What to see in Madrid in two days. Visit the city in 48 hours

Here we are going to describe an itinerary with the best things to see in Madrid in 2 days. Although to get to know this city it is necessary to have several days, with at least two days you can visit the most interesting places and get an idea of ​​the city.

This two-day walk through Madrid will take you through the essential places to visit in Madrid but also through some lesser-known places that, of course, deserve a visit.

Visiting Madrid in two days is possible. If you only have one weekend to see Madrid, keep reading. Of course, there are infinite routes to do but this is the one that we believe is the most recommendable.

What to see in Madrid in 2 days

First day in Madrid

Below we offer you the route of the first day in Madrid. If you want to read the most detailed version of this walk that we have summarized here, we recommend you read our article with the best things to see in Madrid in one day.

From the Puerta del Sol to the Plaza de la Villa. The main square

We are going to start the tour of the first of the two days to visit Madrid at Puerta del Sol, the nerve center of the city and its main square, where we find one of the best-known buildings in Madrid, the Casa de Correos.

No less well known is the Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree and other places in the square such as the Equestrian Statue of Carlos III or the Tío Pepe poster.

Different streets start from Puerta del Sol, all very commercial and very beautiful, although the route we are going to take will take us along Calle Mayor, one of the streets with the most history in the city where we will find buildings such as the Palacio de los Consejos, the House of Calderón de la Barca or the Colonial Company Building.

But the most important thing in the area will be found to the left of the street. This is the Plaza Mayor, which we will access through one of its 9 access streets to enjoy one of the most beautiful arcaded squares in Spain and the best thing to see in Madrid in two days. The Casa de la Carnicería and the Casa de la Panadería stand out, as well as the Arco de Cuchilleros or the Statue of Felipe III.

After leaving the Plaza Mayor we will arrive at the bustling Mercado de San Miguel, before continuing along the Calle Mayor and arriving at the Plaza de la Villa, where the old Madrid City Hall is located, in the Casa de la Villa. Also noteworthy are the Torre de los Lujanes and the Monument to Don Álvaro de Baztán.

After your visit we will continue walking along Calle Mayor on the way to our next destination.

The Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace of Madrid

At the end of Calle Mayor we will find one of the most important religious buildings to see in Madrid in two days. We are talking about the Almudena Cathedral, the only one in Spain consecrated by a Pope and one of the most recently built.

The Almudena Cathedral has several very different styles on the outside and inside. Its neoclassical-style exterior does not make it as beautiful as other Spanish cathedrals, but this beauty appears when you enter its crypt, in neo-Romanesque style, or the interior of the cathedral itself, in neo-Gothic style. Without a doubt, a great visit.

But the most interesting thing in the area is the Royal Palace, of which we must highlight its facades, the gardens that surround it such as the Campo del Moro or the Sabatini Gardens, and of course its interior, which we recommend accessing even if it is to make a Quick visit admiring the Throne Room, the Hall of Mirrors and other spectacular rooms that we will find in it.

Next to one of its facades is the Plaza de Oriente, of great beauty and overlooked by the imposing Teatro Real.

The Plaza de España and the Gran Vía

We will continue walking enjoying what Madrid offers us in two days until we reach the Plaza de España, recently renovated, where we can admire its two skyscrapers, the Torre de Madrid and the Edificio España, as well as the Cervantes Monument in the center..

Also pay attention to other buildings surrounding the Plaza de España as we walk to the Templo de Debod, an Egyptian temple in Madrid, which will surprise you.

Retracing our steps we arrive at the most famous street in the city, one of the best things to visit in Madrid in 2 days. This is the Gran Vía, once a street full of cinemas, and today full of shops, theaters and restaurants, where life never ends and is always so bustling.

Walking down the Gran Vía is wonderful admiring its marvelous buildings and Plaza del Callao, one of the most beautiful places in Madrid. After surprising you with the Carrión Building, the Telefónica Building, the Metrópolis Building and the rest of the fantastic facades that we find on Gran Vía, we will arrive at Calle de Alcalá.

Calle de Alcalá, Plaza de Cibeles and Puerta de Alcalá

The tour of our first day in Madrid is coming to an end but there is still much to visit. Calle de Alcalá, the longest in Madrid, is extraordinarily beautiful in its first section between Puerta del Sol and Puerta de Alcalá.

Along Calle de Alcalá we will find buildings as unique as the Bilbao Bank Building, the Madrid Casino or the Bank of Spain, which is on the corner of one of the most famous squares to see in Madrid in two days, the Plaza de Cibeles, in which you have to look at all its corners.

The main building in the square is the Palacio de Cibeles, headquarters of the Madrid City Council, but we must not forget the Palacio de Buenavista or the Palacio de Linares, headquarters of the Casa de América. And of course, the incredible Cibeles Fountain with the goddess in her chariot pulled by lions.

