Madrid is a city that’s undergone significant changes in the past few years. Treasures such as the Prado, Sofia Reina and Thyssen-Bornemisza have become bigger and more impressive; the town centre is slowly being saturated with sleek new boutiques, cafés and gastrobars which open on a weekly basis; and grand boulevards are unravelling everywhere adding lashings of grandeur to the capital.
The reinvention has mainly been fuelled by the 2008 economic turmoil and the resulting willingness of Madrileneans to improve their homeland for the better. And for visitors this impressive metamorphosis has been a key reason to visit Madrid, regardless of the fact that it may not be as popular as its Spanish sibling Barcelona, or unpack its history à la Berlin.
For a city that's yet to be tainted by crowds, we'd suggest visiting this gem. GQ’s here to lend a hand…
How to get there
Flight options include EasyJet (Gatwick, Luton, Bristol, Edinburgh and Liverpool), Ryanair (Manchester, Stansted and Dublin), Iberia (Heathrow), British Airways (Heathrow), Air Europa (Gatwick) and Norwegian Air (Gatwick). Flights take approximately two hours.
Once you’ve landed in Madrid’s Barajas Airport, take a long walk through Terminal T2 and step on a metro straight to the city centre. A single ride on the metro or bus costs €1.50 for up to five stops. More than five stops cost up to €2.
Or for those less inclined towards air travel, you can take the Eurostar, jump on the TGV from Paris to Barcelona and then get on the AVE high-speed train to Madrid.
What to pack
If you’re jet-setting to Madrid in summer, make to sure to pack for scorching weather. In June the average temperature is 21C and can rise to 25C in the heat of August. Shorts, T-shirts and sunnies are therefore the way to go... Oh, and plenty of factor 30.
This carry-on suitcase is not only retro and stylish, but will also pack all your long weekend essentials.
By Reiss, £375. reiss.com
Founded in New York in 2008, Illesteva sunglasses combine classic designs and materials with modern details and colours. This is its signature Leonard style that comes in a range of colourful acetates – including the on-trend tortoiseshell pattern that gives these thick frames a vintage vibe. Nos gusta.
By Illesteva, £140. At matchesfashion.com
Donned by Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, this menswear essential is fuss-free, breathable and therefore ideal to keep you cool in the hot Spanish sun. And if it’s good enough for Bond, it’s good enough for you.
By Sunspel, £70. sunspel.com
Where to stay
It took Madrid's latest luxury hotel less than a year to swan into the "leading hotels of the world club". And it makes sense. The central five-star property, formerly a convent and the 19th-century palace of the Dukes of Ega and Villahermosa, is pretty flawless. Dripping in burnished gold detail, Velázquez reproductions (the hotel colour scheme is inspired by his palette) and dashes of red (including the staff's uniform), the former palace used to house art collectors and members of the Madrid intelligentsia in the 19th century. The lobby still retains the original grand staircase, which leads up to the hotel's 180 rooms and suites.
Be sure to book a Red Level room (the junior suites feature fantastic bathrooms with stand alone baths), allowing you "club" access to a private lounge serving unlimited food and drink throughout the day. A little bar area allows you to whip up your own Negroni or pour your own Ruinart champagne before taking your drinks out to the plush white sofas in the outside courtyard. Sandwiches, jamon and delicious little cakes are always available, and sometimes, a whole spread of huge cakes is laid out - from moist Pecan Pies to melting chocolate sponge.
While it may be tempting to gorge on freebies, leave ample appetite to try the three on-site restaurants. Montmartre, an informal space serving wonderful truffle ravioli and soft duck breast in plum sauce, is a quality lunch spot. Don Cielos, a Catalan-inspired restaurant in the former stables, is run by the michelin-starred Torres brothers who have a famous restaurant in Barcelona. You sense the star at their fingertips. The goat shoulder was excellent and makes you wonder why the meat isn't more of a menu staple. Their cocktails, too, are fabulous (and better than at Montmartre). Coroa, a bistro bar serving sandwiches, is also where breakfast is served every morning. The omelettes are to die for (try the onion, chorizo and mushroom), and the buffet satisfies quality and quantity both. You can always judge a hotel by its breakfast buffet, and this one tallies up with its five-star promise.
The hotel's best feature is, by far, its rooftop. Here on the seventh floor of the hotel (one floor above the Thai spa, where we recommend a full-body Thai massage with a super earnest masseuse) Madrid's sweaty bustle and buzz is put on pause, and guests feel like they might even be on the coast. A hot tub and a small pool glisten among the rooftops and cathedral spires, and a tiny little beach-style bar serves a range of gin and tonics, frozen Pina Coladas and alcoholic smoothie-style cocktails, brought straight to your canopied double sunbed. Or straight to the hot tub, if you're in it.
Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques can do no wrong. With charming staff that are ever so wonderfully aloof (i.e., not in your face), a prime location, food so good you don't need to leave the premises, free alcohol on tap and a pool to bathe off the day's sticky heat, this is a hotel that ticks every box twice over.
