The 5 Best Places for Scenic Views of Madrid

I’m always looking for scenic views. Not only do they make great pics for Instagram, but there’s just something about seeing a place from a different perspective. Especially in a big city like Madrid, it’s hard to fully appreciate the sheer size of the city when you’re simply walking the streets. So, if you like good views like I do — and assuming you’re not afraid of heights — I’ve put together a list of the 5 best places for scenic views of Madrid.

1. Azotea del Círculo

Out of all the views of Madrid, I have to say this one is my favorite. Maybe because it’s a rooftop bar, so you get to tomar algo while admiring the scenery. Or maybe it’s because the Círculo de Bellas Artes building — while beautiful — isn’t an essential part of the Madrid skyline. So you get to enjoy seeing the Palacio de Cibeles, and get up-close-and-personal with the Metropolis building. To be fair, the drinks at the top are pricier than what you’d normally pay elsewhere in Madrid, but it’s a rooftop bar with an amazing view. You’re paying for the experience. Since I’m from the U.S., paying €5-€8 for a glass of wine was what I’d consider an average price at home, so it wasn’t too bad.

Also, there’s a €5 per person cover to get to the rooftop. But I’ve heard that if you make a reservation, the cover charge is waived.

Closest Metro: Banco de España (Line 2)

2. Palacio de Cibeles

A 5-minute walk from the Azotea del Círculo is the Palacio de Cibeles, one of Madrid‘s most recognizable icons. (Yeah, the fancy white building in the photo from above.) While it’s had many purposes over its 110-year history, these days the Palacio functions as Madrid’s city hall. Visitors can pay €2 for a 30-minute visit to the 8th floor. The benefit of the Palacio de Cibeles is that you can truly get a 360-degree view of the city, including a good look at the Puerta de Alcalá. However, in some ways, it’s like looking at Paris from inside the Eiffel Tower — you’re missing out on a key component of the city’s skyline.

Closest Metro: Banco de España (Line 2)

3. Faro de Moncloa

If you’ve checked out either of the other viewpoints already, you probably made note of this strange-looking building: the Faro de Moncloa. It’s tall and skinny with a seemingly-unbalanced observation deck jutting out to one side. But that observation deck is home to another one of Madrid’s best views. At a height of 301 feet, visitors will take the panoramic elevator to the top and pay a €3 admission charge.

Since the Faro de Moncloa is located on the far west side of the city, the viewpoint is different from the other ones I’ve mentioned, which are located more centrally. From here, you’ll get a better view of western Madrid and Casa de Campo.

Closest Metro: Moncloa (Line 3, Line 6)

4. Teleférico from Casa de Campo

You might already know about the famous Parque del Retiro, but Madrid is home to another park. And this park is HUGE, much bigger than the Retiro. It’s called Casa de Campo and is located on the west side of the city. However, most tourists don’t venture over to visit this park. Besides the zoo and an amusement park, Casa de Campo has at least one more point of interest for tourists: the Teleférico, or cable cars.

The cable cars run between the Argüelles neighborhood and a specific point in the park. It costs €6 round-trip, or €4.50 one-way. To be fair, the view leaving the city going towards the park isn’t much to write home about; it’s the view coming back to Argüelles that gives the teleférico a spot on my list. When Matt and I went, we only took it one way — from the park to the city. We took several buses and walked quite a while in the park before we were able to find the departure point. So I’d recommend just doing it round-trip to save yourself the hassle, especially since it only costs €1.50 more. Anyway, you’ll get a really nice view of Madrid’s west side: the Catedral de la Almudena and the Palacio Real de Madrid.

Closest Metro: Argüelles (Line 3, Line 4, Line 6)

5. El Corte Inglés Gourmet Experience (Callao)

El Corte Inglés is a Spanish department store that seems to have literally everything. (Yeah, I’ve even been inside one that had its own post office.) While you’ll find them all over the city, its suburbs, and Spain as a whole, in this case I’m talking about one particular location — the one at Plaza del Callao. Up on the 9th floor is an indoor food hall and outdoor terrace called the Gourmet Experience. One of the best parts about this place is that it’s free to go up! But good luck being in the presence of all this delicious food and gourmet grocery products without spending any money. 🙂

Closest Metro: Callao (Line 3, Line 5)

 

So, these are all the best places to get great views of Madrid – unless you’re able to get up into one of the Cuatro Torres. (Which I did sneak into the hotel building once, but the only place I could go was the 30th floor and look out the bathroom window. But that’s a story for another day.)

What are your favorite views of Madrid? Let me know in the comments!

-Cathy

Originally Published on December 11, 2019.