We were so excited to welcome our dear friends, the Wesley family, who visited Madrid and Spain for the first time this week. I’m going to share my itinerary to help guide you if you’re also planning a visit to Madrid and how to spend that time with your friends.

Day one: A Slower Pace for Jetlag

As they settled into a new schedule and time zone, we planned a very simple first day. We met them at T4 International airport and got them settled into the Bob W Atocha, a great rental in the heart of the action and near the main train station in Madrid. We also made sure that they had a meal when arriving, anywhere close to where they’d be staying, so they could then settle in for the night early.

Day two: Retiro Park, Flavia and Txango Tours

We hit the ground running for day two in Madrid and started with a long walk in Retiro Park – perfect for a hot day because it’s majorly shaded. If you’re visiting in warm weather, it was so fun to do the rowboats – priced moderately at 6€ per boat for 45 minutes! We then walked to our favorite restaurant in Madrid that we go to for special occasions: Flavia, grabbing some sweets at Bombonería La Pajarit. After, the girls and I headed on a sidecar tour with Txango Tours through the streets of Madrid. We then walked our friends to Museo del Prado, which is free for entry from 18:00 on.

Day three: A Day trip to Toledo

We took the train into Toledo to experience a small town outside of city center and it was such a fun idea! Showing them all of the beautiful calles, cathedral and sights in Toledo was a favorite. It cost only about 200€ for 8 people to take the train to Toledo from Atocha Madrid, so I highly recommend leaving Madrid centro and exploring Toledo if possible.

Day four: Devour Food tour, Walking around Sol, and a Flamenco Show

Our favorite group tour is always a Devour Food tour specifically the Ultimate Spanish Cuisine Food tour. Our friends loved the various stops we made at the different restaurants and markets throughout Madrid. These tours are always good for kids! We then spent time walking around Sol, which the girls were so impressed by similarly to the streets of New York City. We ended the day with a flamenco show with Teatro Flamenco Madrid, a well-done one-hour flamenco show great for kids and adults. Our friends then toured the outside of the Royal Palace.

Day five: A Day trip to Segovia

Our friends loved exploring Toledo so much that we decided to also take a day trip into Segovia. The girls were so impressed by the alcazar and the catherdral there but the Frozen-inspired alcazar really blew them away! Segovia is a great place to sit for a slow Spanish meal and enjoy some vendor shopping. While you can take the train from Chamartín, we decided to rent a second car so we could drive to Segovia, about a 1-hour drive from Madrid.

Day six: Tres Cantos, our local Home

Our family lives in Nuevo Tres Cantos, a thirty-minute train ride outside of city center Madrid in the suburbs. We spent the last day showing our friends what our daily life really looks like: church in Colmenar Viejo, attending and serving at a local school and enjoying our life immersed fully here. It was the most special day!

We are sad to say “hasta luego” to our friends but are excited for the next time we’ll be together.