Madrid in 3 Days: Day-by-Day Itinerary with Budget (Printable + iPad)
Madrid packs world-class art, royal palaces and one of Europe's great late-night food cultures into a compact, walkable center, but three days can vanish into ticket queues and tourist-trap terraces without a plan. This one does the timing, the booking and the budgeting for you.
This 27-page printable guide gives you 3 days and 2 nights in Madrid, planned from breakfast to late night, with the price of every stop in euros and a realistic budget. Admission fees and fares were checked in September 2026, including this year's changes (the new Royal Palace price, the discounted 2026 metro fares and the Crystal Palace closure).
WHAT'S INSIDE
- A day-by-day plan: breakfast, morning, lunch, afternoon and dinner, in an order that saves walking and metro time, with named restaurants and prices
- The cost of every stop: admissions, fares and typical meal prices in euros
- Insider tips for every stop: when to arrive, the free-entry hours at the Prado and Reina Sofía, and what to skip
- A Google Maps link for every sight: tap it in the iPad edition for directions
- A book-ahead checklist (Botín, the Royal Palace, the Prado, the Reina Sofía, the Temple of Debod) with the official booking sites
- Plan B: exactly what to swap for a Tuesday, a Monday, a Sunday, a palace closure, rain or a summer heatwave
- Where to stay: the best area plus three hotel picks at different budgets (Catalonia Las Cortes, Hostal Persal, Mandarin Oriental Ritz)
- Ten things to know about Madrid: the one-page cheat sheet to read before you land
- A neighborhood guide and a getting-around page: the Tarjeta Multi card, which metro ticket to buy, and the airport bus, metro and taxi options
- A scams and safety page: the rosemary trick, fake petitions and pickpocket hotspots
- What to eat and drink: churros, cochinillo, huevos rotos, tortilla and the menú del día, with real prices
- Money, tax and tipping, and a closed-days and hours table for every sight
- The seasons, entry notes, useful Spanish phrases, emergency numbers, a packing checklist and a pre-trip countdown
- A full budget sheet: about €601-753 for one traveller (food, sights, transport and the hotel room; less each if two share the room), with a column for what you actually spend
- Two editions: a printable PDF and an iPad edition for GoodNotes, Notability or any PDF app, with a tappable contents page
YOUR 3 DAYS
Day 1: Historic Madrid (Puerta del Sol and Kilometre Zero, Plaza Mayor and Mercado de San Miguel, Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace, Temple of Debod sunset and churros at San Ginés)
Day 2: Retiro, the Prado and Botín (El Retiro and a rowboat, the Prado, Picasso's Guernica at the Reina Sofía, dinner at Botín)
Day 3: La Latina and modern Madrid (Cava Baja and El Rastro on Sundays, Plaza de España, Gran Vía, Malasaña and a rooftop bar)
Every listed price is subject to change, and this plan is a starting point, not a substitute for checking current hours and prices before you go.
This is a digital download. No physical item will be shipped. Due to the nature of digital products, all sales are final.
© Global Trip Insight. For personal use only; not for resale or redistribution.
