Wellness Guide To Madrid, Spain

7 min readFeb 8, 2023

Wow, okay I loved Madrid. After falling in love with Barcelona, I was skeptical about Madrid. People either like one or the other, right? Nope. I fell in love with both! Madrid felt very posh — the streets were so clean, the buildings were all stunning, SO many amazing museums, + a very lively, metropolitan vibe. I felt so immersed in Spanish culture + it did not feel “touristy” at all.

Even though I’m sure the “preferred time to visit” Madrid is in the warmer months [the parks are probably so lush + gorgeous] — it was fun to visit around Christmas. We were in Madrid late November + the city was so festive… massive Christmas trees in every plaza, lights everywhere, + cozy holiday feels in every cafe. The only downside in visiting in the winter: it was COLD! Bring your puffy coats!

Stay:

We stayed at Hotel Vincci The Mint. I wouldn’t say this hotel is a *must* — but I loved the location… it was walking distance to everywhere we wanted to go [sometimes it would be a long walk 😉 — but nevertheless, could still walk!]

It’s on Gran Via, which is Madrid’s most famous street. I would definitely recommend finding your accommodation on or near this street — particularly if it’s your first time visiting Madrid! We really liked how central this location was. It’s very much the “downtown” area.

Coffee:

Most of the coffee shops also have a lot of food options! However, we found that many coffee shops were not “coworking friendly” — didn’t allow computers, no wifi, or the seating wasn’t conducive to working. It seemed like the coffee culture wanted to be more of a friend hang out space… + we totally appreciated that!

Bucolico Cafe — *MUST! Favorite coffee shop with a very romantic vibe + the only coffee shop we found that was comfortable to work on our computers. Also, all the pastries + food were incredible!
Toma Cafe — the almond cake… so good!
Mision Cafe — pastries + toasts!
Plenti — great spot to grab coffee before heading to the park!
Faraday — record store + coffee shop
Bianchi Kiosko Caffe — no place to sit, but super cute if you’re in the area
Feliz Coffee — another cute takeaway coffee shop

Brunch Spots:

All the avocado toasts.

Mazai Bagels + Cafe — *MUST… if you love bagels — unreal bagels + bagel sandwiches!)
Superchulo Madrid — vegetarian cafe with a fun vibe
Slow Cafe Madrid — try all their toasts!
Agrado Cafe — again… try all the toasts!
Plantate — unique latte options (+ of course… toasts! lol)
Chia Restaurante — fast casual + healthy
Bunny’s Deli — cozy vegan cafe

Lunch + Dinner:

Tapas OF COURSE is a given… I recommend going to San Miguel Market to “tapas hop.” You need to try Jamon Iberico at some point while you’re in Madrid. Also: all the olives + papayas bravas! For non tapas meals, try these cafes + restaurants!

Mune Pelayo — *MUST! Our favorite Labenese restaurant. So cute for a date night dinner!
Vira Vira. The Gyro’s Street Food — THE BEST gyro (casual)
Vega — vegan cafe (casual)
Tierra Burrito Bar — burritos (casual)
Honest Greens — FAV salads (casual)
El Social — steak was SO good
Chuka Ramen Bar — get your ramen fix here
La Hummuseria — amazing vegetarian Middle Eastern cuisine
Madam — The mussels!!
Kai Thai — Thai food
Indian Accent Madrid — Indian food
Mo de Movimineto — Mediterranean + wood-fired oven
Dessert: Lolo Polos [popsicle shop!]
Dessert: *MUST! Churros + hot chocolate is a staple in Madrid — or should I say: “churros con chocolate.” It’s so good! You can find it anywhere in Madrid. Check out this post for the Ultimate Guide To The Best Churros In Madrid.

Wellness:
Something to note — don’t be surprised if a workout class is only in Spanish! I don’t speak Spanish, so I made sure my yoga mat was in the back of the class + followed the group as best as I could.

RUN! El Reterio is a beautiful park to get your run on!
Workout: Square Fitness Studio, Pilates Pura Vida, Madrid Le Max Wellness
Yoga: Escenica Pura, Yoga Party, Numen Yoga Estudio, Kundalini Yoga Studio
Massage: Clinica de Yoshi [Shiatsu massage!]

Explore:

#1] Museo Nacional del Prado: *MUST! One of the best art museums I’ve ever been to. I highly recommend booking a tour to learn more about the art — we booked one through Airbnb Experience. We’ve already heard really good things about Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.

#2] El Reterio: *MUST! This park is absolute incredible. Spend time just wandering the grounds. Make sure to check out Palacio de Cristal — it’s a beautiful glass building with an art exhibit inside.

#3] San Miguel Market: *MUST! The coolest food market. SO many different vendors to try — do a tasting tour with whatever food speaks to you! All the tapas!

#4] La Casua Shop: Small local art store… if you’re looking for art to take home, I recommend checking it out. I got my favorite piece of art here!

#5] Cathedral de la Almudena: There are so many beautiful churches in Madrid, but this cathedral is the “most famous.” It’s serious so gorgeous inside. It’s right by the Royal Palace, so you’ll see two stunning sites across from each other. I’d love to do a guided tour in the future.

#6] See a Flamenco Show: Seeing a Flamenco show is a *must* in Spain. This one looks amazing.

#7] Go to a rooftop bar: There are so many amazing rooftops in Madrid with incredible views of the city. Check out this post for 10 of the best rooftop bars in Madrid!

Pro-Tips:

Madrid is large… but walkable [particularly because we stayed in the center]. Plan out restaurants + adventures ahead of time, so that you are able to explore every neighborhood of Madrid. The metro system is also easy to use if needed.
Siesta are very common! Many local stores + restaurants close in the middle of the day for 2–3 hours or so. Also, similar to Barcelona [+ all of Spain!] — people eat way later… like 9 or 10pm dinners. Also, unfortunately, most coffee shops don’t open until 9am!
Go to all the plazas! Check out this post: The 6 Prettiest Plazas In Madrid.
Time to visit: Summer [even though it will be more crowded]. We were there the first week of November + it was cold!
Recommended stay: 4–5 days. Although you could definitely pack a lot of life into a 2 day weekend + get a good feel for the city [especially because everything is open so late!].