The Making of Madrid
Your guide to Spain’s capital
Insider Tips for Visitors to Madrid
First time in the city and don’t know where to start? This info will help you get oriented.
What to do on a layover in Madrid
Visiting Madrid but short on time? Whether you’re about to take a connecting flight or are in town for a conference at IFEMA, there are ways to maximise your precious few hours. All the itineraries suggested here take into account transport links ensuring you can easily whizz back to the airport at the end of a…
Quiet Madrid: Tranquil Spaces in Hidden Places
After eight years of blogging about the city of Madrid, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my new guidebook: Quiet Madrid. A great companion to the Lonely Planet Madrid guidebook I worked on last year, this book features my own photography taken during countless explorations of Madrid’s quieter side, along with tons of insider knowledge…
Best Day Trips from Madrid
While Madrid boasts fantastic art galleries and fabulous museums, if you’re interested in Spain’s Roman and medieval history, a day trip is your best bet. Only a short train or bus ride away, destinations like Segovia, Toledo, and Alcala de Henares never disappoint. Toledo Once the Visigothic capital of Spain, Toledo’s history goes all the way…
How to Survive Summer in Madrid
Updated 31 May 2026 You’re coming to Madrid in August for your summer holidays, hombre, are you crazy? – would be the typical response a Madrileño would give you if they heard your travel plans. They know from bitter experience that this delightful city turns into a furnace during summer. Anyone in their right mind ought…
Neighbourhood Guides
Trying to work out what parts of the city to explore? These posts will guide you through Madrid’s neighbourhoods.
Book launch: A Guide to Madrid’s Literary District
I’m delighted to announce that A Guide to Madrid’s Literary District will be officially launched in Secret Kindoms bookshop on April 20, 2024! Illustrated by Nathan Brenville and published by Secret Kingdoms, the book is a glossy bilingual guide to Barrio de las Letras. In honour of Cervantes, the launch of A Guide to Madrid’s Literary…
Guide to La Latina
In the heart of old Madrid and yet a world apart from the touristy mayhem surrounding the royal palace, La Latina is the perfect place to base a stay in the city. For me, the steeply sloping squares and cobbled streets of the barrio (neighbourhood) offer a tranquil retreat into historic Madrid. By contrast, the bustling…
Walking tour of Puente de Vallecas
A neighbourhood guide and self-guided itinerary for one of Madrid’s most rebellious districts I’ve been meaning to do a proper barrio guide to Puente de Vallecas for years, but as I live in Usera, I rarely get out there. Though it’s technically adjacent, I always end up having to go into town and back out again…
Pontejos: stitching together Madrid’s past and present
In the heart of Madrid, where narrow streets tell tales of centuries past, lies an area that weaves together the story of Madrid’s 16th-century guilds, a visionary mayor, and one of the city’s most beloved literary characters. Welcome to Pontejos, a district that captures the essence of Madrid’s rich historical tapestry. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6k8IJQCvYuxpwIDj0x2lrN?si=FW7Gwe4MQJy1t1p2cbV3cg The Street of the…
Hidden Gems
My guide to Madrid, away from the crowds. For more on the city’s tranquil side, check out my book Quiet Madrid.
Madrid’s Hidden Gems: The Manzanares River, with Clare Starkie
A deeper look at the Manzanares River Visitors to Madrid often leave the Manzanares River off their itineraries in favour of the Prado, the Royal Palace and Retiro Park. That’s not to say it isn’t popular. Ever since a €4 billion rewilding project was completed in 2011, the river has become a haven for locals taking…
Hidden Gems: the Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida
Goya’s Hermitage: an ode to the majo Tucked away beneath the palace by the Manzanares River, the Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida stands as a testament to Francisco de Goya’s artistic genius – a place where 18th-century Madrid comes to life and where the artist himself finds his final rest. Goya’s frescoes transform the…
Madrid’s Hidden Gem: Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales
The big news at The Making of Madrid is that there’s a new podcast in the works. When the project was conceived, the very first person I wanted to interview was historian Caroline Fish – not only because she was about to leave for the States but also because she’s such an engaging speaker. A Fulbright…
Hidden Gems: Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares
Madrid’s Lavapiés neighborhood is home to one of the city’s most overlooked cultural treasures: the Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares. While this hidden gem lies off the beaten tourist track, offering a peaceful retreat from Madrid’s busier attractions, be warned that on a Sunday, you’ll find it closed when the bustling Rastro market takes over….
