Day 13 ·
Train to Madrid, suckling pig at Botín and sunset at Debod
Madrid · Spain · 3 min read
The 6:00 AVE from Granada, a first walk through the Madrid of the Austrias, suckling pig at Botín without a reservation, the Gran Vía, sunset at the Temple of Debod and Cibeles lit up at night.
- 1
Granada train station
We booked a taxi the night before for 4:50. Boarding closes a couple of minutes before departure, so we got there with twenty minutes to spare.
- 2
Puerta de Atocha station
Three hours and 36 minutes, nonstop. The tropical garden is inside the station, on the way to the taxi line.
- 3
Plaza de Oriente and the Royal Palace
Breakfast on the terrace of Café de Oriente with the palace as a backdrop, then a look around the outside: the statue of Philip IV, the Teatro Real and the 140-meter facade. The inside would come the next day.
Our guide Worth it for the Throne Room and the Porcelain Room. If you speak Spanish, the guided tour in Spanish makes up for the fixed pace. Read the full guide - 4
Plaza Mayor and Calle Cuchilleros
The square dates from 1617 and was rebuilt three times after fires, with the Casa de la Panadería on the north side. We left through the Cuchilleros arch, which leads straight to Botín.
Our guide Worth it as a 20- to 30-minute architecture stop on your way somewhere else. Not for sitting down to eat on its terraces. Read the full guide - 5
Restaurante Botín
A same-day change of plan: instead of the calamari sandwich, cochinillo asado at the oldest restaurant in the world, open since 1725. There were no tables online, so we lined up at opening time.
- 6
Gran Vía and the Metrópolis Building
Facades from 1910 to 1930, the 1929 Telefónica Building and the gold dome of the Metrópolis. From there we walked up Fuencarral toward Malasaña and the Plaza del Dos de Mayo.
Our guide Worth it as a 30- to 45-minute architecture walk with your eyes up. The shops are the same chains as in any capital. Read the full guide - 7
Bodega de la Ardosa
An 1892 tavern in Malasaña: vermouth on tap and salmorejo, standing among the barrels.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it: an 1892 tavern that still works as one. Order vermouth, salmorejo and tortilla, and don't expect attentive service or a seat. Read the full guide - 8
Temple of Debod
An Egyptian temple from the 2nd century BC at the top of the Parque del Oeste. We arrived early enough to find a spot on the grass and stayed until after the 21:20 sunset. The inside has been closed since March 2026; the outside has not.
Our guide Worth it for the sunset and the outside, which are free. The interior is small, and on top of that it has been closed since March 2026. Read the full guide - 9
Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop
The rooftop at night, with the Gran Vía lit up and the Metrópolis at eye level. Entry is €6; on Fridays it stays open until 1:30.
- 10
Cibeles Fountain and Puerta de Alcalá
A night walk we added that day: 280 meters along Calle de Alcalá to Cibeles, with the palace lit up behind it, and 600 meters more to the 1778 Puerta de Alcalá, golden at night.
After two days of walking Granada, this was a transition day. We left Granada before dawn, reached Madrid mid-morning and didn’t go into a single museum: the Royal Palace and the Prado were the next day.
Why we planned it this way
The 6:00 AVE put us in Atocha at 9:36 and gave us the whole day in Madrid. The cost was getting up at 4:30, so we packed our bags the night before.
The morning was for getting our bearings near the hotel: breakfast across from the Royal Palace, the Plaza de Oriente and the Plaza Mayor. That same morning we changed lunch. The plan was a €3.50 calamari sandwich on the Plaza Mayor, but we wanted to try the cochinillo at Botín, a minute away. Since there was no online reservation, we went at opening time and stood in line. That long lunch took the place of the siesta we had planned.
The afternoon headed north: the Gran Vía, Malasaña and a vermouth before walking to the Temple of Debod, where sunset in May is at 21:20. We got there hours early because it fills up on Fridays.
The night walk
From Debod we took a taxi to the Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop. The second change of the day came on the way down: instead of going straight to dinner, we walked along Calle de Alcalá to the Cibeles Fountain and the Puerta de Alcalá, both lit up. It adds about 25 minutes, and dinner got pushed to around 23:00.
What we booked and tasted
BYPILLOW The Citadel
Two minutes from the Plaza de Oriente and the Royal Palace, which we visited the next day, and within walking distance of the Plaza Mayor and Sol. Ask for an interior room: the street can be noisy.
Café de Oriente
Order Toast with tomato, café con leche and fresh-squeezed orange juice
The terrace faces the Royal Palace. On weekdays it opens at 8:30, just in time after dropping off the bags.
Restaurante Botín
Order Cochinillo asado
The house dish at the oldest restaurant in the world, a minute from the Plaza Mayor. It has four floors and tables turn over, which is why we tried without a reservation.
Bodega de la Ardosa
Order Vermouth on tap and salmorejo
Vermouth hour in an 1892 tavern, before walking toward Debod.
Albaicín Granada train station
Book it the night before or ask the hotel to call Radio Taxi. About €8–10. Buy water and something to eat the afternoon before: nothing is open at that hour.
Granada Madrid Puerta de Atocha
Direct AVE in first class (Elige Confort). Renfe changed our departure time twice in the weeks before, from 6:14 to 6:04 and then to 6:00: keep checking the app until the last day.
Atocha Ópera
About €12–15 from the line at the south exit. With suitcases, a taxi beats the metro.
Temple of Debod Círculo de Bellas Artes
About €5. For the rest of the stay, the ten-ride T-Multi card costs €12.20 and works on the metro and buses.
What we learned
Tips
- Check-in was at 15:00, but the hotel holds bags. We dropped ours off at 10:00; call ahead to let them know.
- Botín had no tables online for that day. If that happens to you, get there at 13:00, when they open, and line up. If you have no luck, the calamari sandwich at La Campana is a minute away.
- At Debod, arrive around 17:00 if you want a spot on the grass. On Fridays half the city goes up to watch the sunset, and the inside has been closed since March 2026.
Do
- Photograph the Metrópolis Building from Calle de Alcalá, looking west.
- Keep your phone in your front pocket in Sol, the Plaza Mayor and the metro.
- If your legs are done by the end of the day, do just Cibeles: it is four minutes from the Círculo.
Don’t
- Don't eat at the terraces on the Plaza Mayor: they are expensive and made for tourists.
- Don't eat at the Mercado de San Miguel. Go in to see the iron structure, but it is expensive.