Cuesta Santo Domingo, 5, 28013 Madrid, +34 912 76 47 47, granmelia.grandluxuryhotels.com
Located in the quiet and chic Alonso Martínez area of Madrid is this elegant five-star boutique hotel. Opposite its entrance is the Barceló market complex, and next door is an art foundation that will soon open up, while the touristy hotspot of Puerta del Sol is only two metro rides away.
Despite its close proximity to the city centre, serenity spreads throughout the walls of the Urso. Architect Antonio Obrador has kept many of the original features of this 20th-century palatial building, including the mahogany lift, while the interior's cool golden-green colourway creates a relaxed vibe. To add to the hotel’s laid-back style, guests can relax in the Natura Bissé spa, take a plunge in the seven-metre-long hydromassage pool, or even have a quick lounge in the sauna – an ideal set up for those looking to detox after a night out in the city’s tapas bars.
The best part? The breakfast room. Set in a gargantuan first-floor conservatory, guests can sit on tan leather seats while surrounded by beautiful greenery and blazing Spanish sunlight. There’s no better place then here to kick-start a long day of shopping, dining and drinking.
Calle de Mejía Lequerica, 8, 28004 Madrid, Spain, +34 914 44 44 58. hotelurso.com
If you want to feel like Madrilenean royalty, then make sure to check-in at The Principal. A popular destination for the rich and famous, this beautiful early 20th-century building is located just off the Gran Via, making it within a walking distance of Madrid’s best attractions such as the Prado or Puerta del Sol.
Once you step foot inside The Principal doors, you may not want to leave. Featuring 76 rooms (some of which have balconies), six suites, avant-garde haute cuisines on offer by two Michelin star chef Ramon Freixa, a wellness suite and sauna, this luxury hotel has everything you’ll need to make your stay in Spain as comfortable as possible.
Beyond the facilities there’s a special vibe that exudes throughout the building. Whether that's because of the five-star service or the marble-clad public spaces that gives the hotel a members-only feel, we're not sure exactly - but we do know that when guests stay here they’ll be made to feel like they’re part of an elite pack in the city.
And for the best panoramic views of the region, make sure to enjoy a sangria (or five) up on the seventh-floor roof terrace at night.
Calle Marqués de Valdeiglesias, 1, 28004 Madrid, Spain, +34 915 21 87 43. theprincipalmadridhotel.com
Where to eat
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The waiting list at Muñoz's three Michelin-starred restaurant DiverXO is so long (one year) and so strict that recently even the Real Madrid football team couldn't get a table. While StreetXO prides itself on informality, DiverXO, which plays on the Spanish word diverso (meaning diverse), with the letters "XO" representing a Chinese twist, is very much for special occasions.
Diners are led one by one through the restaurant by a maître d' clad in tails with a red bow tie and black nail polish, before being seated at tables shrouded in thick, curtains decorated with smiling Cheshire cats. So explosive are the dishes that, for each course, a waiter (there are 30 for 30 covers) instructs you on the most appropriate manner of consumption, lest you should squirt a delicate dumpling bursting with egg yolk on to your white shirt by foolishly using your knife.
The menu, which includes up to eleven creative "canvases" for €165 around a particular theme each with several courses attached, takes hours to get through. Each course is a playful adventure, requiring diners to "find" a dumpling in a stack of wicker baskets, say, or to hold out their hand to accept the next course. It is everything a Michelin-starred restaurant should be, but without the stuffiness. Oh, and with the added bonus of flying pigs, which grow, in lurid pink, from every wall. "If you have been waiting one year to get into a restaurant, you feel nervous with stress and excitement," says Muñoz. "But when the first thing you see is a flying pig, then it means anything can happen." Eleanor Halls
23 Calle de Padre Damián, 28036 Madrid. 0034 915 70 07 66. diverxo.com
Chef Ramon Freixa – a Catalonian by birth – has been setting Madrid’s culinary agenda ever since opening his stylish two-Michelin-starred restaurant in 2009. And it's easy to see why given the gastronomic experience on offer here.
After both locating the restaurant on the ground floor of the luxurious Hotel Unico and receiving a warm greeting on arrival, you'll be taken through to the pristine dining area where Freixa awaits you before taking note of your preferences and dietary requirements and ushering you to your seat where you'll sit down and take in the impressive decor. Here, the table cloths are of a pearl-white colour, the waiters and waitresses are on the right side of chummy, and the interior is not only filled with grand furnishings but can host only 25 diners, making it feel as though you’re eating at an incredibly exclusive dinner party.
And the food is just as impressive as the service and decor. Although three menus are on offer, *GQ *suggests you go for the "Homage: Gran Frx" (25 courses), because that way you'll sample all of the restaurant’s finest offerings (it's just rude not to, right?).