Popular Madrid History Posts
A history buff’s guide to the forces that have shaped Spain’s capital.
Street Signs in Madrid: a Brief History
The beautiful tiled street signs in Madrid are one of the city’s most distinctive features and reproductions of them are sold by the bucket-load to tourists looking to take some souvenir of their stay back with them. But did you know that these iconic tiles only date as far back as the 1990s? What might surprise…
A History of Violence in Madrid
This particular episode is about the history of violence in Madrid and it was inspired because one of my most popular blog posts is called Gangs of Madrid, Is Madrid a Safe City? The following is a transcript of the podcast. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ex8WYnzwyptn4ebxwdD0f?si=JBTfWozqQ0q3Y1kXj42OKw Transcript When I lived in London as a young woman, I used to go…
Three Myths About the Spanish Inquisition
Challenging the Myths of the Spanish Inquisition Founded in 1478 to root out false Jewish converts to Christianity, the Spanish Inquisition was a bloodthirsty organization that killed between 5,000 and 10,000 people during its 350-year existence. Given these horrifying statistics, it might seem odd to say that the Spanish Inquisition wasn’t quite as bad as it…
The Burial of the Sardine
Updated 10/2/2026 On Ash Wednesday, while much of the Catholic world begins its solemn observation of Lent, the streets alongside Madrid’s Manzanares River erupt in a boisterous bacchanal. The Burial of the Sardine (Entierro de la Sardina) stands as one of the city’s most enigmatic festivals, where religious tradition meets carnival spirit in a uniquely Madrileño…
Watch or Listen to the Podcast
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Recent blog posts
Walking tour of Puente de Vallecas
A neighbourhood guide and self-guided itinerary for one of Madrid’s most rebellious districts I’ve been meaning to do a proper barrio guide to Puente de Vallecas for years, but as I live in Usera, I rarely get out there. Though it’s technically adjacent, I always end up having to go into town and back out again…
Sistine Chapel of Tile Art Back from the Dead
After 20 years in hiding, Los Gabrieles’ skeletons are partying again! I have been waiting years to get inside Los Gabrieles, so when the doors finally swung open this April, after more than two decades of closure, I walked in and, embarrassingly, totally geeked out to the staff, who must be getting pretty used to this…
Fitness in Madrid with Marietta Sandilands
How healthy is the famous Mediterranean diet really? And where can you stay fit in Madrid without breaking the bank? In this episode, I chat with personal trainer and nutrition coach Marietta Sandilands about navigating health and fitness as a newcomer to Spain’s capital. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2npPy4GKbiI2a3hX7FM6FV?si=03d4327b83034f72 Marietta shares the surprising truth about changing dietary patterns in Spain,…
Guide to the Royal Armoury at Madrid’s Palacio Real
If you’re finishing up a visit to the Palacio Real and walk straight past the Royal Armoury without going in, you’re making a serious mistake. I know, I know — by the time you’ve done the palace, you’re tired, your feet hurt, and the café is calling. But trust me on this one: the Royal Armoury…
Journalism by Felicity Hughes
Felicity Hughes has written about Madrid for major publications, including Lonely Planet, the Guardian, the Financial Times and Time Out. Here are a few examples of her work:
Tours
Felicity Hughes can be hired as a guide to the city. Check the guided tours page to see if she’s available. Or consider getting one of her Voicemap audio guides.
Tour Reviews
