Community of Madrid · Spain
Where to stay in Madrid
Madrid is a city in Community of Madrid, Spain, home to about 3,507,000 people. This guide covers 14 aparthotels, 6 hotels and 1 apartment building in Madrid, with about 773 rooms between them. 3 of them carry a published guest score, and the list below is ordered by it.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 21
- Best months
- April, May, September and October
- Nearest airport
- MAD14 km · Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport
- Currency
- EUReuro
- Time zone
- Europe/Madrid
- Language
- Basque, Catalan, Galician
About
About Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It had a population of over 3.4 million in the city proper in 2025, and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.8 million.
Madrid has over 3.4 million residents within the city limits and 7 million people live in the autonomous Community of Madrid region (as of 2025). Madrid is just northeast of the geographical centre of the Iberian Peninsula, in the middle of the Spanish central Castillian plateau (Meseta central), at an average altitude of 650 m. Nearly all of the most famous tourist areas are in the centre of the city including Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real, and Plaza de Colón. The major streets in Madrid include the Gran Via, Alcalá Street, and Paseo de la Castellana.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Madrid
See
Madrid is one of the top addresses in the world for art, both contemporary and not-so-contemporary, with Goya's most famous works in the Prado, Picasso's Guernica in the Reina Sofía and countless other works in those two museums and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The Prado goes back to the royal art collection which - for a nation that was the world's leading superpower for two centuries - is of course quite impressive. The Reina Sofía was opened to house what the Prado "had no room for" with a dividing line based on era ultimately being drawn.
- Museum Triangle
- Royal Palace
- Plaza Mayor
- Puerta del Sol
- Gran Vía
- Plaza de Cibeles
- Mercado de San Miguel
- Catedral de la Almudena
- Plaza de España
- Parque del Retiro
- Templo de Debod
Do
- Orquesta Nacional de España
- Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid
- Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid
- Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Madrid
- La Trashumancia
- Madrid Gay Pride
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
The best-rated places to stay in Madrid
Ordered by guest score as each operator publishes it, weighted by the number of reviews so a handful of perfect scores does not outrank thousands of very good ones. Scores are shown on their own scale.
| # | Place to stay | Rooms | Guest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NYX Hotel Madrid hotel | 180 | 88/100 7,210 reviews |
| 2 | Leonardo Hotel Madrid City Center hotel | 153 | 88/100 6,299 reviews |
| 3 | Leonardo Boutique Hotel Madrid hotel | 75 | 88/100 2,808 reviews |
18 more places to stay, without a published guest score
| Place to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Barceló Emperatriz hotel | |
| Barceló Imagine hotel | |
| Barceló Torre de Madrid hotel | |
| Bob W Madrid Atocha apartment building | 53 |
| Madrid Calle Ave María aparthotel | 19 |
| Madrid Calle De Bolivia aparthotel | 24 |
| Madrid Calle De Don Ramón De La Cruz aparthotel | 25 |
| Madrid Calle De Juan Hurtado De Mendoza aparthotel | 20 |
| Madrid Calle De La Bolsa aparthotel | 20 |
| Madrid Calle De La Paloma aparthotel | 27 |
| Madrid Calle De Matilde Díez aparthotel | 21 |
| Madrid Calle De San Lorenzo aparthotel | 26 |
| Madrid Calle Fomento aparthotel | 17 |
| Madrid Calle Santa Ana aparthotel | 19 |
| Madrid Malasaña aparthotel | 33 |
| Madrid Núñez De Balboa aparthotel | 22 |
| Madrid Sol aparthotel | 19 |
| Madrid Ventas aparthotel | 20 |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Madrid to stay in
While of course it is most convenient to have an accommodation close to the sights in the city centre, you should also consider hotels or apartments in the other districts. For example, Malasaña and Chueca are just 1 km north of the city centre, Chamberí 2 km, but the rates may already be noticeably lower. When travelling as a family or small group, you may also think about renting an apartment via AirBnB or similar sharing platforms. They are usually located in residential neighbourhoods and include a kitchen, so you can do your shopping on markets, supermarkets or alimentación stores and prepare some meals yourself.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
More hotels in Madrid
227 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid | 1910 | 0.9 km |
| Hotel Palace | 1912 | 0.7 km |
| Hotel Puerta América | 3.9 km | |
| Banco Español de Crédito building Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts | 1887 | 0.3 km |
| Grand Hôtel de París | 1864 | 0.1 km |
| Hotel de las Letras | 0.4 km | |
| InterContinental Hotel | 2.4 km | |
