Madrid Stories: A Blog by a Local

The EU's new biometric Entry/Exit System is live at Madrid-Barajas and can slow down passport control. Who it affects (and who it doesn't), how much time to allow and the latest on ETIAS.

Campaign from 13 to 27 November, day of reflection on the 28th and polling day on the 29th: what changes (and what doesn't) for visitors to Madrid.

Madrid's Royal Palace can close at short notice for state events. Here are the fixed closing days, where to check official notices, when the Changing of the Guard takes place and what to do nearby instead.

Metro Line 10 is still closed between Nuevos Ministerios and Cuzco, and Santiago Bernabéu station won't reopen until 2027. Here's how to reach the stadium for a tour or a match, plus the other Metro closures worth knowing about.

Renfe train drivers strike on 10 and 12 November, Ouigo's strike is called off and there's a general strike in between: strike times, minimum services, your rights and alternatives for Toledo, Segovia, El Escorial and the AVE.

On Wednesday 11 November 2026 there is a 24-hour general strike across Spain. Here's what could happen to the Metro, trains and flights, what your rights are and how to plan your day in Madrid.

Smoked botillo, cecina de León and Mencía wine: discover Madrid's hidden corner of El Bierzo in the Barrio de las Letras, no high-speed train required.

Five weeks of a housing protest camp in Puerta del Sol: origins, sanitation issues, and how the square returned to normal.

Madrid's Best Nativity Scenes: A Historic Walking Route to the Belenes Few Christmas traditions have survived the centuries as stubbornly as the nativity scene, known in Spain as the belén. While half of Madrid queues for the Gran Vía lights, another part of the city is quietly walking through churches, palaces and municipal halls, looking for clay figurines, miniature shepherds and nativity sets that have been staged, in some form, for hundreds of years. This route is built

Photo: Alev Takil / Unsplash When the sun goes down and the temperature drops below ten degrees, Madrid changes completely. Terraces empty out a little earlier, but the streets of the city centre fill with something you won't find at any other time of year: millions of LED bulbs turning Gran Vía, Puerta del Sol and the Puerta de Alcalá into a free spectacle you can enjoy just by walking around, with no queues and no tickets. This guide gathers everything you actually need to

Everything you need to know about tipping in Spain: what the law says, what Spaniards actually do, and how much to leave in every situation, from bars to free walking tours.

A walking route through Madrid's Barrio de las Letras: golden pavement quotes, the Cervantes-Lope rivalry, the Lope de Vega House Museum, and Golden Age taverns.

What sgraffito is, and why Segovia made it its own It isn't paint. It isn't tile. It isn't even carved stone. Sgraffito (esgrafiado in Spanish) is plasterwork: two layers of lime-and-sand mortar in different colors, applied one on top of the other, which a craftsman then scratches away following a template so the color underneath shows through. The result looks almost embroidered onto the wall, but it's pure texture, no pigment involved. The technique traces back to Roman pla

Beyond the taverns and food markets, less than an hour from Madrid lies a world of artisan cheese: Colmenar Viejo, Vega de San Martín, and the Campiña plains. Here's where to taste it all without leaving the city.

A real tapas route through Lavapiés: Madrid's oldest tavern, a century-old food market, and the flavors of Senegal and Bangladesh, all within one square kilometer.

On May 8, 1561, a king decided a town of barely 15,000 people would become the center of his empire. Here's how Madrid became Spain's capital — and how its courtiers actually ate.

The legend of the Arab wall, the official 2026 program, the Corona de la Almudena pastry, and a tapas route through old Madrid.

Dates, hours, and what to see at the 2026 Day of the Dead altar at Casa de México in Madrid, plus the best Mexican tacos and antojitos nearby.

Verified bars and restaurants, the gluten-free guarantee system, and the key vocabulary for tapas-hopping in Madrid without worry.