We were super excited for our adventure in Spain. With a full itinerary (including a few other countries) our first destination in Spain was Madrid, then heading to Granada, Ronda, Tarifa, (a day in Morocco, woohoo!) and then up to Barcelona. We knew we wanted to explore everything that we could, with this beautiful country having so much to offer. For such an expansive trip though, finding excursions on a budget was crucial. We’re sharing some of the great deals we found and our awesome Madrid itinerary!

---

Itinerary with Pricing

Day 1: Bus from Airport to the city center ($5 Euros) Explore El Retiro Park (FREE), Museo Nacional Del Prado*FREE 6pm-8pm*, 3 course meal (Menú del Dia $15 Euros)
Day 2: *FREE* Walking Tours Madrid, lunch at Museo del Jamon ($10 Euros, Raciones) Salsa Class ($5 Euros, includes drink)
Day 3: *FREE* exhibits in El Retiro Park, 3 course meal (Menú del Dia, $15 Euros) Reina Sofia *FREE 7-9* Drinks with Tapas at Más Corazón ($6 Euros)
Day 4: – Metro to Bus ($2.50 Euros) AlSA Bus to Granada ($20 Euros)

---

Day 1

We planned our trip near the end of October into the beginning of November so the weather was really beautiful and comfortable. Madrid has great public transportation so when we landed at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport we were able to take a bus right to the city center. We were staying at an Airbnb nearby that was a block from the subway and walking distance to so many awesome shops, restaurants and sights.

Pro Tip: Sometimes it can be worth paying a little bit more for lodging if it will end up saving you on transportation costs compared to other potential spots. We ended up being able to walk everywhere and only needed to use the metro on our final day to get to the bus station. That saved us time and money!

After we landed in Madrid, we had a few hours before we could get into our Airbnb. It was a beautiful day so we explored El Retiro Park, a huge green space in the middle of the city with so much to see and do that we ended up revisiting later on too. Our first day though, we were happy to enjoy the free access and relax a bit after our flight from Ireland. Once we checked in, we realized Museo Nacional Del Prado was having free access that evening, so we took advantage and saw some incredible, world renowned works of art from artists including Goya, Rembrandt and Bosch. Saturn Devouring His Son was particularly memorable, but there were a lot of paintings that you might recognize from a school book or have learned about at some point in life, and here was the opportunity to see it in its real live form.

Pro Tip: You can visit the Museo Nacional Del Prado for free Monday to Saturday, from 6pm to 8pm, and Sundays and holidays, from 5pm to 7pm. You should always double check their website though to make sure that information is up to date. Also, check other museums for deals on entry as well. Many will offer discounts for students, seniors, etc. or have dates or times with free or discounted entry!

Day 2

On our first full day, we got oriented to the city with Free Walking Tours Madrid. It was a great way to learn more about the history and locations of interesting places all around the city. We really enjoyed our tour guide and learned a lot, so we were happy to leave him a nice tip. We definitely recommend seeing if there are free walking tours whenever you visit a new place. It is a wonderful way to get your bearings and discover a bit about each spot, and it’s awesome that it’s free, though you should always leave your tour guide a tip for their work.

While out exploring the city, of course we built up quite an appetite, and one of the places we were looking forward to trying was the Museo del Jamón, literally translating to the Museum of Ham. This is not a place to admire from behind a velvet rope though, instead you are able to sample a wide variety of Spain’s iconic Jamón. With all sorts of cheeses to pair and a variety of other dishes on the menu, it is a wonderful place to grab a bite to eat and perhaps a caña to wash it down.

On other occasions we found ourselves enjoying the “Menú del Dia” from local restaurants. It was a great was to sit down to a three course meal with a variety of dishes and a drink for you to choose from for a fixed price, usually about 15 Euros. This was a great way to have a more substantial meal, try a few different things and not spend too much money in the process.

We also learned the difference between “tapas” and real tapas which we would continue to explore with varying degrees of success throughout our time in Spain. It seems that if you are sitting down and paying money for a dish, you are not getting a “tapa” you are now getting a “racion.” Tapas by their very definition, it would seem, are free dishes of varying consistency and size to accompany the purchase of a beverage. Tapas are also very popular and well known now to tourists, so people will market the term to draw you in to try some of those tasty dishes, but if you are sitting down to buy some tapas, you are in fact, having raciones… However, still go and eat all of the things, we did both, buying raciones and getting tapas served alongside a fresh round of cervezas. (Also, just as a quick aside, eating and drinking in Spain can be quite affordable, even feeling like a bargain compared to the average cost of food and beverages in some of the other countries we visited.)

Later that evening we found a club through Night Life Madrid that was offering salsa and bachata dance classes for five euros which included a beverage. You could even stick around to party after the lessons as the night club opened, without paying a cover charge. We had (ahem) limited success with the dance lessons, but had a great time anyways!

Day 3

On our last full day in Madrid, we headed back to Retiro Park to do some more exploring since it is so large and beautiful and has so much to do. There were some art exhibits that were free and open to the public including at the Glass Palace, which were really cool to check out. We also headed back towards the Royal Palace of Madrid. You can enter the Royal Palace if you purchase a ticket, but instead we went into the Cathedral next door which had free access. The Reina Sofia Museum had no entrance fee that evening, so of course we took advantage and saw some incredible works of art, including Guernica by Pablo Picasso. This museum had a bit more modern feel compared to the Prado but both included some absolutely incredible art and artists. The Reina Sofia Museum offers free access on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7pm to 9pm Sunday from 12:30pm to 2:30pm, though again, double check their website. There is so much to see and do all throughout Madrid, and it doesn’t have to break your budget!

Day 4

The next morning we took the metro to catch the ALSA bus, which had a route going directly from Madrid to Granada for 20 Euros. We made sure to get snacks for the trip and the bus played movies, though watching the countryside was entertainment all on its own. It was such a cheap way to get there and, trust us, Granada is so worth the visit. Check out our next blog to find out what we got up to in another incredible city!

---