This post is the concluding post of a series documenting our travels to Andalusia in Southern Spain in the European Autumn of 2025. We had started off in Cordoba ( First impressions of Cordoba (after a speed run through Malaga Centre) – Alluring Andalusia, Part 1 ) then proceeded to the hill town of Ronda ( The Bullring and the Walls of Ronda – Alluring Andalusia, Part 5 ) before spending 3 great days in the city of Granada ( A morning at the Alhambra in Granada – Alluring Andalusia, Part 7 ). We had spent our final 2 nights in Andalusia in the beautiful renaissance styled town of Úbeda ( Unassuming Ubeda, a pretty little gem – Alluring Andalusia, Part 10 ) before finally saying goodbye to Andalusia and taking a bus and then a train to the Spanish capital city of Madrid. ( Before anyone points out, I know Madrid isn’t in Andalusia, but since we spent most of our time in that region I posted this post in the same series!)
We reached Madrid early in the evening and took the metro to reach our Hotel Francisco I Boutique which was on Arenal street right in the Centre of Madrid. After the calm and quiet of Úbeda the crowded nature of Madrid Centro was something that reminded me of home and that’s not what something I look for on vacation. So I was not very optimistic of the 2 nights we would be spending in Madrid.
We checked into our hotel room and rested for a while before we set off in the evening to walk around the City Centre and just get the lay of the land as we wanted to visit the Cathedral and the Royal Palace of Madrid. We already had booked tickets online for the next afternoon, which is a must if you intend to visit the Palace as it saves a lot of time. I didn’t even carry my SLR because I didn’t feel like taking photos when it was so crowded.
We reached the Plaza de Oriente (named so because it is east facing). This is the square which is right across the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral next to it. The square has an impressive statue of Philip IV on a horse which is on its rear legs and statues of Visigoth kings that ruled this region in the 5th to 8th centuries.
The better half clicks a photo of me at the Plaza de Oriente
The better half poses with statues of a couple of Visigoth Kings
We then walked towards the Almudena Cathedral, a very new Cathedral that only opened in 1993. It was looking beautiful all lit up at dusk and I kicked myself for not getting my camera that evening. We took a couple of mobile photos before we started walking towards the Mercado San Miguel where we would be having dinner.
A mobile photo of the Almudena Cathedral all lit up at dusk
Outside the Royal Palace of Madrid
Happy us after a evening stroll around the Cathedral in Madrid
Stopping for a photo with a Bronze statue of a man leaning around the original Almudena Church ruins
We reached the Mercado de San Miguel which is a big high end food court inside a historic iron and glass structure from 1916, where we could enjoy a varied meal without much fuss. I bought a couple of Empanadas which looked extremely appetising and the better half got a focaccia sandwich which we ate standing at one of the stand only tables at the edge of the market.
At the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid
The empanadas that looked appetising and had a variety of fillings
Polishing off my meal at the Mercado de San Miguel
We ate lightly as we wanted to try the very famous Churros with Hot Chocolate at the Chocolateria San Ginés. We walked to the always crowded place and placed our order and luckily found a table quickly. The place is efficient beyond reason as our order slip was quickly whisked out of our hands and soon our plate of Churros and cup of Hot Chocolate arrived. The fresh piping hot churros and the decadent thick hot chocolate was even better than what I had expected. We knew we would be back before our short stay in Madrid was done!
The awesome Churros and Hot Chocolate at the Chocolateria San Ginés
Giddy and happy after the delicious Churros we returned to our hotel and retired for a good night’s sleep. We woke up early the next morning as we only had that morning for our by now must do morning walk around the City Centre ( We would be flying out early the next morning). We got ready and started our morning walk by first visiting the Plaza Mayor which was originally a market square now converted into a Baroque plaza. It was already being set up for Christmas so we took a few photos of the cobblestoned square before moving on.
Plaza Mayor at Dawn
Philip III rides his horse in the square he transformed in 1619
A Christmas tree being set up at Plaza Mayor
Beautifully painted and sculpture adorned buildings around the Plaza Mayor
With Philip III at Plaza Mayor
We then walked along Calle Mayor till we came to the Mercado de San Miguel where we had dinner and took a photo of the exterior when it wasn’t packed with people.
The better half poses with the Mercado de San Miguel in the background
We then came to the Plaza de la Villa which is a small but photogenic square dominated by the Town hall of Madrid. Early in the morning when there was no crowd around it looked so peaceful all lit up.
The Plaza de la Villa in Madrid with the Town hall on the right
The Plaza de la Villa looks right out of a picture postcard early in the morning
We proceeded down Calle Mayor till we came to the next small memorial to the Assassination attempt of King Alfonso XIII in 1906 ( He survived! ) and a pretty church in the background -the Cathedral Church of the Armed Forces.
