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 offer 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.
La Terraza del Urban is the best spot to enjoy a range of cocktails for all tastes and a selection of delicious tapas with unique views over the centre of Madrid.
If you want to combine your passion for art and gastronomy, we recommend visiting East 47 in Hotel Villa Real, where you can enjoy a selection of tapas surrounded by Andy Warhol’s lithographs. It also 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. And 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.
Until 22 May, you can immerse yourself in the work of KLIMT at the MAD immersive experience centre. And if you’re an Andy Warhol fan, you can enjoy an exhibition of the artist’s fascinating journey through America in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, showing until 5 June at the Palacio de Santa Bárbara.
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 26 May to 11 June, 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
Madrid is full of food fairs in spring. One of them being the Gastrofestival, where from 16 to 29 May you can enjoy special menus, workshops, culinary routes, guided tours, tastings and samplings, food and wine pairings, and conferences.
9. Madrid skyline
Your trip to the Spanish capital won’t be complete without checking out Madrid’s skyline. Unforgettable colourful sunsets are the stars of spring evenings. Viewpoints and rooftops like La Terraza del Urban are the best meeting points to enjoy a sunset with your partner or friends. Another classic in the city is the Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop terrace, which boasts panoramic views from the Sierra de Guadarrama to the Cerro de los Ángeles.
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 refresh your wardrobe, Hotel Urban offers the Stay & Shop Package, which includes a personalised experience both at the hotel and at El Corte Inglés Castellana with exclusive perks and services. A unique shopping experience, 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’s with all its wondrous and colourful sights while enjoying unbeatable weather.
