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.
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…
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…
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…
Where to find a bathroom in Madrid
Updated 5 Dec 2025 On a trip to Madrid, finding public restrooms can be a challenging adventure for tourists. From historic streets to modern museums, finding a clean and accessible bathroom requires insider knowledge and a bit of strategic planning. Public bathrooms: the awful reality Finding a public bathroom in Madrid can feel like a quixotic…
Neighbourhood Guides
Trying to work out what parts of the city to explore? These posts will guide you through Madrid’s neighbourhoods.
Quiet corners of the Prado
Out of the pandemic, there’s no perfect time to visit the Prado. Even if you visit first thing in the morning or during lunchtime – that’s 2 pm to 4 pm in Spain – you’ll still have to contend with crowds swarming around the museum’s greatest masterpieces. And while Velazquez’s Las Meninas, Goya’s Black Paintings and…
Hidden Corners of Malasaña
Filled with bars, vintage clothes shops, and artisanal emporiums, Malasaña is hands down Madrid’s hippest neighbourhood. Throbbing with activity way into the wee hours, its heart is indisputably Plaza dos de Mayo. But there’s so much to see besides this: dive down any street and you’ll find the barrio full of hidden corners worth exploring. Here…
New Audio Tour of the City’s Muslim Origins
Think you know Madrid? Think again. Beneath the grand boulevards and baroque palaces lies a city with a very different origin story—one that’s largely hidden from view. My new audio tour with Voicemap, Medieval Madrid: A Guide to the City’s Muslim Past, peels back the layers of time to reveal a forgotten history that begins not…
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…
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: Campo del Moro
Nestled below the royal palace lies one of the city’s most beautiful and overlooked treasures: the Campo del Moro gardens. One of the destinations in my new book Quiet Madrid: A Guide to the City’s Third Spaces and Hidden Places, these stunning gardens offer both tranquility and a fascinating glimpse into the city’s medieval past. A…
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: 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…
Popular Madrid History Posts
A history buff’s guide to the forces that have shaped Spain’s capital.
How Paris Has Shaped Madrid
Bonjour à tous! This latest missive from The Making of Madrid comes to you from Paris. Summer in Madrid is way too hot for me and my Guardian opinion piece on the destruction of trees in Madrid has made things even hotter! My critique of the local government’s policy seems to have stirred up a small…
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…
The Bear and the Strawberry Tree
Why a bear and strawberry tree? Visitors seeking an Instagrammable picture of themselves in Madrid often head to the statue of the bear and strawberry tree in Sol. It’s an iconic symbol that appears all over the city from manhole covers to public bins, to the logo of the much-maligned Atlético de Madrid – Madrid’s other…
Key Moments in Madrid’s History: For Whom the Bell Tolls
San Pedro el Viejo and Madrid’s Muslim past Legends about Madrid’s dark past have long echoed through the city’s medieval streets, giving us flashes of insight into the city’s collective psyche. One of these legends involves a church nestled in the heart of historic La Latina. San Pedro el Viejo (or San Pedro el Real) sits…
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Recent blog posts
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…
Best Five Episodes of The Making of Madrid Podcast
I’m delighted to announce that season two of The Making of Madrid podcast is coming on April 20! After a first season that earned a spot on Feedspot’s list of the 100 best podcasts in Spain, I’ll be back with more neighbourhood guides, practical travel tips, historical deep dives, and interviews with local experts. While you…
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
