My Guide to Madrid, Spain- My Must-Sees for a Perfect Weekend Trip

Back in March, I took a weekend trip to Madrid from France, and to do this day, it remains one of my favorite cities I’ve visited in Europe. While I was only there for a couple of days, I had an absolutely remarkable time.

Recently, I had a friend reach out and ask for recommendations of things I did in Madrid, and that inspired me to write a little article about some fantastic things to do in the city- including a lot of great restaurants with loads of healthy and vegan options.

Things to do and see:

Park El Retiro- This was by far my favorite place I visited in Madrid. It is a stunning and HUGE park with so many different things to do and see there. There’s a big fountain area where people can rent boats, a gorgeous conservatory called the Crystal Palace, and there are gardens and flowers everywhere. Since we were traveling with a friend who was living there at the time, she showed us a smaller area of the park where peacocks live.

 Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía- If you like modern art or are a fan of Pablo Picasso, then you must go to this art museum. There were so many amazing pieces by modernists there, including one of Picasso’s most famous paintings, La Guernica, which depicted the Spanish War.

Teatro Kapital- Kapital is a 9-story nightclub in the city center of Madrid. It claims to be the biggest club in Europe! Even though I am not always a huge fan of clubs, I very much enjoyed myself here as the cover fee (17 Euros) included two free drinks and each different level of the club had a different type of music. Also, at least on the night I went, I didn’t think there were a lot of creepy men there, which is always a huge perk especially when it comes to nightclubs.

Wandering the streets of Madrid- Wandering the streets of Madrid was one of my absolute favorite things to do during my time there, as it is in most cities. The Spanish architecture is gorgeous, and I had a fantastic time exploring this city.

Places to eat:

Honest Greens- To do this day, Honest Greens remains one of my favorite restaurants if not my favorite restaurant. It is known for making healthy dishes delicious, and of course there were lots of vegan options here. I have considered returning to Madrid just to go back to this restaurant.

 Federal Café- This café was an extremely cute brunch spot that again had many healthy and vegan options. It was delicious, and the ambiance was absolutely superb.

Delish Vegan Donut Shop- Vegan donuts are easier and easier to come by nowadays, but finding vegan donuts that taste like original, fluffy Krispy-Kreme-esque glazed donuts are difficult to find. This donut shop, located just a few blocks from Federal Café, was completely vegan and had so many varieties of donuts, all of which were huge and fluffy. I stuck to the classic glazed donut, and it did not disappoint. In fact, I was surprised it was vegan!

 Overall, my trip to Madrid was BEAUTIFUL, and it’s definitely a city I’m longing to go back to. Thanks for reading, and follow my Instagram for more up-to-date travel posts!