Walking down an empty Calle Mayor early in the morning
The Cathedral Church of the armed forces and the Assassination attempt memorial on the right
The Cathedral of the Armed forces
The Assassination Attempt memorial
We finally reached the Cathedral and the Royal palace which were also pretty deserted except for the constant police presence. I enjoyed taking photos of the two grand structures side by side without having to jostle amidst the crowd.
The Almudena Cathedral at dawn
The Royal Palace of Madrid at dawn
We then walked back to our hotel because we had a long day of sightseeing ahead and it was time for breakfast.
The Church of St Gines on our way back to the hotel
One of the fancy man hole covers in Madrid
Calle Arenal is deserted early in the morning
In the corridor of our Hotel Francisco I Boutique after our morning walk
We then freshened up quickly before going for breakfast. The breakfast was as good as the one in Ubeda and I was sad that we would only have it one day and settle for a packed breakfast the next morning as we would be checking out early. We filled up our tummies and set off to see the Cathedral.
Enjoying our breakfast at the Francisco I Boutique
Christmas decoration at our hotel Francisco I Boutique
We made a beeline for the Cathedral which was the first sight we would be visiting that day. The Almudena Cathedral is a huge grey and white building which is very new as Cathedrals go. It was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993 and has his statue outside.
Statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Cathedral he consecrated in 1993
A bronze door of the Cathedral
The Cathedral is free to enter (1 Euro donation requested at the entrance which we gladly gave) and we entered through the side tourist entrance to see that it was as big as it looked from the outside! Huge pillars, pointed neogothic arches and a painted dome and ceiling. It blended modern and gothic architecture very well. It also has a 15th century Gothic Altarpiece in the right transept which is the oldest treasure in the otherwise 20th century structure.
The 15th century Virgin Mary Altarpiece in the Almudena Cathedral
A closer look at the oldest religious treasure in the Cathedral
Painted ceiling and modern stained glass in the Almudena Cathedral
Symmetry is always a joy to Photograph – New or Old!
The huge interiors of the Almudena Cathedral
A 5000 pipe organ at the Almudena Cathedral
We then did our church routine of sitting in the pews for a few minutes before we made our way out of the massive Cathedral.
Happy us at the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid
We left the Cathedral and made our way towards the next sight we would be visiting – The Royal Basilica of St Francis the Great. The Basilica was nowhere in our plans when we reached Madrid but I saw this other massive dome a short distance away from the Cathedral during our walk the previous evening. I googled it and it turned out to be a beautiful church which had the 4th biggest dome in Europe. ( If you got curious – The Pantheon, St Peter’s and the Florence Cathedral are the top 3!). So I asked the better half and she readily agreed and we made the walk to the Royal Basilica and bought our tickets and went inside. Immediately I realised that I would be taking a lot of photos here as that dome and the Basilica were simply jawdroppingly spectacular. I’m just going to let the photos do the heavy lifting here.
The exterior of the Royal Basilica doesn’t show the treasure it holds inside!
The amazing dome of the Royal Basilica of St Francis the Great
The amazing interiors of the Royal Basilica of St Francis
The Altar at the Royal Basilica decorated from floor to ceiling
Side altars all beautifully painted and decorated
Couldn’t stop taking photos of the dome!
A kind fellow tourist clicks our photo at the Royal Basilica
We then went through the museum section of the Royal Basilica which has some amazing paintings with the theme obviously being the life and times of St Francis. The rooms were as beautiful as the paintings in them including beautifully painted ceilings and lit corridors. We were glad we had decided to visit the Basilica without having known about it till the previous day!
Corridors full of paintings in the Museum section
The painted ceiling is as beautiful as the paintings in the room
Would you look at the paintings or that grand ceiling!
The only painting photo I took because it has a lot of European bird species accurately represented
Yet another beautiful ceiling in the museum section
We returned to the Basilica and I still wasn’t satisfied with the photos I had taken and kept clicking away to glory.
More photos from the spectacular Royal Basilica of St Francis the Great
We couldn’t leave the Basilica without a selfie with that dome and we tried our best to get one keeping the phone on the ground!
A selfie with that beautiful dome overhead
Happy us after our visit to the Royal Basilica of St Francis the Great
It was our 15th wedding anniversary that day and I had booked a table at a Mexican restaurant – The Solito Mexican Taqueria for lunch as the better half enjoys her Mexican Cuisine. So we walked to the restaurant as it was almost time for our lunch.
Walking down the steps dedicated to photographer Alfonso Sanchez Garcia
We got to the restaurant which wasnt really very busy and I was worried that the food might not be good. Luckily those fears were unfounded as the better half enjoyed here vegetarian tacos while I enjoyed my pork tacos and we both devoured a huge plate of Nachos with beans. Here too we got some more Nachos and hot salsa as complimentary tapas with our drinks which was a surprise! The food was fresh and tasty and the place wasnt bustling which was perfect for a quiet anniversary lunch in Madrid.