| Palacio del Duque de Granada de Ega, Madrid | 1851 | 0.6 km |
| Posada del Peine | 0.3 km | |
| Carlos III Building | 1952 | 1.6 km |
| Cine Rex | 1943 | 0.5 km |
| Gran Hotel Inglés | 0.3 km | |
| Hotel Embajada | 1921 | 1.4 km |
| Hotel Fénix, Madrid | 1.6 km | |
| Hotel Mayorazgo | 0.8 km | |
| Hotel NH Abascal, Madrid | 2.5 km | |
| Hotel Santo Mauro | 1902 | 1.8 km |
| Housing for Mr. Ángel Herranz Sacristán | 1928 | 0.4 km |
| Posada del León de Oro Boutique Hotel | 0.6 km | |
| San Martin Hostal | 0.4 km | |
| 60 Balconies Recoletos | 1.0 km | |
| 60 Balconies Urban Stay | 1.3 km | |
| 7 Islas Hotel | 0.5 km | |
| A Nuestra Senora de la Paloma | 0.2 km | |
| Abaaly Hostal | 0.5 km | |
| AC Hotel Aitana by Marriott | 4.5 km | |
| AC Hotel Atocha by Marriott | 1.8 km | |
| AC Hotel Carlton Madrid by Marriott | 1.6 km | |
| AC Hotel Cuzco by Marriott | 4.8 km | |
| AC Hotel Recoletos by Marriott | 1.3 km | |
| Agora Juan de Austria | 1.7 km | |
| Agumar | 2.0 km | |
| Aloft Madrid Gran Via | 0.5 km | |
| Amor de Dios 17 Boutique Hotel | 0.6 km | |
| Anaco | 0.3 km | |
| Apartamentos Caballero de Gracia | 0.4 km | |
| Apartamentos Matute 11 | 0.5 km | |
| Artiem Madrid | 5.5 km | |
| Aspasios Atocha Apartments | 1.0 km | |
| Ateneo Hotel | 0.2 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Madrid
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Madrid are April, May, September and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; October is the wettest, with about 62 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Madrid: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
The overnight train from Lisbon was suspended in 2020, perhaps indefinitely. Travel from Portugal now involves changing at Merida and Badajoz. There is a direct daytime train from Marseille, taking 8 hours. Madrid can be reached from Paris and other cities in France and beyond also by changing in Barcelona. However for the French Atlantic coast (e.g. Bayonne and Bordeaux) it is quicker to travel via Hendaye. Madrid has two mainline railway stations, Atocha and Chamartín, both with extensive Metro and local Cercanías train connections.
Getting around
Madrid proudly sports one of the best public transportation networks in the world and the second largest metro network in Europe after London's. Buses and subways work with the same tickets, and operate within the integrated transit network of CRTM (Plaza del Descubridor Diego de Ordás 3, M-F 08:00-20:00). With that said, be aware that Madrid's transportation infrastructure can appear complicated and daunting at first, so take extra time to know where to go and how to get there because it will not be as simple as in other European cities or what your map app is telling you.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
MAD · Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Madrid
Drink
In the tapas bars, you should get free food with your drinks. The highest concentration of tapas bars is in La Latina and around Plaza Santa Ana in the barrio de las Letras, but you will find them all over the city, including Malasaña and Chueca as well as the western districts, where there are probably less overrun by tourists.
Stay safe
Madrid is a very safe city, with some of the lowest crime rates among Europe's largest cities. The police is highly visible, and the city is equipped with cameras. There are always people in the streets, even at night time, so you can walk across the city generally without fear. Travellers who remain aware of their surroundings, and keep an eye on their belongings, should have little to worry about. For police, medical, or fire emergencies, simply call 112. Operators usually speak English. As with any place on earth, there are parts of Madrid and its metropolitan area that are less appealing and, consequently, less safe than others.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Madrid
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
of 21 places
of 21 places
of 21 places
of 21 places
of 21 places
of 21 places
of 21 places
Questions
Madrid: questions travellers ask
What are the best-rated hotels in Madrid?
By published guest score: NYX Hotel Madrid (88 / 100 · 7,210 reviews · www.leonardo-hotels.com (operator's own guest score)); Leonardo Hotel Madrid City Center (88 / 100 · 6,299 reviews · www.leonardo-hotels.com (operator's own guest score)); Leonardo Boutique Hotel Madrid (88 / 100 · 2,808 reviews · www.leonardo-hotels.com (operator's own guest score)).
When is the best time to visit Madrid?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Madrid are April, May, September and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; October is the wettest, with about 62 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Madrid?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Are there accessible hotels in Madrid?
2 places in this guide list accessible rooms.
What currency is used in Madrid?
euro (EUR).
Nearby
Destinations near Madrid
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.