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Madrid in the rain

However unlikely, you might happen to wake up to a rainy Madrid during your visit. Look on the bright side, there's plenty on offer indoors! Here are ten plans to keep you busy on a stormy day; tick the whole list or take a rain check!

Casa de Diego

Before you start your stroll around drizzly Madrid, get hold of a good umbrella. If it just so happens that you haven't brought one with you, why don't you take the chance to buy one in one of the oldest shops in the capital? Casa de Diego, on Puerta del Sol,  have been selling fine umbrellas since 1858, as well as parasols, shawls, fans, castanets, ornamental combs and walking canes, all locally manufactured at their factory on Mesonero Romanos. With a long-lasting umbrella with you, whenever it rains you'll remember your visit to Madrid.

La Plaza Mayor

Rain is no excuse to skip a visit to the Plaza Mayor. In fact, it's is a good place to walk around whilst  watching the cloudburst. The arcades that frame the square are loaded with possibilities to keep you busy while you're literally under the weather. The square is home to some of the most traditional taverns and bars in town, where a battered squid sandwich is a must. While you enjoy one why not visit some long-established shops, where you can find any collectionist stamp, coin or medal you might ever need, as well as the best assortment of souvenirs. You'll definitely find something here to take home to your friends and family. What is more, the Casa de la Panadería, the most emblematic building in the square, houses a tourist information office and some of the most interesting exhibitions in the city. 

San Miguel Market

A stone's throw from the central square, you'll find one of Madrid's newest neighbours. Built in 1916, this market is the finest example of cast-iron architecture in the city. Today it is a temple to gastronomy, home to 33 stalls selling mouth-watering products and select ingredients, offering food to take home or to consume right there on the premises. Come sundown, the elegante establishment turns into a popular stop for drinks and tapas with friends.

Tropical garden in Atocha train station

There's a spot in Madrid you can enjoy whatever the weather outside, where the temperature and humidity are truly Caribbean. It's Atocha station's hothouse, with 4,000 square metres of tropical gardens accommodating over 250 plant species, as well as ponds dwelled by turtles and tropical fish. You can always drop by the garden, where the temperature is always pleasant, and enjoy the atmosphere of a train station where, as well as travelling to the tropics without having to buy a ticket, you can have a drink, walk around, do some shopping or simply relax whilst watching the world go by.

Tour of the Bernabéu Stadium

If you like football, visiting the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is probably on your list of city sights, and as you won't get wet, it's the perfect visit for a rainy day. Thanks to the organised tour for Real Madrid fans, you'll feel like a star, sitting on the bench, visiting the changing rooms where players get motivated before the match and later celebrate their victories, walking through the tunnel that leads to the pitch or stepping on the grass that has hosted such important events. The trophy room, the Champions Cup display, the basketball team area and the team's official shop round up the unmissable tour. Paseo de la Castellana. Tel number: (+34) 902 31 17 09.

Madrid's museums 

It's easy to see art in Madrid. Wherever you go, there are endless possibilities to contemplate art in all its forms. However, one spot stands out above the rest, a golden triangle with the most important museums in the capital at each angle: the Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía. You can't leave the city without visiting them; the perfect plan for a rainy day. Once inside, masterpieces by Velázquez, Goya, Zurbarán, Tiziano, Renoir, Matisse, Dalí, Miró or Picasso will make you forget about the weather outside.

Wax Museum

If you're up for a different kind of art, the Wax Museum is a safe bet for a good time, and it's perfect if you're travelling with kids. You can access the building without having to walk out of the Metro, and you'll be surrounded by hundreds of characters in what is definitely a different way of approaching history. The greatest figures in politics, art, sport, show business, science and literature will guide you along this fantastic route through time. Thanks to the wax figures, you'll be able to re-live some prominent moments in history, walk into great works of art or feel terrified by some of the most blood-curdling characters of all times.

La Pecera café at the Fine Arts Circle

If you want to enjoy Madrid and relax at the same time, why not drop by the Círculo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Circle) and sit down at the ground-level café, where you can watch the world run past under the rain through its enormous windows. The large columns, the three frescoes by José Ramón Zaragoza on the ceiling and a sculpture of a woman lying down remind us that we are in one of the city's most interesting cultural centres. As well as having a coffee, you can also take advantage of some attractive activities and exhibitions programmed by the most artistic and intellectual side of Madrid.

Taquilla último minuto

Theatre is always a good option, and even more so if you can go for half the price. It might not have been on your schedule, but if you're in the centre and it starts to rain, you can go to the Last minute box office, at the Plaza del Carmen, and get a bargain ticket for one of the theatre plays in the capital, even just a few minutes before the show begins. There are tickets with up to 50% discount for theatres like the Albéniz, the Alcázar, the Infanta Isabel or the Gran Vía as well as another 30 venues.

Centro Comercial Príncipe Pío

If you don't know what to do but you do know that you don't want to get wet, you can visit one of Madrid's many shopping centres. The one in Príncipe Pío is in the city centre, and you don't even have to walk out of the Metro to get there. The former Estación del Norte (Northern Station) underwent remodellation works to house the shopping centre within its structure, and the building itself is surrounded by lots of interesting places that you can visit if the weather clears up. The Campo del Moro Park, the Royal Palace; the Almudena Cathedral; Plaza de España; the chapel of San Antonio de la Florida; the building that houses the Senate, or the Temple of Debod are just a stone's throw away. Should it keep relentlessly raining, you can always have a coffee or a meal in one of the mall's many restaurants, do some shopping or watch a film on one of its cinema's nine screens.

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