Madrid in the rain

However unlikely, you might happen to wake up to a rainy Madrid during a visit. Look on the bright side, there’s plenty on offer indoors! Here are ten plans to keep visitors busy on a stormy day; tick the whole list or take a rain check!

Casa de Diego

Before you start your stroll around drizzly Madrid, get hold of a good umbrella. If it just so happens that you haven’t brought one with you, why don’t you take the chance to buy one in one of the oldest shops in the capital? Casa de Diego, on Puerta del Sol, have been selling fine umbrellas since 1858, as well as parasols, shawls, fans, castanets, ornamental combs and walking canes, all locally manufactured at their factory on Mesonero Romanos. With a long-lasting umbrella with you, whenever it rains you’ll remember your visit to Madrid.

La Plaza Mayor

Rain is no excuse to skip a visit to the Plaza Mayor. In fact, it’s is a good place to walk around while watching the cloud burst. The arcades that frame the square are loaded with possibilities to keep you busy while you’re literally under the weather. The square is home to some of the most traditional taverns and bars in town, where a battered squid sandwich is a must. While you enjoy one why not visit some long-established shops, where you can find any collectionist stamp, coin or medal you might ever need, as well as the best assortment of souvenirs. You’ll definitely find something here to take home to your friends and family. What is more, the Casa de la Panaderia, the most emblematic building in the square, houses a tourist information office and some of the most interesting exhibitions in the city.

Mercado de San Miguel – San Miguel Market

A stone’s throw from the central square, you’ll find one of Madrid’s newest neighbors. Built in 1916, this market is the finest example of cast-iron architecture in the city. Today it is a temple to gastronomy, home to 33 stalls selling mouth-watering products and select ingredients, offering food to take home or to consume right there on the premises. Come sundown, the elegant establishment turns into a popular stop for drinks and tapas with friends.

Tropical garden in Atocha train station

There’s a spot in Madrid you can enjoy whatever the weather outside, where the temperature and humidity are truly Caribbean. It’s Atocha station’s hothouse, with 4,000 square meters of tropical gardens accommodating over 250 plant species, as well as ponds dwelled by turtles and tropical fish. You can always drop by the garden, where the temperature is always pleasant, and enjoy the atmosphere of a train station where, as well as travelling to the tropics without having to buy a ticket, you can have a drink, walk around, do some shopping or simply relax while watching the world go by.

Tour of the Bernabeu Stadium

If you like football, visiting the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is probably on your list of city sights, and as you won’t get wet, it’s the perfect visit for a rainy day. Thanks to the organized tour for Real Madrid fans, you’ll feel like a star, sitting on the bench, visiting the changing rooms where players get motivated before the match and later celebrate their victories, walking through the tunnel that leads to the pitch or stepping on the grass that has hosted such important events. The trophy room, the Champions Cup display, the basketball team area and the team’s official shop round up the unmissable tour. Paseo de la Castellana.

Madrid’s museums

It’s easy to see art in Madrid. Wherever you go, there are endless possibilities to contemplate art in all its forms. However, one spot stands out above the rest, a golden triangle with the most important museums in the capital at each angle: the Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofia. You can’t leave the city without visiting them; the perfect plan for a rainy day. Once inside, masterpieces by Velazquez, Goya, Zurbaran, Tiziano, Renoir, Matisse, Dali, Miro or Picasso will make you forget about the weather outside.

Wax Museum

If you’re up for a different kind of art, the Wax Museum is a safe bet for a good time, and it’s perfect if you’re travelling with kids. You can access the building without having to walk out of the Metro, and you’ll be surrounded by hundreds of characters in what is definitely a different way of approaching history. The greatest figures in politics, art, sport, show business, science and literature will guide you along this fantastic route through time. Thanks to the wax figures, you’ll be able to re-live some prominent moments in history, walk into great works of art or feel terrified by some of the most blood-curdling characters of all times.

La Pecera cafe at the Fine Arts Circle

If you want to enjoy Madrid and relax at the same time, why not drop by the Circulo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Circle) and sit down at the ground-level cafe, where you can watch the world run past under the rain through its enormous windows. The large columns, the three frescoes by Jose Ramon Zaragoza on the ceiling and a sculpture of a woman lying down remind us that we are in one of the city’s most interesting cultural centers. As well as having a coffee, you can also take advantage of some attractive activities and exhibitions programmed by the most artistic and intellectual side of Madrid.

Taquilla ultimo minuto

Theatre is always a good option, and even more so if you can go for half the price. It might not have been on your schedule, but if you’re in the center and it starts to rain, you can go to the Last minute box office, at the Plaza del Carmen, and get a bargain ticket for one of the theatre plays in the capital, even just a few minutes before the show begins. There are tickets with up to 50% discount for theatres like the Albeniz, the Alcazar, the Infanta Isabel or the Gran Via as well as another 30 venues.

Centro Comercial Principe Pio

If you don’t know what to do but you do know that you don’t want to get wet, you can visit one of Madrid’s many shopping centers. The one in Principe Pio is in the city center, and you don’t even have to walk out of the Metro to get there. The former Estacion del Norte (Northern Station) underwent remodeling works to house the shopping center within its structure, and the building itself is surrounded by lots of interesting places that you can visit if the weather clears up. The Campo del Moro Park, the Royal Palace; the Almudena Cathedral; Plaza de Espana; the chapel of San Antonio de la Florida; the building that houses the Senate, or the Temple of Debod are just a stone’s throw away. Should it keep relentlessly raining, you can always have a coffee or a meal in one of the mall’s many restaurants, do some shopping or watch a film on one of its cinema’s nine screens.