Public bathrooms: the awful reality
Finding a public bathroom in Madrid can feel like a quixotic quest. Thwarted at every turn in their pursuit of a clean restroom, many resort to doing their business al fresco. It’s a tradition that goes back to the 18th century when long cloaks were all the rage among Madrid’s working classes. Not only did they double as a blanket when you got sleepy but they also provided some much-needed privacy when you needed to take a wazz against a wall!
Two hundred years later, you’d think things would have improved but sadly, after a Saturday night, the city can often still reek of urine. While in theory, central Madrid has eight public bathrooms, in practice many are closed at the time of writing. Not only that but anyone using these automatic booths might find that the overpowering stench of bleach is enough to knock them flat onto the sopping wet floor.
While the situation is a little better in Retiro with four fixed public bathrooms that are a lot more pleasant to use, this doesn’t really help if you’re caught short in the centre. So what do you do when you’re bursting for a wee? Fear not dear reader! Here’s my guide to the city’s best lavatories.
Hidden gems with a bit of history
Underground in the car park of Plaza de Oriente is an 11th-century watchtower that hardly anyone visits because most are unaware it exists, neither do they know that there are nice clean bathrooms belowground that anyone can nip into. The lack of signposting for the tower is a political issue – if you want to know more, read the piece I wrote for Al Jazeera. In the case of the toilets, it’s a little more straightforward: these are meant for people using the car park but no one is going to arrest you for availing yourself of the facilities!
Another of my secret bathrooms is the one on the first floor of Iván de Vargas Library just off Plaza de Puerta Cerrada. While officially you should really be a local library user, nobody will bat an eyelid if you just come in to use the loo. Happily for disabled visitors, these can be accessed by a lift though unhappily, the stalls are not wide enough for wheelchair users. Added bonus for history lovers: one of the supposed wells of Saint Isidro can be visited in the downstairs patio of the library.
Museum toilets
The best toilets in Madrid can be found inside museums with most adapted for the use of people with mobility issues. While in the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza, you’ll have to pay a pretty hefty entrance fee to make your, ahem, deposit, there are plenty of free museums you can easily nip in and out of.
Smack in the historic centre at 69 Calle Mayor is the Centro Sefarad Israel. Housed in the Palacio de Cañete the organization often puts on free exhibitions, so you can easily wander in and avail yourself of their excellent basement restrooms – you do have to go through a security check and have your bag scanned first.
Other great free museums in the centre include the Museum of the History of Madrid in Malasaña, the Museum of San Isidro in La Latina and Fundacion Telefónica in the Telefónica building on Gran Vía. While Caixa Forum in the museum district is not free, you can access their sparkling toilets in the lobby totally gratis or simply go to the La Serrería Belga public gallery right next door.
Market restrooms
Madrid’s municipal markets all have free toilets. However, be warned that this doesn’t apply to the Mercado de San Miguel in the centre which is no longer municipal and will charge 50 cents if you’re not a customer. But they do score points for having disabled facilities and a lift. Mercado San Fernando in Lavapiés is also good for accessibility.
Facilities in bars and restaurants
Many people advise those wanting a cheeky wee to ask in a bar. Simply say: Puedo usar el baño. Sometimes they’ll let you go for free, other times they’ll ask you to buy a drink. Better simply to buy a resealable bottle of water than get a coffee if you don’t want to face the same problem an hour down the line! The other downside to this option is that most toilets in Spanish eateries are located down a flight of stairs and are terrible for people with mobility issues.
Two notable exceptions to this rule close to Sol are Popeyes and MacDonalds. While MacDonalds have installed a stairlift to take you up to their spacious toilets, the entrance step is a little tricky. Popeyes on the other hand is easy for wheelchair users to enter and has its toilets conveniently on the ground floor. Both require you to pay for something to get access.
Posh lavatories
Some of the city’s best lavatories can be found in the Corte Inglés, which has lifts to take customers up to toilets as well as facilities for disabled customers. Branches of this department store can be found near Sol, Callao or Nuevos Ministerios.
Also close to Sol and going up another notch is the Galería de Canelejas which has toilets on the basement and top floors. Unfortunately, after a viral video on Tiktok let out the secret that these were Madrid’s best free toilets, you now need a door code to gain access. Well worth it if you like a high-quality restroom!
Hotel bathrooms
I’ve yet to test this one out yet but I have it on good authority that hotels will generally let you use their facilities if you ask nicely. not only does this mean you get to use a lovely loo but you can also have a good snoop around some of Madrid’s new fleet of luxury hotels. Right next to Galería de Canelejas close to Sol is the brand new Four Seasons and right by the Prado is the recently refurbished Mandarin Oriental Ritz where gold taps are pretty much guaranteed!
Festival loos
During festivals like the Fiestas de San Isidro or Pride, you’ll see portaloos dotted around the city. Needless to say, these are even more unpleasant than the automated booths but do come in handy when the town is heaving with partygoers. Don’t forget your TP as these places often run out!
Visiting Madrid and need a local to show you around? Then why not hire me? The author of Lonely Planet’s Madrid guides, I know a lot more about the city beyond the best places to spend a penny!
