Hidden gems in Madrid

A quiet 18th-century palace garden with a fountain and shady benches, hidden behind the Plaza de la Paja.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:30 (Oct–Feb), 10:00–22:00 (Mar–Sep)
• 💡 Tip: Enter from the Plaza de la Paja side; a good pause between the Royal Palace and Cava Baja.
• 📍 Address: Plaza de la Paja 6, 28005 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near La Latina & Cava Baja: 🚶 0.3 km · 4 min walk

A little-known Renaissance chapel with a richly carved altarpiece and a Plateresque tomb, next to San Andrés church.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Wed 11:00–14:00 (free visit)
• 💡 Tip: Only open to visit on Wednesday mornings, so plan the La Latina walk for a Wednesday.
• 📍 Address: Plaza de la Paja 1, 28005 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Basilica of San Francisco el Grande: 🚶 0.3 km · 4 min walk

A 17th-century royal convent with a hall of royal portraits and the relic of San Pantaleón, whose blood is said to liquefy.

• 🎟️ Price: €9
• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sat 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–18:30, Sun and holidays 10:00–15:00; free Wed and Thu 16:00–18:30
• 💡 Tip: Free on Wednesday and Thursday 16:00–18:30 (last entry 17:30); the visit is by guided tour.
• 📍 Address: Plaza de la Encarnación 1, 28013 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Plaza de Oriente: 🚶 0.4 km · 4 min walk

A romantic 18th-century landscape garden of the Duchess of Osuna, with a maze, a lake and a hidden bunker.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Sat, Sun and holidays 09:00–18:30 (Oct–Mar)
• 💡 Tip: Weekends and holidays only; metro Alameda de Osuna (L5) is 10 minutes away. The park is far from the centre: a half-day trip.
• 📍 Address: Paseo de la Alameda de Osuna 25, 28042 Madrid
• MapWebsite

A free museum of coins, banknotes and gold bars from the Royal Mint, with a huge numismatic collection.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Fri 10:00–20:00, Sat–Sun and holidays 10:00–14:15; closed Mon, 1 and 6 Jan, 1 May, 24, 25 and 31 Dec
• 💡 Tip: Bring your passport or ID card: entry is free but they ask to see it.
• 📍 Address: Calle del Doctor Esquerdo 36, 28028 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Retiro Park (lake, Crystal Palace): 🚶 1.3 km · 16 min walk

A rare 16th-century house with seven chimneys and a ghost legend, now a ministry: you look from the square.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Outside only, always
• 💡 Tip: Count the chimneys from Plaza del Rey; Chueca is a short walk away.
• 📍 Address: Plaza del Rey 1, 28004 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Mercado de San Antón: 🚶 0.2 km · 2 min walk

A row of old wooden book stalls on a slope beside the Botanical Garden, a century-old Madrid tradition.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Daily 09:30–13:30 and 16:30–19:00
• 💡 Tip: Each stall sets its own hours; the tourist-office kiosk is stall 1. Good with the Botanical Garden and the Prado.
• 📍 Address: Calle de Claudio Moyano s/n, 28014 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Royal Botanical Garden: 🚶 0.2 km · 3 min walk

The convent church where the remains of Cervantes were laid to rest in 2015, in the Barrio de las Letras.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Church opens 30 min before mass (Mon–Fri 08:30, Sat 19:30, Sun 12:00)
• 💡 Tip: Plan around the mass times; it is an active convent, so be quiet and respectful.
• 📍 Address: Calle de Lope de Vega 18, 28014 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Barrio de las Letras (Huertas): 🚶 0.4 km · 5 min walk

The Duke of Alba's private palace, full of Goya, Velázquez and Titian, which you can visit only with a ticket.

• 🎟️ Price: From €15
• 🕗 Hours: Mon 10:00–12:45, Tue–Sun 10:00–12:45 and 16:00–18:00 (last entry)
• 💡 Tip: Book online in advance; there is a free Monday 10:00 session through the city council (tickets released online the Monday before).
• 📍 Address: Calle de la Princesa 20, 28008 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Cerralbo Museum: 🚶 0.4 km · 5 min walk

A free symmetrical garden of hedges and fountains right below the Royal Palace, with a view of its north façade.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Open daily (no fixed hours published); closed in strong wind
• 💡 Tip: Best at the end of the day when the palace glows; no dogs allowed in the lower gardens.
• 📍 Address: Calle de Bailén 2, 28013 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Plaza de Oriente: 🚶 0.2 km · 3 min walk