The better half enjoys her favourite Mexican Cuisine
Complimentary Nachos with Salsa
Veggie tacos for the Better half
My Pork Tacos – perfectly cooked
Enjoying a great anniversary lunch at the Solitos Mexican Taqueria in Madrid
With that perfect anniversary lunch done we headed for the Royal Palace where I had booked tickets with a post lunch entry time. We reached the Palace and skipped the very long ticket buying line and went through the extremely thorough security check before entering the Palace courtyard.
In the Courtyard of the Royal Palace of Madrid
The Royal Palace of Madrid is the third biggest of the European Palaces with only the Palace of Versailles and Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna being larger. The palace today was built by Philip V in the early 18th century and is ridiculously large having more than 2800 rooms! Luckily (or unluckily if you like walking through 1000 decorated rooms till they all blend together!) the visit only includes 20 of the decorated rooms. The entry is through a grand and imposing staircase meant to impress anyone visiting.
The Grand Staircase of the Royal Palace of Madrid
A portrait of the current Spanish Royal Family at the Royal Palace
The visit was a one way path through 20 or so rooms each more grand than the other with colour coordinated walls and ceilings. Chandeliers one bigger and grander than the other were present in each room. The Royal Throne room, A Royal Dining room , Royal Chapel and the Crown were also on display with no restriction in photography unlike in Budapest! It was crowded during the visit but not uncomfortably so and we got good photos by just biding our time waiting for 1 group to leave and clicking before the next big group walked in. I won’t go into details but all rooms are beautiful and I agree that the Royal Palace is a must see when in Madrid. Again I will let the photos do the talking.
Busy rooms during our visit to the Royal Palace of Madrid
Chandeliers bigger and grander with every passing room in the Royal Palace of Madrid
Beautifully painted and stuccoed ceilings at the Royal Palace of Madrid
Beautiful decorative art – Mosaic Tables and a decorative clock
Colour coordinated walls, ceiling , upholstery and furniture at the Royal Palace of Madrid
The Royal Banquet hall / Gala Dining Room at the Royal Palace of Madrid
The Royal Chapel where private concerts and Royal funerals are held
The Crown room at the Royal Palace of Madrid where you can get really close to the crown
There is also a Stradivarius room which holds a handful of the 300 surviving instruments made by the master music maker in the 17th century. Each one of these instruments cost upward of 15 million dollars!
A original Stradivarius Cello and Violin on display at the Royal Palace of Madrid
The Throne Room at the Royal Palace of Madrid
The Throne room is fittingly the last room on the Palace visit and we left via the same Grand staircase we had entered, stopping for photos this time.
Getting photos clicked on the Grand Staircase of the Royal Palace of Madrid
The beautiful ceiling above the grand staircase
That ended our visit of the Royal Palace and we stopped in the Courtyard for a few photos before saying goodbye and moving out of the courtyard.
The Palace gardens below – Sadly they were closed during our visit
A view of the Cathedral from the Palace Courtyard
A selfie with the Cathedral from the Royal Palace Courtyard
As we exited the lines to enter the Palace extended beyond the Cathedral as it’s free for locals from 4 -6pm in the winter. So we were glad that we visited before these crazy lines started!
Lines to enter the Royal Palace extends beyond the Cathedral in the evening
We then returned to our hotel after a busy day of sightseeing via the Plaza de Oriente and stopping to take photos of the recently renovated Opera House.
Plaza de Oriente after our Royal Palace visit
Statue of Queen Isabel outside the Opera House in Madrid
Christmas decorations outside our hotel Francisco I Boutique
We would have a short evening siesta before returning to the Mercado de San Miguel and the Chocolateria San Gines again for our last dinner in Madrid.
Returning to the Mercado de San Miguel for dinner ¸
Back at the Chocolateria San Gines for the last of our Churros and Chocolate sadly
We went for a post dinner walk to the always crowded Puerta del Sol which is the crowded heart of Madrid Centre. We navigated between the crowd to take a few photos and rub the already shiny posterior of the mascot of Madrid – the bear statue on the square hoping to be back for a longer visit some other time!
At the Puerta del Sol
We would return to the hotel and sleep for a few hours before checking out early the next morning and taking a precooked taxi to the airport. We would then take an uneventful flight back home via Munich which would bring this amazing vacation to an end.
Happy us after a great trip to Andalusia!
We had spent an amazing 11 days in the beautiful towns and cities of Andalusia and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even our short stay in Madrid had been good even with the crowds – the Palace and the Royal Basilica had proved to be memorable places and I would love to explore more of the city and other regions of the country next time.
Till my next series from another destination,
Adios!
yogictravel 