Fiestas are coming to town! And they bring the perfect excuse to decorate the streets and celebrate with family and friends. Christmas is here, and we’ll tell you the best options for make the most of your winter time in Madrid.
Daily exhibitions
Let there be light!
From November 24th till January 6th the city’s streets, buildings and squares will twinkle with colorful lights all around the city.
Oh Christmas tree! ♪ ♫
Christmas trees will stand tall in Puerta del Sol, Plaza San Juan de la Cruz and Plaza España, Red de San Luis (Gran Vía-Montera), Calle Fuencarral, Plaza de Callao and Plaza de Colón (Calle Génova). Take a wide-angle camera, they are big enough!
Christmas Markets
It wouldn’t be Christmas without the markets! And the historic Plaza Mayor is the perfect spot for the oldest Christmas market in Madrid, which has been celebrated for around 100 years. But, this isn’t the only one, you will find a lot more throughout the city, selling traditional food, artisan products and Christmas crafts! Some of the bigger markets worth noting are: Feria-Mercado de Artesanía (@ Plaza de Espana), Navidad en Oriente (@ Plaza Opera), Medieval Christmas Market (@ Plaza Jacinto Benavente) the Ice Rink, craft shop and the Christmas Tree and children’s show (@ Plaza Callao).
Time for lunch!
It’s cold out there, so please yourself with a steamy cup of thick hot chocolate with crispy churros. There are many spots in Madrid where you can have this typical delicacy, but near our hotel is the famous Churrería San Ginés, a real institution in this field, open since 1894 and 24 hours 7 days a week, perfect to warm you on a chilly Christmas day (or night)
On the other hand, if you want something salty, head to Mercado San Miguel a step away from our tourist apartments. The recently restored wrought iron structure houses a food and wine paradise. There are bakeries, cafes, and fruit and fish stands.
Cortylandia
This is probably a very freaky recommendation but the kids will love it! El Corte Inglés on calle Preciados installs every year a huge Christmas animated display. All the info here.
We can do these things during all the Christmas, but now, let’s schedule our agenda…
December 21st – Procession of Light
To commemorate winter solstice, the Madrid Río Park will host a magical event: the Procession of Light.
December 31st – New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve in Puerta del Sol, where madrileños and tourist gather for the countdown where you should try to eat all 12 grapes before the clock stops ringing! If you do, you’ll have good luck for the following year! Then you can pop your champaign, cheers with your friends and even the strangers around you and welcome in the new year! Let’s celebrate!
January 5th – Christmas Parade
We have the best Christmas Parade, our well known Cabalgata (the Three Kings Parade) the entire city gathers in the streets to receive the Three Kings on their journey through the city throwing sweets into the crowd! The parade begins at 18:00 in Nuevos Ministerios.
January 6th – Christmas Concert
And last, but not least, we can’t forget the special Christmas concert in Teatro Real. This year we propose you a unique show: “Música de Cine: Homenaje a John Williams” an extraordinary orchestra concert with the best themes of the films where John Williams proudly produced the music (Indiana Jones, ET, Schindler list, Star Wars, and many more) with movie clips and live performances.
The perfect gift for this Christmas! And remember to save on your stays on our vacational apartments during the concert with the code WILLIAMS18 see more on our promotions page.