If we continue along Calle de Alcalá we arrive at another of the monuments that represent a symbol in the city and where we will finish our tour of the first day. We are talking about the Puerta de Alcalá, a monument that will leave you speechless.

What to see on the second day in Madrid

Neighborhood of the letters

As on the previous day, this second day’s tour of Madrid is going to begin at Puerta del Sol, but this time to head along the commercial Calle Carretas to Plaza de Jacinto Benavente and start visiting one of the most interesting places in Madrid, the Barrio de las Letras.

The Barrio de las Letras is the literary heart of Madrid and in it you take a trip to the Golden Age of Spanish literature. In the Plaza de Jacinto Benavente we find the Calderón Theater and the Ideal Cinema, as well as the famous statue in homage to the street sweepers.

From there we walk to the Plaza del Ángel, from where we can admire the Church of San Sebastián, where the great Lope de Vega is buried. A few meters away is one of the most beautiful squares to see in Madrid in two days, the Plaza de Santa Ana, with numerous terraces of bars and restaurants, the imposing Hotel Reina Victoria, the Spanish Theater and the statues of Federico García Lorca and Calderón of the boat

Strolling through the Barrio de las Letras we will enjoy some very special streets, such as Calle Cervantes, where the house where the author of Don Quixote lived and the Lope de Vega House-Museum, Lope de Vega Street itself, where the the Convent of the Trinitarias Descalzas or the Calle de las Huertas, one of the liveliest in Madrid.

Canalejas Square and the Congress of Deputies

If we continue strolling through the Barrio de las Letras we will arrive at the Plaza de Canalejas, without a doubt one of the most beautiful places to visit in Madrid in two days. The buildings of the Plaza de Canalejas leave no one indifferent, highlighting above all the Edificio de la Equitativa, which was the former headquarters of the Banco Español de Crédito.

Also noteworthy are the Banco Hispano Americano Building or Casa Allende before starting to walk along Carrera de San Jerónimo on the way to Plaza de las Cortes, where our next destination is located and another of the most emblematic places in the capital.

There is the grandiose Congress of Deputies, seat of the legislative power of Spain that was inaugurated in 1850 by Queen Elizabeth II. It is built in neoclassical style and its facade with 6 Corinthian columns flanked by two bronze lions is one of the most sought after images by visitors to Madrid.

If it is Saturday you can access its interior and visit its hemicycle, its Library or the Conference Room. A few meters away is the Basilica of Jesus of Medinaceli, which is also worth a visit.

The Paseo del Prado and the Triangle of Art

At the end of Carrera de San Jerónimo we arrive at Paseo del Prado, one of the main avenues in Madrid, where art shines in every corner. In fact, the Paseo del Prado, next to the Retiro Park, has recently been considered a World Heritage Site.

The first place that we will know of the Paseo del Prado will be the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, better known as Plaza de Neptuno, a name that takes from the Neptune Fountain that is in the center and that was sculpted by Ventura Rodríguez at the end of the 18th century..

Next to it is the Plaza de la Lealtad, where we can admire the Madrid Stock Exchange and very close to the Church of San Jerónimo el Real, also known as Los Jerónimos, of which we must not only highlight its beautiful façade, but also its fantastic interior. and the cloister.

But if we should highlight the Paseo del Prado for something, it is for the museums that we find along it and that make the area known as the Triangle of Art. Here we can visit the 3 best museums in Madrid, also classified among the best in the world.

As you only have two days to visit Madrid, we recommend that you choose one of the museums in Madrid and visit it, even if it is with a quick visit. We are talking about the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum or the Reina Sofía Art Center, each of them with their own style and which are essential for art lovers. Added to them is the CaixaForum, where interesting exhibitions are also held.

On the Paseo del Prado, before reaching the Glorieta de Atocha if we walk south, we will also find the picturesque Botanical Garden.

The Retiro Park

After an intense day dedicated to literature, architecture and art, we still have to visit one of the main places to see in Madrid in two days. We are talking about the Retiro Park, the lung of the city and the main place of recreation for the people of Madrid since the time of Carlos III.

We will access the Retiro Park by going up the Cuesta de Moyano, famous for its small bookshops. After a steep hill we will arrive at the Statue of the Fallen Angel, one of the most interesting fountains in the Retiro Park, where we can also enjoy other very special places such as the Crystal Palace, where exhibitions are also held.

In front of it there is a small pond that we recommend going around before continuing to enjoy the Parque del Retiro and reaching the Estanque Grande, in front of which is the Monument to Alfonso XII. Really spectacular.

The Retiro Park is immense and with a lot of art inside and we recommend spending several hours in it to enjoy all its charms, which we must not only locate inside but also in its surroundings, highlighting the Casón del Buen Retiro or the Puerta of Alcalá, which we admired the day before.

Thus ends our two-day visit to Madrid. If you have more time, we recommend you enjoy our article with the best things to see in Madrid in 3 days.

You can find more information about the best things to see in Madrid on its official tourism page.