La Capital del Oso y el Madroño
MADRID
THIS IS A COMPLETE TRAVEL GUIDE ON THE CITY
through the scale of its boulevards, the gravity of its museums, the way the city eats dinner at eleven and means it. This is a capital built on confidence, shaped by centuries of court intrigue, artistic ambition, and a refusal to be provincial.
STAY
Mandarin Oriental Ritz
Set on Plaza de la Lealtad, facing the Prado and steps from El Retiro, Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid is less a hotel and more an institution — a Belle Époque palace that has hosted the city's cultural life since King Alfonso XIII opened its doors in 1910. The 100 rooms and 53 suites carry a classic-contemporary design by Parisian house Gilles & Boissier, with several turret suites overlooking the Prado and Lealtad Square. Dining is overseen by chef Quique Dacosta across five restaurants and bars — led by Deessa, his two-Michelin-starred dining room, with Palm Court's glass-canopied hall serving all-day dining and afternoon tea, and the Ritz Garden offering al fresco service beneath the trees. For those who want Madrid's Golden Triangle of Art at their doorstep without sacrificing substance, this is the address.
Plaza de la Lealtad, 5, Retiro, 28014 Madrid, Spain
The Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Madrid
Facing the Neptuno Fountain in Madrid's UNESCO-listed Landscape of Light, The Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Madrid is less a hotel and more a witness to history — commissioned by King Alfonso XIII and opened in 1912, occupying the former Palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli. The 470 rooms and suites, redesigned by Lázaro Rosa-Violán, reflect Madrid's Belle Époque heritage through bespoke furnishings and curated artwork, many overlooking the fountain or the Spanish Parliament. Dining centres on La Cúpula, set beneath the hotel's historic stained-glass dome, and the exclusive 27 Club, the bar made famous by Ernest Hemingway in The Sun Also Rises. For those who want Madrid's Golden Triangle of Art at their doorstep, wrapped in a century of history, this is the address.
Plaza de las Cortes, 7, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Tótem Madrid Hotel
Tucked into the corner of Lagasca and Hermosilla in Barrio Salamanca, Tótem Madrid is less a hotel and more a private members' club that happens to take guests. Infused with the spirit of new Madrid, it feels like stepping inside an exclusive enclave, with marble floors, brass accents and a carefully restored 19th-century staircase setting the tone. The rooms — Double, Deluxe Exterior, and Penthouse Junior Suites with skyline views through their skylights — sit minutes from Madrid's Golden Mile, where Serrano, Ortega y Gasset and Velázquez form the city's fashion axis. Dining and cocktails run through Hermosos y Malditos, the in-house restaurant named for Fitzgerald, where dinner gives way to a crowd that knows exactly why it's there. For those who want Madrid's most fashionable address without the noise of a grand hotel, this is the one.
Calle de Hermosilla / Calle de Lagasca, Salamanca, 28001 Madrid, Spain
Four Seasons Hotel
Spread across seven historic buildings between Puerta del Sol and Barrio de las Letras, Four Seasons Hotel Madrid is less a hotel and more a quarter of the city reimagined. The oldest of its buildings dates back to 1887, and throughout the property guests will find more than 3,700 original artefacts — intricate stone floors, fireplaces and brass door pulls. The 200 rooms and suites are spacious, with many opening onto balconies or private terraces overlooking Calle de Alcalá and Calle de Sevilla. Dining is led by Dani, the rooftop restaurant from three-Michelin-starred chef Dani García, with Isa serving modern Asian street food and an award-winning cocktail bar, and El Patio occupying what was once the operations courtyard of the Banco Español de Crédito. For those who want Madrid's centre at their feet and the city's newest luxury shopping, Galería Canalejas, on the ground floor, this is the address.
Calle de Sevilla, 3, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Monogram Sunglasses, Sriped boxy short sleeve shirt and our striped shorts.
WHAT TO PACK
EAT
C. del Pinar, 15, 28006 Madrid, Spain
In Chamartín, close to the Bernabéu, A'Barra is restraint executed at the highest level. The 700-square-metre dining room, refurbished from the former El Bodegón, opens onto large windows overlooking the garden, with fine wood, a spacious layout and cutting-edge design setting the tone throughout. A round marble cocktail bar offers signature cocktails and Joselito Vintage Iberian ham in a more informal setting, while the dining room itself, built around premium ingredients like Joselito Iberian pork and seasonal vegetables from La Catedral de Navarra, holds a Michelin star under chef Sergio Manzano. The cellar carries more than 950 references across 8,000 bottles. This is Madrid dining at its most considered, quiet confidence, exceptional product and nothing performed.
C. de Jorge Juan, 20, 28001 Madrid, Spain
Amazónico turns dinner into an expedition. Hanging palm trees, lush jungle prints and a circular sushi bar covered in exotic fruit and luminous peacocks, a space designed by Lázaro Rosa-Violán to recreate an authentic trip through the Amazon — set the scene for a kitchen led by chef Sandro Silva. The menu follows the route of the Amazon itself, from Brazil to Nikkei and onward to Argentina, India and China, served as sharing plates beneath the greenery. Below, the Jungle Jazz Club brings live music every night of the week. This is Madrid at its most theatrical, dinner first, then a night that rarely ends early.
C. de Argumosa, 43, 28012 Madrid, Spain
NuBel takes its name and spirit from the building's architect, a "plaza," a place to gather around, conceived as a garden of clouds. Designed by Paula Rosales of More-Co, the space is built around granite flooring and a striking bright red ceiling, with furniture, lighting and rugs designed in-house, organised around the circle as a focal point, a sensual, functional, emotional space that holds up to 120 diners. The kitchen serves market cuisine built on seasonal product, while the Nouvel courtyard terrace and lounge carry the night forward with DJ sessions through the weekend. Art, architecture and dinner, in the same room.
C. de Regueros, 13, Chueca, 28004 Madrid, Spain
In Chueca, Casa Neutrale is a café built by people who think about clothes the way they think about coffee — founded by Nacho Aragón, Jaime Gil and Rodrigo Fernández, the same trio behind the Neutrale fashion label, a brand built on slow living and Mediterranean-inspired, sustainably crafted design. The 65-square-metre space, designed by local studio estudio DIIR, carries an understated aesthetic anchored by a striking neutral palette — true to the name. The Mediterranean lifestyle runs through the menu too, built on local products with a clear, authentic point of view. This is a café for people who notice the design of the room as much as what's on the table — slow mornings, considered in every detail.
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