Our highlights? The best of the hake head (a flaky, aromatic dish with green peas, cured yolk and green peppers “pil pil”), flamed roe venison dices (tender, succulent and mouth-wateringly good), and the “sweet moment” (a platter of diced jelly fruits that inject some colour into the monochromatic room).
Calle de Claudio Coello, 67, 28001 Madrid, Spain, +34 917 81 82 62. ramonfreixamadrid.com
Mexican food is almost universally loved for its hearty flavours, beautiful colours, and fuss-free nature. But despite this – and the strong historical links between Spain and Mexico – Spaniards barely eat spicy food and, until recently, cared little about it. That is until chef-owner Roberto Ruiz of one Michelin star restaurant Punto MX (the first Mexican restaurant in Europe with a star) decided to change all that by taking the food from his home country upmarket.
Opened in 2012, Ruiz's restaurant is a friendly, impeccable eatery that stays true to Mexican cooking; while guacamole is made table-side in the traditional molcajete (lava stone mortar) before being sprinkled with a handful of juicy pomegranate seeds, tacos are eaten the only way they should be (sans cutlery). And although Ruiz does well to stick to his roots, he somehow also manages to marry heritage with modernity beautifully, serving up some exquisitely-presented traditional dishes with refined flavours.
Star-quality aside, there’s also a humble ambience about Punto MX; the cutlery is simple and fuss-free, fingers get messy with dripping tortilla juice, and a tequila cart (yes, a tequila cart) is wheeled out for diners at the end of their meals - all of which will put you at ease.
With service that’s exquisite and food that sizzles with surprises, this is a must-visit in Madrid.
Calle del Gral. Pardiñas, 40, 28001 Madrid, Spain, +34 914 02 22 26. puntomx.es
Madrid isn’t all about Michelin star eateries. Only a 15-minute walk from URSO Hotel is Hortensio, a small, neighbourhood restaurant known for its moderately-priced, yet impressive, meals. Here foie gras is paired beautifully with rhubarb strips while the soufflé on offer will perhaps be one of the best spoon-sized desserts you’ll ever have.
Calle del Marqués del Riscal, 5, 28010 Madrid, +34 910 02 35 54. hortensio.es
Instagrammers unite, for this picturesque restaurant in the city centre seats its guests among flower and fauna to create the feeling as though you’re dining in a minute botanical garden. But although the interior is simple and minimalistic, the menu is extensive – but we’ve got the best picks for you: opt for the silky smooth avocado roll with salmon tartar, the moreish and crisp scampi, and the rich meatballs with mushroom sauce and truffle. And to experience a true, Madrilenean lunch experience we’d recommend visiting on Sunday midday as this is when families and couples come out in their masses to enjoy each other’s company and share wheel-sized plates of paella.
Plaza Sta. Ana, 14, 28012 Madrid, +34 917 01 60 13. encompaniadelobos.com
A small restaurant by day and a vibrant bar by night, "Tapas Circus" is a locals' favourite in the Malsaña district. The relaxed Mediterranean feel makes it the ideal spot for a quiet lunch and the daily menu that's scribbled on the front gives this place a homely, authentic touch. We'd suggest ordering two tortillas – because one of these carby delights just isn't enough.
Calle Corredera Baja de San Pablo, 21, 28004 Madrid, +34 911 88 60 14. circodelastapas.com
Where to drink
If a well-considered cocktail served inside a themed-bar is what you're looking for, then jump aboard The Passenger in Malsaña, as not only are delicious drinks concocted at rapid pace here, but the bar's long interior is made to replicate a train carriage, complete with screens that show a moving landscape on loop.
Calle del Pez, 16, 28004 Madrid, +34 911 69 49 76
What to do
As the main Spanish national art museum that's located in central Madrid, you won’t be forgiven if you were to miss out on seeing this treasure trove of delights. Dedicated to the works of Hieronymus Bosch, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian and Diego Velázquez, make it your priority to put aside a full day to peruse these masters in this beast of a building.
Paseo del Prado, s/n, 28014 Madrid, Spain. museodelprado.es
Based in a former 18th-century Madrid hospital, the Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofía – otherwise known as the Sofia Reina – is Spain's national museum of 20th-century art. Here, you'll take the glass elevator up to any one of four floors and explore a world of modern masterpieces by the likes of Francis Bason and Paul Klee – and although you may not be able to see everything in one outing, just don't leave without seeing Picasso's magnum opus, "The Guernica".
Calle de Santa Isabel, 52, 28012 Madrid, Spain. museoreinasofia.es
Whether a fan or not, a tour of this footballing cathedral should be near the top of your to-do list when visiting Madrid. Seeing the famous "La Undecima" haul or take a pew in the exact spot where Zidane and co sit every weekend is worth the visit alone. Hala Madrid!
Av. de Concha Espina, 1, 28036 Madrid. realmadrid.com
Where to Instagram
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