We arrived in Madrid late on Saturday night, so we went to bed right away. We have been welcomed by the lovely staff of Living Mad Hostel. the common area in the hostel was crazy on Saturday night, a lot of young travellers chatting and connecting. Too bad the husband was sick, I would have loved to spend an hour downstairs and experience the “auberge espagnole” atmosphere.

We were a bit surprised by the style and the comfort of this hostel, we didn’t expect that (for a youth hostel). You can feel the Spanish generosity in the small details: eg. they offer a free “print your boarding pass” service, stylish postcards for free, maps, big bottles of shampoo and shower gel, hair dryers are available in the rooms, a water dispenser in the common areas… We really recommend this hostel if you are on a budget but still want a clean and comfortable hotel rooms in the center of the city, with a great social-friendly atmosphere especially if you are traveling alone. We loved the pop art, graffiti decor as well!

On Sunday, instead of starting with Historical visits, we wanted to experience the city like locals. Here are the things we did, of course there a lot of other options but I think this summarizes a typical Sunday in Madrid:

El Rastro Sunday flea market

The weekly market takes place along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera. It’s huge, and there is something for everyone in there. Hundreds of stalls are there with as various things as: second-hand clothes and furniture, bohemian hippie fashion, vinyls, home wear, jewelry, food, souvenirs, antique decor… I bought a dream catcher. Notice how happy I was to find it in the feature picture!

Brunch in San Miguel market

Or any other market, San Miguel is the most famous. This was my favorite thing so far, I have never seen something like this before! The market is beautiful. There was people everywhere it was so busy! Some were shopping, some were dining and others were sipping a glass of wine. You feel like everybody knows each other, people were chatting, eating and drinking right on the stall counters. There is even a lounge bar area … in a market!

Drinks in La Latina neighbourhood

Wherever you go in Madrid on a Sunday, you get the impression that all Madrid is out. Madrileños master the art of enjoying life, they love being out and eating out. We barely notice an empty restaurant in the city center, especially those with a terrace on a plaza. The most popular areas for a Sunday drinks are Barrio de La Latina and Plaza Dos Mayos in Malasaña district. We chose La Latina because it was more popular and authentic, and we were going to visit Malasaña the day after anyway.

Nap or picnic in the park

I loved that about Madrid! Even if it’s a big city, they didn’t compromise their green areas for buildings and highways. They even invested 9 billion Euros to replace a highway by a park. They built a tunnel to drive the urban-fabric-ripping highway underground. The park is called Madrid Rio, and was very busy on a Sunday. From joggers, to dog-walkers, picnic lovers, happy toddlers… and nappers like us! It’s called Rio after the river crossing the park.

Dinner in plaza Santa Ana

Plaza Ana is located in the bohemian artistic neighbourhood of Barrio de las Letras (letters neighbourhood). This was the neighbourhood where a lot of Spanish literature figures like Cervantes lived. There was a live jazz band playing in the plaza and a lot of restaurants, it was magical!

I hope you like the article, let me know how you like to spend your Sundays!

The stay was offered by Living Mad Hostel but all opinions are my own

Don’t miss this amazing destination!

Booking.com

Love,

Dalal

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