Spending 10 days in Madrid, Spain

In July 2022 I spent 10 days in Madrid with seven of my friends to explore the city and attend Mad Cool Festival.

I have to admit that this was not my usual kind of trip and, due to the size of the group and the festival I wasn’t able to explore in the way that I would typically like to, especially in such a long period of time.

That said, I still got a good feel for the city and went to some fun spots that are definitely worth checking out if you are in Madrid yourself in the near future.

On top of the below, I took my friends on a DIY walking tour of some of the cities monuments.

Here are five of the best things I did and saw while in Madrid.

1. Real Jardin Botanico

Address: Plaza de Murillo, 2, 28014 Madrid, Spain

Price: €4 (€1 Consessions)

Experience: Real Jardin Botanico is such a stunning place and was well worth the entry price for a walk around.

I am not typically considered to be an outdoorsy person (though I am trying really hard to change that this year) so a botanical garden isn’t something that I would usually put on my list of top destinations.

This garden is genuinely one of the most beautiful places we went to in Madrid. There are so many gorgeous flowers, bonsai trees, greenhouses, olive trees and more. If it wasn’t for the blistering heat I could have walked around for hours.

2. Sufu Cake

Address: C. de Lope de Vega, 3, 28014 Madrid, Spain

Price: €5.50 – €7

Experience: Sufu Cake was something that we stumbled upon by accident while in Madrid and turned out to be one of my favourite experiences.

The owner of the dessert shop was so friendly and was lovely to chat to. She even gave us some free Japanese shaved ice to try since it was new to the menu.

I had never had Japanese pancakes before this but had seen them online and wanted to try them so badly. They did not disappoint. They were fluffy and so unique in texture. There were an abundance of flavours to try and all of the ones that we tasted were really yummy.

3. Funambulista Bar

Address: C. de las Huertas, 68, 28014 Madrid, Spain

Price: €10 per cocktail

Experience: Funambulista Bar was another accidental find that ended up being an incredible experience.

The cocktails were all so unique and fun. I had this Té Quiero cocktail which contained tea-infused rum and was served in this cute teapot.

The bartender was also incredible and made some custom drinks for some members of our group based on their preferences and what they wanted. A bit of a competition ensued over who could order the strongest drink.

4. The Boats in El Retiro

Address: Paseo de Colombia, 2 28016

Price: €6 – €8 for a boat

Experience: As someone scared of deep water (I know… I’m working on it) I wasn’t thrilled at the concept of a boat ride but I am so glad that I decided to do it.

Rowing around the lake was so relaxing and was a really nice way to see some of the park. It was also my first time in a row boat and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be to get moving.

El Retiro park itself was also a lot of fun to wander around! We even saw a yeti.

5. La Hummuseria

Address: C. de Hernán Cortés, 8, 28004 Madrid, Spain

Price: €9 – €12 for a main dish, full menu

Experience: The food at La Hummuseria was so delicious that we actually ended up eating here twice.

There is such a huge variety of hummus here, as well as other plates like Shakshuka, and every single thing we tried was delicious.

It isn’t the biggest restaurant so I recommend going with plenty of time to make sure that you are able to get a seat and try this delicious food.

Have you been to Madrid? What was the best thing you did or saw while in the city? Is any of this on your bucket list?

Thanks for reading!