Thanksgiving in Madrid!
I’m on a mission to go to an international destination every year that I can get direct on United. Thanksgiving we were going to be alone and neither of us were interested in a stay cation. We haven’t been on a trip longer than a weekend since our first year of dating, so we decided to go somewhere cool.
My top tips we wish we knew:
Find out if your phone carrier allows international calls, data, and what the cost is.
Download the Madrid city map on google maps in case you don’t have signal.
Use the metro! It’s very easy - but maybe review and understand how it works before getting there.
Bring an outlet converter - WE FORGOT! He had to go to a super store to get one to use our chargers and plugins.
Learn some spanish - you can totally get around without knowing any spanish but it seemed to be very helpful to be spanish familiar and the locals seemed to appreciate when we tried.
Bring GOOD walking shoes. We walked on average 9mi a day, which made us feel accomplished. It took me 2 days to accept it wasn’t about being cute, and I had to make it through the trip with usable feet.
Make a plan in advance. We didn’t plan at all - just had a loose agenda but didn’t book tickets or adventures. I recommend making some plans without overplanning to ensure you don’t miss out on anything you want to do.
Siesta is real! Places close midday - ensure you know where you are going, when they are open, and find something to fill the time. Also, be prepared to eat dinner daily at 8pm or later unless you are eating tapas the whole trip.
When either your timing, destination or both are flexible — USE GOOGLE FLIGHTS!
You can select direct only, which airline partnership you want to use, and search the map for destinations in the next 6 months showing the most affordable dates.
We wanted thanksgiving timeline, so I had to check a few date options, and it turned out international was the most affordable to our delight :D.
Madrid round trip for someone that is willing to take only 1 personal item and check 1 bag was only $510pp!
Hotel options — we checked Marriott and Hilton stays using points. It turned out we had enough Hilton points for our whole stay, which is my husband’s brand of choice. We booked somewhere close to all the action so we could walk most everywhere, without being overwhelmingly expensive on our points. We stayed at the Double Tree by Hilton - Madrid-Prado!
Other great hotel options:
Hilton: Hotel Montera Madrid, Curio Collection by Hilton - would’ve saved about a mile of walking daily. It was a little more points than we wanted to spend. May consider trying this if we go back.
Marriott: WAY more OPTIONS - they all had incredible reviews and 4.4+ guest ratings!! Unheard of
JW Marriott Hotel Madrid - I wish I had enough points for this one! Great reviews, great location, and even a Michelin star restaurant inside!
Luxury Collection Hotels - 2 great options for unique high end stays in excellent locations.
Autograph Collection Hotels - 3 intriguing boutique hotel options all within the same wonderful location.
An edition and westin option too!
Spots you CAN’T MISS:
The Royal Palace of Madrid
A visit to Toledo! The Cathedral there is one-of-a-kind, do not miss this, it’s worth the cost.
Secret Food Tour, Madrid - but at the beginning of your trip! Get a taste for the flavors of Madrid to guide your food choices the rest of the trip.
Prado Museum - we didn’t go because we are not into museums but EVERYONE including those also not into museums say we really missed out.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Thursday, Nov 28 - Arrival to MADRID
Flight was via United; I saved my “Plus Points” to put myself on the waitlist for an upgrade. I strongly recommend using miles, plus points or available options. As of November, ‘24, this is the only way to get on the waitlist for an upgrade on an international flight. They only use your miles / plus points if they confirm the upgrade, so it’s really a no risk, no brainer. Regardless of your status, save those miles for an upgrade on a long haul international journey! We definitely enjoyed our Polaris experience. We felt it was obvious to everyone we had never sat in the polaris section! HAHA!
Arrival: After leaving at 6pm that Wednesday evening, we arrived at 8am the next day in Madrid.
Transportation: We took metro to the hotel - it was actually fine and a very cost effective option. The metro was not too dirty and it was easy to roll our stuff around. A little more difficult to find the stop we needed to get off at in the kiosk, but we used google directions and selected metro to get the best route for ease. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS.
Nap: We were VERY tired, and our room was not ready. We were able to leave our bags and walk around for a snack. We went in with loose plans, but once I was there and we spent the first day wandering around for Tapas, I was like okay we need a plan to get the most out of this.
Walk: We had a quick brunch close to the hotel. Once our room was available, we went to the room to take a nap. We slept until noon-3:30pm and then decided to go for a walk. We visited Plaza Major and Puerta del Sol and surrounding areas. Christmas was already in full swing and the Christmas tree lighting was that night! Such a beautiful tree. We saw the Almudena Cathedral and the Palace from the outside.
Snacks: Went to some random tapas place - our first patatas bravas! Not a place worth recommending or sharing.
Drinks: El Fontan Taberna Sidreria - First taste of Tinto de Verano. It was pretty sweet, but glad we tried it.
