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Official sources checked Oct 5, 2026

A Wednesday on foot from the west side of the centre to the Prado, timed around the guard change, the academy's midday slot and the Prado's last two hours. It also works on a Saturday if you swap the academy for a longer lunch. The only money you need is for transit and food.

The route, stop by stop

10 am
Temple of Debod
Be at the door at opening if you booked the interior, then walk round the back for the palace view. Go down Calle de Ferraz and along Calle de Bailén to the palace, about 12 minutes.
Always free45 minutes, longer at sunset
Details
Free when
Outside: always open. Inside: Tuesday to Sunday and holidays 10:00–20:00, last entry 19:30. From 15 June to 15 September 10:00–19:00. Closed Mondays, 1 and 6 January, 1 May, 24, 25 and 31 December.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Advance booking for the interior is recommended on the city's site at madrid.es/debodreservas. Only 30 people are allowed in at a time, for 30 minutes.
Time needed
45 minutes, longer at sunset
How to get there
Metro L2, L3 or L10 to Plaza de España, then 6 minutes uphill on Calle de Ferraz. Free bus 001 to Plaza de España
Worth it? Yes.The inside is two small rooms with carved reliefs, fine if you booked and not worth an hour in line if you did not. The outside at sunset is the reason to come. Stand at the railing behind the temple, not in front of it.
Source: Madrid city tourism office (esMADRID) · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps
11 am
Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace
Watch a sentry change at the Puerta del Príncipe on Calle de Bailén. On a first Wednesday stay for the full parade at 12:00. The cathedral is next door.
Always free20 minutes for the weekly one, 50 minutes for the Solemn Changing
Details
Free when
Wednesdays and Saturdays 11:00–14:00, at the Puerta del Príncipe on Calle de Bailén. In July and August 10:00–12:00. Solemn Changing: first Wednesday of the month at 12:00, except January, August and September. Cancelled for official events and bad weather.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
20 minutes for the weekly one, 50 minutes for the Solemn Changing
How to get there
Metro L2 or L5 to Ópera, 5 minutes on foot to the Calle de Bailén side of the palace
Worth it? Yes.The weekly change is brief and low-key, so catch it in passing. The first-Wednesday version is a real parade with a band. For that one, enter by the Puerta de Santiago on Calle de Bailén by 11:30 to get a spot at the rail.
Source: Madrid city tourism office (esMADRID) · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps
11:40 am
Almudena Cathedral
Twenty minutes inside, then cross the courtyard for the view of the palace front. Walk up Calle Mayor to Plaza Mayor, 10 minutes.
Always free30 minutes
Details
Free when
Always · September to June daily 10:00–20:30, July and August 10:00–21:00. No visits during services.
Free for whom
Everyone. A €1 donation is requested at the door.
Reservation
Not needed. The museum and dome are a separate paid ticket (€7).
Time needed
30 minutes
How to get there
Metro L2 or L5 to Ópera, then 6 minutes on foot down Calle de Bailén
Worth it? Depends.Honest answer: the building is younger than most of the city and it shows. Give it 20 minutes for the painted ceiling and walk round the back to the neo-Romanesque crypt on Cuesta de la Vega, which is the better half.
Source: Madrid city tourism office (esMADRID) · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps
12:30 pm
Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol
Cross the square, buy a sandwich on a side street and eat it on the move. Continue through Puerta del Sol to Calle de Alcalá 13, 8 minutes.
Always free45 minutes for both
Details
Free when
Always · open public squares, any hour
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
45 minutes for both
How to get there
Metro L1, L2 or L3 to Sol. Plaza Mayor is 4 minutes west along Calle Mayor
Worth it? Yes.Look, do not sit. The terraces on Plaza Mayor charge double for average food. Leave by the Arco de Cuchilleros in the south-west corner, the steep stair is the best-looking exit.
Source: Madrid city tourism office (esMADRID) · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps
1:30 pm
Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando (free midday slot)
Free from 13:30 to 15:00. Go to the Goya rooms first. Afterwards walk down Calle de Alcalá past Cibeles to the Puerta de Alcalá gate of Retiro, 20 minutes.
Free on certain days1h–1h30
Details
Free when
Tuesday to Friday (not public holidays) 13:30–15:00, permanent collection only. Also free on 18 May, 12 October and 6 December. Closed Mondays and all of August.
Free for whom
Everyone. Under-18s, university students aged 18–25 and unemployed visitors are free during all opening hours with proof.
Reservation
Not needed, and groups are not admitted in the free slot.
Time needed
1h–1h30
How to get there
Metro L2 to Sevilla or L1, L2, L3 to Sol, then 3 minutes on foot to Calle de Alcalá 13
Worth it? Yes.Ninety minutes is tight but workable because the rooms are quiet. The second floor has been shut since May 2026 until further notice, so ask at the desk what is open before you plan around a specific painting.
Source: Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps
3:30 pm
El Retiro Park
Lake, rose garden and a rest on the grass. Leave by the Felipe IV gate at about 17:00, which puts you 5 minutes from the Prado's Goya entrance.
Always free2–3h
Details
Free when
Always · April to September 6:00–24:00, October to March 6:00–22:00. The park closes in high winds and heat alerts.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
2–3h
How to get there
Metro L2 to Retiro for the lake, L9 to Ibiza for the east side, L1 to Estación del Arte for the south gate
Worth it? Yes.Enter by the Puerta de Felipe IV behind the Prado and walk up through the Parterre to the lake. The Palacio de Cristal is closed for restoration, so the glass is behind scaffolding for now. The rose garden peaks in May.
Source: Madrid city tourism office (esMADRID) · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps
6 pm
Prado Museum (free last two hours)
Join the line by 17:15. Room 12 for Velázquez, then the Black Paintings. The free 001 bus on Paseo del Prado takes you back toward Gran Vía afterwards.
Free on certain days1h30–2h, plus 30–45 minutes in line
Details
Free when
Every day · Monday to Saturday 18:00–20:00, Sundays and public holidays 17:00–19:00. Closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Short hours (10:00–14:00) on 6 January, 24 and 31 December, with no free slot.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Free tickets are collected at the ticket desks for the free slot, and the line forms along the Goya entrance well before it starts. Check the museum's own site for any online option.
Time needed
1h30–2h, plus 30–45 minutes in line
How to get there
Metro L1 to Estación del Arte or L2 to Banco de España, then 8 minutes on foot. Free bus 001 stops on Paseo del Prado
Worth it? Yes.Two hours is not enough for the whole museum, so decide before you go in. Head to room 12 for Las Meninas, then down to the Black Paintings on floor 0, and leave the rest. Join the line by 17:15 on weekdays.
Source: Madrid city tourism office (esMADRID) · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

PAID · ONE PER CITY

If you spend on one thing in Madrid, make it this.

A football match or stadium tour at the Santiago Bernabéu

Nothing free in Madrid stands in for 80,000 people in the rebuilt Bernabéu on a match night. If tickets are out of reach, a flamenco show in a small tablao is the other thing the city does that no museum slot replaces. Either way, book direct with the club or the venue, not a reseller.

Everything above is free. This is the only paid pick on the page, chosen because no free option replaces it.

See tickets and prices