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.
Is Madrid Still Worth Visiting in 2025?
The queue to the Prado usually snakes all the way around the building With 11 million visitors in 2024, Madrid finds itself grappling with the same overtourism challenges plaguing destinations worldwide. Rising accommodation costs, endless queues, and increasing local resentment have travellers questioning whether Spain’s capital is still worth the trip. As someone who works as…
Your Complete 3-Day Madrid Itinerary
Visiting Madrid for the first time? Then this is the post for you! In it, I’ll present a three-day itinerary that’ll give you a flavour of the city and hopefully leave you coming back for more! As everyone is different, it has lots of options for you to adapt it to your needs. On day one,…
Madrid’s Most Underrated Attractions
Madrid is full of world-famous attractions, but if you only stick to the big hitters, you’ll miss out on some of the city’s most fascinating spots. For every overcrowded tourist trap, there’s a dusty but delightful museum waiting to be discovered. It’s a topic I tackle in my latest podcast, which you can listen to by…
Is Madrid Safe? A Tale of Three Cities
In the podcast this week, I discuss violence in Madrid and whether Spain’s capital is a safe city or not. Having lived in London, Tokyo, and Madrid, I’ve experienced firsthand how safety varies across major global cities. Each has its own unique challenges and cultural attitudes toward public behaviour, particularly when it comes to drinking and…
Neighbourhood Guides
Trying to work out what parts of the city to explore? These posts will guide you through Madrid’s neighbourhoods.
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…
Midstream Madrid Itinerary: the Hidden Heart of Old Madrid
Looking to escape the crowds in Madrid’s historic center? Just steps away from Plaza Mayor lies a peaceful neighborhood nestled between two ancient hills, where Madrid’s original streams once flowed. This hidden gem offers tranquil gardens, hushed churches, and authentic local spots that most tourists never discover. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJFCdwg6Xtk&t=2s The Secret Valley Between Two Hills Madrid’s original…
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…
Guide to Malasaña: Madrid’s Alternative Neighbourhood
Away from the tourist traps of Sol, lies Malasaña, a graffiti-spattered yet elegant neighbourhood filled with achingly cool boutique shops and hidden treasures. Once seedy and even a little dangerous, it’s been transformed for better and worse in the past few years by gentrification, making it a safer, yet increasingly chichi destination. While its heart is…
Hidden Gems
My guide to Madrid, away from the crowds. For more on the city’s tranquil side, check out my book Quiet Madrid.
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 Most Underrated Attractions
Madrid is full of world-famous attractions, but if you only stick to the big hitters, you’ll miss out on some of the city’s most fascinating spots. For every overcrowded tourist trap, there’s a dusty but delightful museum waiting to be discovered. It’s a topic I tackle in my latest podcast, which you can listen to by…
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.
A History of Chocolate and Churros
Updated 10/2/2026 A crunchy deep-fried churro dipped in a gloopy cup of chocolate is one of the most decadent and divine culinary pairings in history. It’s a calorific breakfast that can be enjoyed in churrerías throughout Madrid setting any tourist up for the busy day sightseeing. Surprising then that while both churros and chocolate have a…
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 Habsburg Jaw Explained: The Price of 200 Years of Royal Inbreeding
What is the Habsburg jaw? The Habsburg jaw is a severe facial deformity characterized by a protruding lower jaw (mandibular prognathism) and receding upper jaw (maxillary deficiency) that plagued Europe’s most powerful royal dynasty for generations. This distinctive feature, visible in portraits spanning two centuries, resulted from inbreeding practices designed to keep power within the Habsburg…
Watch or Listen to the Podcast
Prefer to listen to content? Then check out The Making of Madrid podcast.
Recent blog posts
Audio Tour of Retiro
I’m delighted to announce that after months of hard work, my audio tour produced in collaboration with Voicemap has been launched. If you’re interested in finding out more here’s my sales pitch: Visiting Madrid and want to find out more about the history of its most famous park? Why not buy my audio tour of Retiro?…
Guide to Malasaña: Madrid’s Alternative Neighbourhood
Away from the tourist traps of Sol, lies Malasaña, a graffiti-spattered yet elegant neighbourhood filled with achingly cool boutique shops and hidden treasures. Once seedy and even a little dangerous, it’s been transformed for better and worse in the past few years by gentrification, making it a safer, yet increasingly chichi destination. While its heart is…
Your Complete 3-Day Madrid Itinerary
Visiting Madrid for the first time? Then this is the post for you! In it, I’ll present a three-day itinerary that’ll give you a flavour of the city and hopefully leave you coming back for more! As everyone is different, it has lots of options for you to adapt it to your needs. On day one,…
A Guide to El Rastro: Madrid’s Legendary Flea Market
Tumbling down the hill in downtown Madrid, El Rastro flea market is chaotic, historic, and endlessly entertaining. So if you’re planning a trip to Madrid, I’d put it right up there alongside the Prado as one of those experiences you absolutely can’t miss (for more on getting the most out of a short trip, check out…
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