Day 2: Friday, Nov 29 - Salamanca District Exploration and Park
Antiquing: Went slept in until 10am had free breakfast at the hotel and went antiquing. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was super hopeful I’d find some actually really old stuff antiquing in Spain and we did! So old and SO EXPENSIVE! Fortunately, all the antique spots were in the same vicinity. Just north of the Parque Del Retiro - we went to 5 different unique shops.
Lunch: He had sushi for lunch at Monsieur Sushita, we did the tasting menu because we weren’t able to read the Spanish too well. It was delicious!! 10/10 recommend - even though it wasn’t Spanish food it was a different sushi experience than at home and a fun way to lunch.
Fancy shops: In the Salamanca district, we are talking fancy. Chanel, Louis, Hermes, Dior, Rimowa, and so much more. I also learned about the Tous jewelry brand there — they have a cute bear logo. I didn’t find anything to take back, but a great spot if you’re in the market for some luxury gifts. I felt like I was in NYC only shorter buildings, cleaner streets, and beautiful Christmas lights everywhere!!
Park: We walked through the Parque Del Retiro and saw the Monument to Alfonso XII and the Palacio de Cristal (however it was closed for renovations). Highly recommend exploring this park, it was beautiful in November can’t imagine the spring beauty.
Dinner reservations: Dinner reservations at Restaurante Mas de Santa - it was delicious! We did the tasting menu. The service was amazing, the food was amazing, and we enjoyed a “fancier” dinner out. There were a couple interesting dishes that we weren’t crazy about but overall it was a delicious tasting experience. Genko Restaurante for a quick drink on the way home.
Day 3: Saturday, Nov 30 - Self-Guided Tapas Tour
We found some great self-guided tapas tours at The Spanish Radish we modified the La Latina tour and went to the following spots. Links to each place in the images.
Bar La Campana - Calamari stuffed bocadillos
Restaurante el Madrono - El Madrono house liquor
La Quinteria - Chorizo and Hugo Spritz
Taberna Rayuela - Jamon Iberico and Spanish Cava
La Taberna Errante - Asked for Spanish Cava and they recommended a whole bottle of something else
Juna la Loca - 2 Mahou’s and dancing
McDonald’s - Not a part of the tour, but a fun stop on the way home (most things tasted exactly the same!)
Day 4: Sunday, Dec 1 - Three Cities Tour & Paella
Tour: We did the Three Cities in one day tour with “We, Madrid” - and loved it. It’s not for someone that wants deep experiences in each place they go, but it is for someone that wants a full day of touring without worrying about transportation, research or anything else. The optional meal upgrade isn’t worth it. We were able to do a lot in one day and learned so much about Spain and feel like we saw the best of each of these cities all in one day!
Paella: Last minute on the way home we stopped at La Paella de la Reina on the walk back from our tour drop off. There are many reviews that said it was a tourist trap, but it was delicious and if you read the menu carefully you won’t get stuck with a large bill. We were able to be seated quickly without a reservation and the staff were super nice. Clearly a family business and the churn out a lot of paella likely due to the location of the spot. If you find yourself in a pinch with no reservation and you want paella, many options, and very fast to prepare and deliver to the table, this is a good spot. The sangria isn’t that good, so I suggest just a glass of wine with your meal, but Steve liked it.
Day 5: Monday, Dec 2 - Food Tour and Palatial Visit
Secret Food Tours, Madrid - This is a great food tour. I wish we did it in the beginning of our trip to Madrid. We had the opportunity to try all of the traditional tourist tastes.
Pastry from a 150-year-old bakery (the Hot Chocolate was like drinking a bar of fine chocolate)
Bocadillo de Calamares
Selection of Iberian Ham, Meats, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sweet Vermouth
Patatas Bravas
Spanish Omelet
Manchego Cheese
and… a Secret Dish!
Royal Palace of Madrid - A MUST! Such a beautiful place with enough preservation and recreation inside to give you a snapshot of what it might’ve been like to live in such a fabulous place. Book your tickets online through the official palace website to reserve your place and definitely do the self-guided tour through audio devices you can rent for like or download an app on your phone.
Tickets / Costs:
Self-Guided ticket for only 14 euros
Audio device rental for only 5 euros or mobile app version for only 3 euros
Only sad part was the armory was closed, and it looked like it would be really cool.
Day 6: Tuesday, Dec 3 - Trip Home
Flight home: We had our flight home at noon. Unfortunately, it was a creeping delay until it was ultimately cancelled at 4:30pm with no alternative options that day home.
Taco Bell: We stayed overnight at an AC Hotel close to airport and enjoyed Taco Bell in Spain for dinner - it was a bit of a disappointment (limited menu and not very tasty).
Metro was a super simple way to get home. We had to google where the United check-in was. The airport is huge!
