Madrid - The Don'ts of Visiting Madrid, Spain

I visited Madrid two weeks ago for the first time. I stayed at a hotel righ in the center of Madrid on Gran Via. If you stay in the center, please note that it will be very crowded and very noisy till 3:00 AM pretty much every day. Also, I found the food in the city center quite greasy with fried food (fried potatoes, crockets, fried pork or meat, fried eggs). I did enjoy my day trip to Toledo and Seville.

Merienda and eating 5 times a day. Those are some things we inherited in the Philippines

We prefer Madrid over Barcelona.

The video is all about food, not useful of otherwise.

Don't go in summer

I am traveling around Europe for 3 months and your videos are the first thing I look for to know the places and what to do hahaha I really like all the help you provide to all of us!

As a Spanish person living here most of my life, this stuff is something I wouldnt even think about on a day-to-day basis. Its super cool to see the perspective of a tourist in madrid! Have fun everyone! If i had a piece of advice dont go to las bravas because I want to go!! Jajaja

I've been living here for one and half year and I agree, especially with that English thing, they do not speak English here at all.

JAJA Sangría is something that we the locals never drink. Its just for tourists.

These formulaic travel videos are getting tiresome. Makes me miss Bourdain even more.....

Are there any problems with Moroccan Immigrants?

Is the tax and tip included in the price of a meal

Last time I was in madrid I drank tap water about 5 times, got diarrea inmediately after the 5 times :D

LUNCH is the BIGGEST meal in Spain historicly. The other meals are smaller and social eating also but smaller in portion. /Spaniard

There is a saying; de Madrid al cielo ! 🥂🥂🎵🎵

Wolter what’s the name of the restaurant you got the meal of the day at? With the bread, beer, steak, and seafood soup! Can’t wait to visit next summer

That's so funny you mention the language thing. I had the opposite experience last time. I've lived in Madrid on and off for about 5 years. Last time I was there I really was looking forward to practicing my Spanish, but every time I went out to eat the server, noticing I was American, immediately spoke English to me. haha!

I went to Paella Real with my Spanish friends near Opera and it was very good. I don't think it was microwaved. Also, I love the tinto de verano!

Madrid native here. DON’T speed with an electric scooter on the walking side, specially if it is crowded. Yesterday I witnessed a spoiled damn anglosaxon clown of about 28 years old doing exactly that, people had to jump aside because he wouldn’t slow down. Believe me when I say we would have enjoyed cracking a bate on his face. He was most likely a Brit. Gosh I hate the Brit tourists

I love Madrid I am originally from the city, now living in the Netherlands. I consider myself a madrileño local person, and I agree with all your points. Do not despair though if you do not speak Spanish, the situation is getting better over time younger people have been learning more English in schools and such and the city is more focused on tourism so you will see more people understand English. I agree that you should learn some Spanish, as indeed we are super friendly and help a lot. It really cracked me up the thing with the gestures that you explained I did not realize we did that, we are really expressive in that way. Thank you Walter for promoting my city it definitely pulled on my heartstrings seeing my hometown you do not know how much I miss it. Btw if you are low on cash there are many cheap and even free activities around the city, Prado is free after 17-18h during the week so you can check it without paying, also the menu of the day is a must, I rarely go "a la carta" going out of the menu. It is not really worth it unless you really want a specific dish. I loved this video it was like it was made by a local, Walter you seem to be a proper "gato" from Madrid.

what video is this ?? super non specific ….

It's a criminally underrated city IMO.

How do you ask for a pitcher of water in Spanish?

Hello Walter, l stumbled across your video. I moved to Madrid in November. It is a wonderful city. Even though I've been living here for a few months now and grew up here (and later moved to the states) l learned a lot from this video so thank you!

Nice video!!

Que hermoso Madrid y su cultura

I loved Madrid

This is really useful thank you

Thank you~! Very very nice video. I wanna visit there once in my life. ¿E Donde Estudiaste Espanol? Eso es marvillioso

Great tips Mark! There is amazing nature very close by unlike many other major European cities too, although the landscape might just feel like home to people from some southern/western parts of the US. Also that's not sopa de mariscos, it's boquerones (anchovies in vinegar) but still delicious!

I just visited Madrid a month ago. I had a wonderful time. Would love to go again!!!

So good man

Don't underestimate how big it is

Not gonna lie, I ain't sharing...

Just booked my flights/hotel!

When it comes to the food, Madrid is quite an impressive place when it comes to gastronomy, you have millions of choices, specially in the city, and it's very inexpensive (specially in the case of free tapas with your drink). Also our food culture is very much based around sharing and eating together (we call it picoteo, you order many plates and share so everyone takes a taste). And honestly, paella or sangría are not typically from Madrid, and it's best to avoid them, sure some Spanish people can recommend nice places for those, but try to have a taste of what is typically from the city (and is way better bc it's local, so waaay more fresh). If you want paella go to Valencia, if you want sangría, go to Andalucía, it's like asking for Chicago deep dish pizza in Kansas, makes no sense.

Never been in Spain. It is definitely on my bucket list. Meanwhile I enjoy it through your videos. You just got a new subscriber!!!!

I loved Madrid. It felt like a living breathing city without the over-tourism of other cities

Thanks going in May for aa 2 day layover!

My wife and I are going to Paris in march.....we keep thinking , do we head to San Sebastián? do we go to Germany Munich? we are really open for a couple weeks....what do you recommend? after Paris in march? been to Italy Prague already.

Directions for best Paella spot in Madrid... First go to the train station, buy a ticket for Valencia, get on train, get off. You should be good. 😄

Loved every minute of madrid

It’s very likely that I will never get to Madrid, but great tips for many places. Thanks.

Madrid my favourite city in Europe by faaaarrrr a little bit Paris and a little bit New York ...the architecture is amazing, the food, people...and the gay zone Chueca and Malasaña incredibleeeee

Thanks!

We loved this city, such beautiful sceneries and food👏🏽💯💃🔥. Great tips!

I just got back from Madrid and I agree with everything you said. The nightlife here was incredible and the food was absolutely delicious. The Spanish take great pride in regional food and we are all the beneficiaries. I found that by staying in the city centre, I was able to walk everywhere, from the Prado to the Royal Palace. Taxis were cheap and readily available and while I like to try transit systems wherever I go, because of where I was staying it would often take almost as much time to use transit as it was to walk. To your point about pickpockets, in the three weeks I was there, I never felt that my safety was compromised and I only saw a few possible pick pockets. As long as I kept my phone and wallet secure on my person, in zippered pockets, I had nothing to fear.

I found the Market of San Miguel to be a bit over hyped. It was expensive and very crowded but still worth a visit. Another thing I really enjoyed in Madrid was the vermouth, so many varieties and in some of the tapas bars and taverns, the vermouth was drawn from a tapped cask. Overall, I loved Madrid and I look forward to returning. I took two day trips (Toledo and Segovia) which I also greatly enjoyed.

Spain Revealed is a GREAT channel for learning about Spain and the food!

Thanks Mark for another great video , going to Madrid and Valencia as part of a European trip in May . I’ve watched/listened too all your videos for any country I’m wanting to visit many times . Merry Christmas to you and the family !