What To Do in Madrid for 24 Hours [Things To Do, Where To Stay]

Travel itineraries and schedules can sometimes result in long layovers, but that doesn’t have to be an annoyance. It can be an opportunity to experience even more of the world.

After a quick 1-hour flight from Ibiza to Madrid, my girlfriend and I had just under 24 hours in Madrid before our hop back to the U.S. The city is massive, so there’s definitely a bunch we simply didn’t have time to do. But with a jam-packed schedule, here’s how we did in a 1-day sprint around the capital of Spain.

Where To Stay

Madrid’s city center is approximately 15 miles from the Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD). We decided to stay as close to the city center as possible since we could easily take a ride-share to the hotel and back the next day to fly home.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid in the Castellana neighborhood and had a great experience. The hotel’s location was perfect, as it was conveniently located near many of the sites and activities we wanted to experience. The best part was that our hotel stay was free, and I used a Hyatt Brand Explorer award night.

Booking a Hotel in Madrid With Points

There are many hotels throughout the city that you can book with points. Our writers have stayed at Atocha Hotel Madrid, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, JW Marriott Madrid, The Principal Madrid, and Thompson Madrid, but there are plenty of other properties to consider, including InterContinental Madrid, Círculo Gran Vía, Autograph Collection, and Hyatt Centric Gran Via Madrid.

Regardless of whether you have millions of points or you just opened up your first hotel credit card, there’s likely a place you can find within your points budget to save you money.

Transportation

Madrid is a well-connected city, but with time not on our side, we had to be strategic on how to get around. On our way from the airport to the hotel, we unfortunately hit a bit of traffic, and our Uber driver told us gridlock is frequent throughout the day.

Once we got to our hotel and dropped our belongings, we quickly found Lime scooters to get us to where we wanted to go. They were quite inexpensive, as a 21-minute ride cost a mere €7 (about $7). On top of being affordable, riding scooters is a great way to experience and see so much of a city that sprawls out for miles.

The next day, we took an Uber again to the airport, costing roughly €20 (about $21).

If we’d had more time, we would have definitely used the Madrid Metro to get around the city, as it is affordable and efficient.

What We Did

After dropping our luggage at the Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid, we raced to our first activity: a food tour.

Wine and Tapas Tour

We booked a Wine and Tapas Tour on GetYourGuide, and we had a fantastic afternoon with a local guide born and raised in Madrid. I booked this with my Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card to earn even more Ultimate Rewards points throughout the trip. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 3x points on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases.

We walked a few miles around the city, listening to stories and the history of Spanish dishes and wine, and stopped at 4 different restaurants to delight in the food and vino. It was roughly a 4-hour tour.

Our guide said he has a list of approximately a dozen restaurants he takes his guests to, but there’s an endless list of restaurants in Madrid to choose from. The portions are small throughout the tour but packed with flavor.

Plaza Mayor

After the tour, we decided to wander around the city for some quick sightseeing. We went to Plaza Mayor and the San Miguel Market before returning to our hotel.

Plaza Mayor is one of the must-see spots in the heart of Madrid and is packed with history and charm. This huge, open square is surrounded by architecture and history dating back to the 1600s.

San Miguel Market

Not too far from Plaza Mayor is the San Miguel Food Market, which boasts a wide variety of food and treats. We didn’t spend too much time here as we were on a tight schedule, but if you’re a foodie, this is an absolute must-see. From our quick walk-through, the market had a mix of fish, red meat, pastries, candy, and wine sprawled throughout.

Other Suggestions

We didn’t get a chance to visit any Madrid museums, but next time, we hope to make a stop at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and the Matadero Madrid.

If we had more time (and maybe a touch more energy), after dinner, we would have gone to a flamenco show, seen a show at Teatro Real, or done some shopping in Gran Vía.

Where We Ate

One gem we discovered after our food tour for a quick snack was churros and chocolate, a Madrid staple. We came across the world-famous Chocolatería San Ginés and had to make a pit stop. For just a few euros, a plate of churros and melted chocolate arrives at your table. The restaurant has been around since 1894, and yes, it was as good as it sounds and looks.

We ate dinner at Leña, which was just next door to our hotel. This was convenient, but we also didn’t sacrifice, as the food was fantastic. With an early flight the next day, we decided to call it an early night.

Final Thoughts

Having 24 hours in any city is likely not enough time to see it all, but that shouldn’t deter anyone from getting at least a taste of a new city or country. Other Upgraded Points writers have done short stints in Havana, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Kyoto, Iceland, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, and Tokyo and have been able to see and experience plenty.

I’ve done 1-day sprints in a few cities, and 3 things have been key: prebooking activities, following a strict itinerary, and drinking plenty of caffeine.