Madrid: First time in Spain - long walks around the city

Did a long stroll around Madrid one afternoon and it ended up being one of my favourite parts of my first Spain trip. Talked about my new found love of walking in another post and people were so in sync with that. So decided to post the favorite one.

Started around El Retiro / Prado side and then just kept going past Reina Sofia, through Anton Martin & Lavapies, further across towards the San Francisco el Grande side. Ended near Palos de la Frontera.

El Retiro was definitely one of the highlights. It’s the kind of place that feels worth visiting even if you do nothing except walk around slowly for a while. It’s huge, full of trees, and just has a really relaxed feel to it. Even in a chilly weather I loved it, so I can only imagine how nice it must be in spring or summer.

San Francisco el Grande also stood out a lot. Going inside was fully worth it - the dome is incredible, and the whole place just feels very grand and quiet in a way that stays with you.

The whole walk felt good. Some parts were busier and more grand around the museum side, and then other parts felt more everyday and local, which is usually the bit I enjoy most when travelling anyway. Ended up being around 6km, and somehow it never really got boring.