Disclosure: We get a commission for some links on this website. You don’t have to use our links, but we’re very grateful when you do. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or endorsed by our partners. Here’s our Advertiser Disclosure.
During our recent trip to Italy and Israel, I built in a long layover in Madrid. We had only 7.5 hours on the ground, so our time was extremely limited. With so little time, we were not too ambitious with our planning. We wanted to see as much of the city as we could, so we found a free walking tour around historic Madrid. See how it all worked out…
Our flight into Madrid touched down at 8:45am. Since we have learned to travel extremely light, we did not have any checked bags to collect. We whizzed through passport control, and out into the departure hall by 9am! I cannot overstate how much time you save by packing with only carry-on bags.
Left Luggage
In the departure hall, we turned left and followed signs for “left luggage” to the end of the terminal. The cost to leave a bag in the secure area is 10eu per bag. We left both backpacks and only took a small day pack with extra layers, due to the cold weather.
Airport to Downtown
With our walking tour scheduled to start at 10am from Plaza Mayor, we didn’t have time to navigate the trains to downtown. We made the quick decision to grab a cab to downtown, with a fixed rate of 30eu. The cab ride took 35 minutes to reach Plaza Mayor, and we hopped out at exactly 9:58am… perfect timing!
Free Walking Tour – Sandeman’s Tours
Sandeman’s Free Walking Tour leaders, holding bright, red umbrellas, welcomed us to the group. The large group split into two: one for English and the other for Spanish. Our tour guide, Fabrizio, spoke excellent English!
I won’t cover everything that we saw on the tour, but I’ll give you a few photo highlights. We learned about the history and formation of the Spanish kingdoms, the line of kings (mostly named Phillip), the origin of languages, and the major landmarks around Madrid. A few notable points of interest were:
- The world’s oldest restaurant (opened 1725)
- Plaza de la Villa
- Coffee/Tapas at a local cafe
- Cathedral de Almudena
- Royal Palace
- Oriente Square
Lunch – Bar La Campana
The tour wrapped up around 12:30pm in Plaza de Isabel, not far from the starting location. We asked Fabrizio to recommend an authentic lunch spot, before we headed back to the airport. He told us to find Bar la Campana near Plaza Mayor for a really good calamari sandwich, a favorite local dish. This tiny eatery piles fried calamari onto french bread rolls, with a side of olives. Find a place to sit, if you can, and enjoy the deep fried treat.
Downtown to Airport – via Train
Finishing lunch around 1:30pm, we needed to get back to the airport for our 4:15pm flight. This left us enough time to figure out the train route back to the airport. Taking the train offers a significant cost saving over taking a cab. The train fare from Puerta del Sol station to Aeropuerto station is only 2eu60. The route can be quite tricky and takes about 45 minutes, so follow along.
The name of the train line you will be looking for is “Renfe,” and you can access it from the Pureta del Sol station. Entering this station, you should find Platform 1 for the train to Nuevos Ministerios. At Nuevos Ministerios, walk down the hallway and follow the signs to C-1 Chamartin/Aeropuerto T4 from Platform 3. It gets tricky, because the Metro 8 train also runs to the airport from this station, but it requires a separate ticket.
Final Thoughts
We really enjoyed exploring the history of Madrid. Even though we only had a few hours on the ground, we got to see a lot. I hope this guide helps you decide to venture outside the airport during your long layover! If you don’t want to go outside, or if you return to the airport early, take advantage of the Priority Pass lounge access from your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
What are your favorite things to do in Madrid?
If you enjoy the content on Loophole Travel, Like us on Facebook, Follow @loopholetravel on Twitter, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
