A local’s guide to Madrid: 15 unmissable haunts

Capturing the essence of La Movida Madrileña – a countercultural movement that emerged during Spain’s transition to democracy in 1975 – is as challenging as defining the buoyant creative scene shaping Madrid today. Both resist simple categorisation, united by an unyielding forward-looking spirit. The best way to experience the city’s modern-day zeitgeist is by exploring its next-generation galleries, bold hospitality ventures and disruptive cultural hubs. While the city is justly celebrated for its Beaux-Arts architecture, centuries-old art collections, and vibrant tapas culture, Madrid continues to reinvent itself. Here are 15 things to do to tap into the city’s newfound energy, just in time for those arriving for ARCO Madrid 2026 (taking place 4-8 March).

What to see and do in Madrid, Spain

Where to stay

Four Seasons Hotel Madrid

Four Seasons Hotel Madrid is located next to Puerta del Sol, the city’s geographic and symbolic centre. The 200-room palace opened as part of the elaborate Centro Canalejas project, which involved the transformation of seven historic buildings by Estudio Lamela. Over 3,700 original architectural elements were retained and woven into the new structure. A heavyweight roster, including BAMO, Martin Brudnizki, and AvroKO, rendered the interiors with panache, striking the perfect note between laid-back glamour and glitz. The food and beverage offering is equally layered: Dani García’s flagship restaurant, the sharper, Asian-leaning Isa, and El Patio, a lobby bar built around a sweeping, sculptural staircase. Below it all, a four-level spa – the largest in Madrid – emerges as a retreat within a retreat.

Four Seasons Hotel Madrid is located at C. de Sevilla, 3, Centro, 28014 Madrid, Spain

The Madrid Edition

The Madrid Edition marked a new chapter in the capital’s luxury hospitality scene – more outré and colourful, yet no less detail-driven. Its 200 rooms and suites, some with terraces, showcase the Edition brand’s unmistakable bold, contemporary style. Also present are vibrant food and beverage offerings, which include Oroya, the rooftop restaurant helmed by chef Diego Muñoz. Dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, raw textures, and refined finishes define the property’s visual language. Spearheading the design: founder Ian Schrager, minimalist maestro John Pawson, and Paris-based designer François Champsaur, whose combined genius brings fresh energy to the old heart of Madrid.

The Madrid Edition is located at Pl. de Celenque, 2, 28013 Madrid, Spain.

Where to eat and drink

Club 27 Bar

Nestled in the heart of the Palace Hotel, Club 27 is both an atmospheric haven and a slice of Madrid history. The bar is named after the Spanish movement Generación del 27, characterised by avant-garde forms of art and poetry. Original wood panelling – preserved under heritage protection – wraps the space, while illustrated walls chart a century of notable guests and late-night episodes. Hemingway drank here. So did García Lorca, Dalí and Buñuel. Order the dry martini if you’re a purist, or the La Violetera – a nod to Madrid’s violet sweets – for something more local.

Club 27 Bar is located at The Palace Madrid, Pl. de las Cortes, 7, Centro, 28014 Madrid, Spain

Fu.Ba

A portmanteau of ‘Future Bakery’, Fu.Ba caused quite a stir when it first opened its doors in Chamberí in 2025, attracting a mass of aesthetes drawn in by its minimal interiors and soothing organic forms. Designed by Barcelona-based studio Isern Serra (also behind Jaç Hi-Fi Café), this neighbourhood bakery has the gravitas of a sculptural installation: lime-washed walls, softened edges, and a monolithic steel table cutting through raw quarry stone. Chef Fabián León proposes classic bakery favourites reworked for a health-conscious audience, without compromising taste; a triple treat of no gluten, no additives and no refined sugars.

Fu.Ba is located at Calle de Sta Engracia, 112, Chamberí, 28003 Madrid, Spain

Gilda Haus

Madrid-based Codoo studio may have taken inspiration from Gianfranco Frattini, Nanda Vigo and other 1970s Italian design pioneers, but its interior for this Madrid cocktail bar is perhaps most distinctive for the metallic, high-gloss shade of pearl orange that floods its floor, walls and ceiling. Complemented by mirrored surfaces and touches of electric blue, the space is vivid, voluminous and seductive, its decoration celebrating functional urban design, from the office-style tube lighting to the stainless steel furniture, while carpeted floors and velvet curtains add a warmer touch. AR

Gilda Haus is located at C. de San Mateo, 6, 28004 Madrid, Spain.

Mo de Movimiento

Bringing a flavour of environmental consciousness to Madrid’s dining scene, the Lucas Muñoz-designed Mo de Movimiento focuses on adaptive reuse and sustainable energy. The upcycled interiors include lighting pieces recovered from junkyards and seating forged from rubble and wood reclaimed during the site’s renovation. A low-consumption temperature system uses water-filled terracotta pots to cool the air, while energy from the kitchen is reused for underfloor heating during colder months. AR

Mo de Movimiento is located at C. de Espronceda, 34, 28003 Madrid, Spain.

Restaurante Ferretería

As its name suggests, Restaurante Ferretería occupies the bones of a former hardware store – long-time neighbours might remember running errands here once upon a time. Local studio A-Cero redesigned the venue with the utmost respect for its past, repurposing most of the old inventory and antiques, including cabinets, counters, a cash drawer and memorabilia (old recipes, Spanish peseta banknotes, and photographs). While the upstairs area is perfect for a midday vermú, a formal dining room sits in the basement under former coal vaults. The result is a kooky, cocooning haunt where traditional cooking has global inflexions. Don’t miss the cecina de león (cured beef) croquette with a ‘snow’ of parmesan, or the confited suckling pig, served with chestnut purée and braised pineapple.

