We visited Madrid in June 2023 to go to a concert and spent 3 nights in Madrid and a night in Segovia as a side trip. We took the high speed train to Madrid – comfortable and efficient as always. Because we had been to Madrid several times before, we didn’t do any of the tourist things this time but just enjoyed walking around the city, soaking in the atmosphere. The concert was at Atletico Madrid’s impressive stadium.
Although we walked most of the time, we also used the metro which we found efficient and good value. We bought a 10 ticket Tarjeta Multi (11.60 euros in June ’23) which we could share and which was better value than individual tickets.
We stayed at Main Street Madrid and would thoroughly recommend it. The rooms are stylish and spotlessly clean, the bed and pillows were super-comfortable with a nice soft sheet. The fridge worked well and when we arrived there was a small complimentary bottle of cava and two bottles of water in it – a nice touch. There was a kettle, and tea and coffee provided, which is very unusual for Spanish hotels. The location is fantastic, on Gran Via, but the rooms were well sound-proofed and you wouldn’t have known you were on such a busy street. The closest metro station is Collao but Gran Via is only 5-6 mins walk away too.
ars and restaurants is Malasana, just north of Gran Via. We were recommended it by staff at Main Street Madrid and were grateful for the recommendation as we found several good places there and prices for food and drinks are lower than in the main squares and tourist areas. It felt like a lot of the locals were eating here.
We just had a drink at El Circo bar but got the most delicious tortilla we’ve ever had as a free tapa with our drink. Might be worth trying it for food next time! Another one we’d like to try next time if Buddha Feliz as it had a bit of a buzz about it and always seemed busy. I had one of the most delicious drinks I’ve had in a while – a white sangria at Ojala on Calle de San Andrés, which was made with white wine, triple sec, pineapple, strawberry and mint. It was so refreshing – a perfect drink for a warm sunny day!
Segovia
We took the bus to Segovia. We decided to take the bus there and the train back and both ways were fine. The train is quicker but the bus was comfortable and runs more frequently than the train. Also, the bus left from Monclao which was a short distance from our hotel and the bus station in Segovia is quite central so you can easily walk from there. We stayed just one night but Segovia is quite a small town and lots of people just visit on day trips from Madrid. We were glad to stay a night there but felt that one day was enough for us to see all the sights. The train station in Segovia is on the outskirts of town but there is a bus (No 11) which leaves from the square near the Aquaduct. Buses don’t run that frequently, but they schedule buses to correspond with train departures and arrives, so there will always be a bus to arrive in time to connect with a train.
The Roman Aquaduct is the landmark of Segovia and impossible to miss. It’s worth walking up the staircases at either end to get a different perspective. Note that no mortar or other adhesive material has been used to keep the blocks together. Each one (weighing up to two tons) is simply placed on top of another, demonstrating the precision of Roman engineering.
Accommodation
We stayed at the Palacio San Acundo, a nice hotel in a good central location.
Food & Drink
We had some nice tapas for lunch at Jota bar, next to El Sitio. They were very generous with these tapas and gave one free with every drink – we didn’t need to buy lunch!
Dinner was a huge disappointment. Suckling pig is the speciality of Segovia and we have had it before in Barcelona and it was absolutely delicious, one of our nicest meals ever. Perhaps it has become a bit of a tourist thing here where they charge a lot for something that is supposed to be authentic, because the suckling pig we had at El Sitio restaurant was pretty horrible to tell the truth. El Sitio gets excellent reviews online and at the time of writing (2023) it is No 2 out of182 restaurants in Segovia. Perhaps we were just unlucky, but the photos of this dish don’t look very appetising generally, not just in this restaurant (see photo above). We did find a very nice coffee shop, Tradicionarius where we had a nice coffee and shared the most delicious home-made cheesecake.
The Alcazar is a must visit and very impressive. Only problem was that we couldn’t get tickets to climb the tower (152 steps) as it was sold out and we’d have had to wait over an hour. To save this happening to you, you can book tickets ahead here and climb the tower for great views.
Even if, like us, you’re not able to climb the tower, there is still plenty to see. Even the gardens are beautiful and don’t forget to look up as you may be lucky to see storks in their nests above.