Madrid in 3 days based in Usera: the realistic itinerary

Three days is the classic trip to Madrid. This is the itinerary we give our guests: cover the essentials, leave room to improvise, and use Usera for what it is — a cheap, quiet, well-connected base.

Day 1: The monumental center

• Morning: Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and stroll through Madrid de los Austrias to the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral.
• Lunch in the center (or calamari sandwich next to the Plaza Mayor, the classic).
• Afternoon: Gran Vía, the rooftop of a rooftop for the photo and Fuencarral/Malasaña if you have energy left.
• Night: return home by metro (20 minutes) and Chinese dinner in Usera. You have come to Madrid: this is also it.

Day 2: Museums and Retiro

• Morning: Prado Museum (enter first thing in the morning, 10:00, and go directly to the large rooms: Velázquez, Goya, Hieronymus Bosch).
• Food in the Literary neighborhood.
• Afternoon: the Retiro — the pond, the Crystal Palace and a nap on the grass. If you have the strength left, the Reina Sofía (Guernica) in its free afternoon schedule.
• Night: Lavapiés or the Literary neighborhood for dinner.

Day 3: The other Madrid — Usera and the river

• Morning: Cantonese breakfast in the neighborhood (Chinese bakery at eight) and walk along the pedestrian axis to Madrid Río.
• Noon: Matadero Madrid: free exhibition and terrace next to the river.
• Afternoon: Madrid Río by bike or on foot to the Arganzuela Bridge; with children, the water jets.
• Night: farewell with hotpot or dim sum in Madrid’s Chinatown, five minutes from your bed.

Keys to the plan

• Group by area: this itinerary never crosses the city twice on the same day.
• Buy museum tickets online if your visit coincides with holidays.
• Save your metro card: Usera line 6 connects you with everything (transport guide).

The base of this itinerary is our two-bedroom apartment for families and groups, or one of our rooms if you are traveling alone or as a couple. Check availability in real time and see you in the neighborhood.

Cover photo: Felipe Gabaldón, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.