Mayor and discover the beautiful Plaza Mayor, featuring a rectangular layout and a statue of Phillip III on horseback in the middle. The periphery of the square is lined with bars where you can savour the popular squid sandwich. Just sitting on one of the terraces in the square while watching people come and go and admiring the work of the caricaturists will make the experience highly worthwhile.
Other interesting places to see in Madrid
If this is your first time in the city, you shouldn´t leave without taking a stroll through the Retiro, the lungs of Madrid. A splendid park in which you can take a boat ride on the pond, discover the incredible Glass Palace or listen to the musicians playing in its nooks and crannies. The Book Fair is held there in late May, with well-known authors signing copies of their work.
A visit to the Temple of Debod at sunset is another highly recommended activity in Madrid. This 2,200-year-old Egyptian temple was a gift from the Egyptian government to Spain in 1968 and is one of the best spots in the city to watch the sunset.
And if you´re in the capital on a Sunday, you mustn´t miss its biggest open-air market: the Rastro. Hundreds of stalls selling everything under the sun are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit to the Madrid Wax Museum
This is undoubtedly one of the most highly recommended activities when visiting Madrid. The Madrid Wax Museum will amaze you with its 450-plus wax figures of characters from all over the world. New figures from different areas of society and aimed at different audiences are added to the collection every year.
Come and discover your favourite characters from the world of cinema, music, sport and politics, in addition to fictional characters your children will just love. We guarantee this museum will really impress you. Moreover, if you appreciate different, daring types of shows, we suggest the mentalism spectacle performed by Pablo Raijenstein. It begins when the doors of the museum close and only the wax figures are left inside. Book your ticket now before they sell out! We look forward to seeing you.