Madrid things to do

[Chickenlicken15]

Hi my husband and I are going to Madrid on Wednesday for my birthday for a couple of days - we have not been before. Any tips for things to see and where to eat would be great . We like wandering around, people watching , old buildings , art and good food
TIA

Book restaurants in advance, we had difficulty finding places when we were there.

I love the Thyssen Bornemisza gallery. It's a manageable size if you are only in Madrid for a couple of days and has an excellent temporary exhibition on right now as well as a great permanent collection.

For wandering, nice independent shops and good food, I like the Barrio de las Letras and Lavapiés neighbourhoods. I didn't find that we needed to book in advance for two people (although we did queue some places for a table)

Templo de Debod in the west of the city is great for sunset views.

We didn't need to book to go inside the
Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena and that was quite spectacular if you're interested in that sort of thing

Thank you - hopefully we can find somewhere good to eat as we have not booked anywhere !

The Reina Sofia is free on Sunday (after lunch; check the time) but you still need to book the free ticket. We also visited the Prado.

Booking restaurants; depends what time you’re eating, and where. They eat very late in Madrid! Definitely go to the chocolateria San Ginès; was a highlight for us. Go early for a churros breakfast and to beat the crowds. The mercado San Miguel is a must at lunchtime. We had the local vermouth, and cava, and snacked on the stall offerings.

For breakfast, Rodilla is a chain offering decent formules. I loved the pan tomate for breakfast.

Prado! One of the world’s greatest art galleries. We were only in Madrid for a few days, but after visiting one day, I went back the next - it was so spectacular.

The Reina Sofia is a must, if only to see Guernica.

Thank you everyone much appreciated