Restaurante Ferretería is located at C. de Atocha, 57, Centro, 28012 Madrid, Spain

SDD2

Experimental sharing plates are served in this startling environment that mixes the energy of a science lab and a slaughterhouse, with its white polythene counters, freezer-style lighting and multicoloured industrial boxes in the ceiling. Besides raw tuna jerky, aubergine with eel or cockles with seaweed, cuts of veal and Iberian pork go well with the display of meat hooks and butcher’s knives. The owners also recently opened Sala Cero – a severe, stainless steel dining space designed with Madrid-based studios Yyplusplus and Caliper. AR

SDD2 is located at CC. de la Virgen de los Peligros, 8, 28013 Madrid, Spain.

What to do

Albarrán Bourdais

Housed in a former Loewe atelier dating back to the 1920s, Albarrán Bourdais maximises the use of its high-ceilinged, multi-level, 600 sq m space to present cutting-edge contemporary exhibitions, with artists often invited to create site-specific installations or immersive experiences. Superflex, Héctor Zamora and Pedro Cabrita Reis have been exhibited over recent months, while a new solo show by Polish artist Angelika Markul – known for her large-scale installations that range from sculpture to video – is open until July 2025. AR

Albarrán Bourdais is located at C. del Barquillo &, C. de San Marcos, 28004 Madrid, Spain.

Cine Doré

Cine Doré is likely one of the most striking neighbourhood cinemas in the world, with residents of Atocha-Antón Martín fortunate to enjoy easy access. This Art Nouveau venue, which served as a set in Pedro Almodóvar’s Hable Con Ella (2002), was originally built in the early 20th century as a ‘socio-cultural’ hall. In 1922, Spanish architect Críspulo Moro Cabeza transformed it into a cinema. After a 26-year hiatus, it reopened in 1989 as the home for Filmoteca Española, the national film archive – since when it has played host to a variety of Spanish and international films in their original versions. Its original brick-orange façade, meanwhile, tells the story of resistance and renaissance of 20th-century Spain.

Cine Doré is located at C. de Sta. Isabel, 3, 28012 Madrid, Spain.

La Capsule spa at Brach Madrid

Found within the bustling arteries of Gran Vía, a moment of calm awaits at Brach Madrid hotel, the Evok Collection's second outpost after Paris. La Capsule spa is a soothing sanctuary that boasts a 20m indoor pool and cutting-edge treatments that marry holistic practices with advanced technologies, including a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, infrared sauna and LED photobiomodulation therapy. The 400 sq m space is a vision of gold and pure white by Philippe Starck.

La Capsule spa is located inside Brach Madrid, Gran Vía, 20, 28013 Madrid, Spain.

Solo Independencia

Expanding on the capital’s golden art mile (the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums), Solo Independencia takes a bold leap into contemporary art. Conceived as an ‘international art project’ by Spanish entrepreneurs Ana Gervás and David Cantolla, Solo is devoted to ‘fostering, supporting, and sharing today’s artwork.’ Its collection spans figurative painting, kinetic sculpture, sound art, new media, and AI creations, forming an otherworldly universe showcasing over 270 artists, including established names such as Ai Weiwei, Takashi Murakami, and Kaws, alongside rising talents like Filip Ćustić, Ana Barriga and Smack. The gallery’s futuristic yet versatile design is the vision of architect Juan Herreros. Also not to miss is Solo’s labyrinthine new art space (Solo CSV) in Cta. de San Vicente, where there’s more than meets the eye in every corner.

Solo Independecia is located at Pl. de la Independencia, 5, 28001 Madrid, Spain

The Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute

On Madrid’s outskirts, the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute is one of the country’s most significant works of contemporary architecture. Completed in the late 1960s by Fernando Higueras and Antonio Miró, the circular concrete structure is edged with jagged forms that give it its nickname, ‘The Crown of Thorns’. Protected as a cultural landmark, it houses Spain’s conservation and research facilities. Weekly guided visits offer the general public access inside.

The Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute is located at C. de Pintor el Greco, 4, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Where to shop

Galería Canalejas

Moments away from the emblematic Madrid de los Austrias (the city’s old quarter), Galería Canalejas rises within the same grand edifice as the Four Seasons Madrid, where we also recommend booking a stay if you are after unparalleled luxury. Once known as the Palacio de la Equitativa, the new shopping centre was brought to life by the Spanish firm Estudio Lamela, while the sophisticated interiors were created by Parisian studio Carbondale. Over 8,000 square meters of National Heritage façades and more than 16,000 historical artefacts, including art deco stained glass, intricate railings, marble accents, and ornate friezes, were preserved during the development. At its heart, a charming café pays tribute to the traditional kiosks of 19th and 20th-century Madrid. Meanwhile, three elegant floors showcase an array of upscale fashion, beauty and jewellery boutiques, including Hermès, Jil Sander, and Rolex.

Galería Canalejas is located at Pl. de Canalejas, 1, 28014 Madrid, Spain

Wow Concept Serrano

A department store but not as you know it – this multi-brand retail project aims to merge physical and digital experiences for a new generation of shoppers, with desirable, independent fashion and tech labels housed in a visually striking environment. Barcelona-based External Reference designed the original Wow on Gran Vía, while a second, seven-storey outlet in the swish Serrano neighbourhood is the work of Madrid’s Culdesac, who created sculptural shapes, ambient lighting, fluid spaces and modular furniture that allows for versatile displays.

Wow Concept Serrano is located at C. de Serrano, 52, 28001 Madrid, Spain