Beautiful sunsets, colourful gardens, pleasant temperatures… Spring offers the perfect weather to enjoy the wonders Madrid has to offer. Its streets, gastronomy, terraces, festivals and fairs, cultural events and flowery parks all make for unforgettable experiences at this time of the year.
Discover the different activities you can enjoy in Madrid in spring:
1. Terraces
There’s no better weather to enjoy the terraces! Whether for tapas with your friends, a romantic dinner with your partner, or to enjoy a traditional vermouth, the terraces are the real stars of the season.
If you want to combine your passion for art and gastronomy, visit East 47 in Hotel Villa Real, where you can enjoy a selection of tapas surrounded by Andy Warhol’s lithographs. It has a fantastic terrace in Plaza de las Cortes, opposite the Congreso de los Diputados.
2. Park and gardens
Spring is the perfect time to lose yourself in Madrid’s most charming natural spaces. El Retiro Park is the green lung of the city, with 125 hectares and more than 15,000 trees, sculptures, fountains, gardens and the Great Pond, where nature lovers can take a boat ride.
Another park that’s perfect for visiting in spring is Quinta de los Molinos, whose large number of almond trees bloom in spring and offer an unmissable spectacle of colour.
3. Semana Santa (Easter)
More than 20 processions take to Madrid’s streets during the Easter Holy Week. One of the most popular is the colourful Good Friday procession, which sets off from the Basilica of Cristo de Medinaceli in Plaza de Jesús before heading to Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Cibeles.
You can also enjoy the traditional Tamborrada on Easter Sunday, with more than 100 drummers providing a rhythmic finishing touch to the festivities.
4. Important landmarks
If this is your first time in Madrid, you can’t leave without visiting the city’s most iconic landmarks: Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de Oriente, Palacio Real, Plaza de la Villa, the Opera, and the San Miguel Market.
Before visiting Madrid, it’s important to find a hotel whose location allows easy access to the city’s main tourist attractions. Both Hotel Urban and Hotel Villa Real are located in the heart of Madrid, just a few minutes from Puerta del Sol and within walking distance of the must-visit Retiro Park.
5. Museums
Madrid is a city full of culture. In addition to the classic museums, such as the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Foundation, art lovers will find a wide variety of exhibitions to choose from.
If you want to surround yourself with art during your stay, Derby Hotels Collection’s museum-hotels boast a vast array of pieces throughout their spaces. At the Urban Hotel, you’ll find original collections of ancient and Papua New Guinean art. While at the Hotel Villa Real, you’ll find more than a hundred Roman mosaics from the 2nd to 6th centuries AD.
6. Spring Book Fair
Spring brings not only flowers but books too. From May 31st to June 16th, the Spring Book Fair will be held in El Retiro Park, playing host to more than 50 fiction and non-fiction writers from across the country and some international guests. An unmissable springtime activity for those who love to read.
7. San Isidro
On 15 May, a festival is held to celebrate Madrid’s patron saint: San Isidro. This traditional festival takes place every spring, with parades of giants and big-head figures, traditional dances, gastronomy, and concerts on stages all over the city. And to top it off, there’s a fireworks display to close the festivities.
8. Gastronomy
Your trip to the Spanish capital is not complete without enjoying its culinary delights and its outstanding gastronomic experiences.
Among its most traditional dishes and tapas we find the most authentic flavours of the region: cocido madrileño, callos a la madrileña, meatballs, and Spanish potato omelette.
If you are looking for a luxury gastronomic experience, we encourage you to enjoy one of the best-rated restaurants in the city, recently recognized with a Michelin Star: CEBO, a natural cuisine free of artifice based on the excellence of the produce and respect for the ingredients.
9. Cocktail Bars
Madrid also teems with life during the night. Whether it’s for a good time with friends or a romantic date with your partner, the city has a great offer of cocktail bars where you can delight in a refreshing elixir.
If you are looking for an experience beyond drinks, you will find cocktails that stir emotions on the ground floor of Hotel Urban. The Glass Bar has been a reference in Madrid for 15 years, capable of conveying emotions through the flavours and textures of its cocktails with great technique and creativity.
10. Shopping
Spring is one of the best times to go shopping as it’s not as crowded and hot as it is in summer. If your plan is to take advantage of your visit to Madrid to renew your wardrobe, a unique shopping experience awaits you, with the most prestigious national and international brands, including Louis Vuitton, Prada, Tod’s, Gucci, Celine, Burberry, Loewe, Balenciaga, Dior, Tiffany & Co, Rolex, IWC, La Prairie, La Mer, Piaget, Bulgari, Bottega Veneta, and many more.
Spring is the perfect time to visit Madrid, get lost in its streets, and discover the city with all its wondrous and colourful sights while enjoying unbeatable weather.
