Madrid is never boring, at any time of day. There are always countless strolls to take, stunning landscapes to be seen and tavernas to investigate, everywhere you look. Visitors to Madrid will be so overwhelmed by it all, that they’ll feel like they need extra pairs of eyes to be able to take in all the details. That’s why exploring the city as a group is a fantastic idea. Whether it’s as a family, with friends, with workmates or on a school trip, any kind of group is perfect for getting stuck into this city that has so much to offer. You could wander through an old market, enjoy some tapas and a few beers on a sunny afternoon, witness incredibly diverse theatre, take a ride in a cable car, dive into a pool to cool off, or tuck into a classic Madrilenian stew. Below, you’ll find just a few different suggestions for things to do as a group in Madrid.
Visit Madrid’s most traditional markets
This is a fun way of getting a dose of history at the same time as enjoying some delicious food. If it’s a beautiful morning and you’ve decided to go out in search of a taste of the authentic Madrid, then the perfect places for a well-deserved rest at lunch are the countless municipal markets that are dotted around the centre of the city. These classic produce markets have been reinvented and now have two strings to their bow, with market stalls and places to eat and drink rubbing shoulders. That means that you can buy fresh produce, but you can also sample tapas and sink a few beers whilst enjoying the occasional shows and live concerts that are put on. All that in spaces which embrace their nineteenth-century architectural roots. The following are a few great examples:
- La Cebada Market. This La Latina market has been operating in the plaza of the same name since 1868.
- San Antón Market. This market—which once sold wooden crates—opened in Chueca at the end of the nineteenth century.
- San Miguel Market. Right next to Plaza Mayor, dating from 1915.
- San Fernando Market. In Lavapiés, operating since 1945.
Open-air markets for sunny days
If it’s such a beautiful day that you can’t be tempted indoors, you’ll also find various kinds of open-air markets in Madrid. The Santa Ana Market, for example, is held on the first Saturday of the month, on the street it takes its name from. This is a unique event that unites the traditional and the modern with a variety of stalls, selling artisanal or eco-friendly products and clothes, and offering selection of concerts, exhibitions and workshops.
El Rastro deserves its own paragraph. It’s Madrid’s oldest open-air market. Held every Sunday morning in the La Latina neighbourhood for an incredible 400 years, its origins are linked to the abattoirs that used to populate the area, providing the neighbouring tanners with hides. Today, you’ll find nearly 3,500 stalls here, selling an astonishing variety of wares from paintings and painting materials, magazines, colour prints, card games and second-hand books to furniture, clothes and gadgets. Even if you’re not planning on buying anything, it’s well worth experiencing its lively, bustling atmosphere.
Tapas and good company, the perfect afternoon in La Latina
Making the most of how easy Madrid makes it to cram lots of things into the same day, here’s one that ties in perfectly to the one above. The same area that plays host to El Rastro every Sunday is also a melting pot of people at the weekends. La Latina might be small, but there are a huge number of spots where you can stop off for a tapa and a cold beer. To mention just a few, Calle Cava Alta and Calle Cava Baja, the Plaza de La Paja, Calle Toledo and the area around it are groaning with classic tavernas and gastro-bars that serve innovative tapas, open all day long. El Viajero (Plaza de la Cebada, 11)—boasting a fantastic terrace from which you can enjoy the view of the Basílica de San Francisco el Grande whilst you tuck into some grilled meat—, and El Almendro (Calle El Almendro, 13) are two great meeting points for kicking off an unforgettable day (or night) in La Latina.
Two ways to experience interactive theatre
It’s time to make a little room for culture, because Madrid is bursting with it, and a lot of it is expressed theatrically. Below, we’ve shared two ways of enjoying a bit of theatre that involves spectator interaction. Jamming Show, held every Friday and Saturday from 11:00 PM in Teatro Maravillas, is a perfect example. This is an original show that’s 100% improvised. The audience has to write the titles and choose the themes that the actors then use as a reference during the performance. Note: On the last Friday of every month the spectacle turns into La Golfa. It’s essentially the same format, but with famous guests and live music.
And if you’ve got ants in your pants and can’t sit in a theatre stall for too long, then the theatrical history tours of Madrid organised by Teatro en Ruta are perfect for you. Every Saturday at 12:00 midday, this theatrical company meets outside the Royal Palace ready to start a historical tour of different key sites in the capital. They do so accompanied by actors dressed as medieval gentlemen, poets, monarchs and clergymen, whose occasional performances help participants to really live the city’s history.
A cable car over the Casa de Campo
There are very few Madrilenians who don’t have fond memories of having visited Madrid’s cable car with their parents at one point or another. Parents always know what they’re doing, which is why we think this is a fantastic idea. Climb aboard your cable car and fly over the urban park of Casa de Campo. The ticket price is about six euros, and you take off from Pintor Rosales, near Plaza de España. This is a perfect way to momentarily escape the traffic noise and, at the same time, discover Europe’s largest urban park.
By the way, in the Casa del Campo you’ll also find Madrid’s Parque de Atracciones, an amusement park open year round, and the Lago Casa de Campo Municipal Sports Centre, whose Olympic pools (one indoors and one outdoors) are the perfect way to spend a day with friends.
