Madrid, from the Prado to the Castellana
Five-star hotels in Madrid
4 hotels
Four Seasons Hotel Madrid
Five-star · Centro, Canalejas & Paseo del Prado
Four Seasons made one hotel of the seven buildings of the Canalejas ensemble, a few steps from Puerta del Sol.
From $1,000 per night
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Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid
Five-star · Centro, Canalejas & Paseo del Prado
The 1910 Ritz beside the Prado, reopened by Mandarin Oriental in 2021, with Quique Dacosta's Deessa in the house.
From $1,000 per night
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Rosewood Villa Magna
Five-star · Salamanca & Recoletos
A 1972 landmark on the Castellana, at the edge of Salamanca, reborn in 2021 as Rosewood's Madrid house.
From $1,000 per night
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BLESS Hotel Madrid
Five-star · Salamanca & Recoletos
Palladium's 111-room house on calle Velázquez, in the heart of Salamanca, with a pool on the roof.
From $500 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
Madrid keeps its grand hotels along two lines, the Paseo del Prado and the Castellana. On the Paseo del Prado the Ritz has stood beside the museum since 1910 and the Canalejas ensemble sits a few streets up toward Puerta del Sol; the Castellana passes Salamanca's grid of Serrano and Velázquez; the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Reina Sofía and the Retiro lie in between. We looked at every serious address in the capital and kept only those whose service holds up to the pictures on the Paseo. All four hold five-star standing. Four made the cut.
“Because Four Seasons made one hotel of the seven buildings of the Canalejas ensemble in 2020, between Puerta del Sol and the Paseo del Prado – with Dani García's Dani on the roof and a 1,450 m² spa – and the house holds five-star standing.”
From our editors · Four Seasons Hotel Madrid
The neighborhoods
Salamanca & Recoletos
The grid of streets east of the Castellana – home to two of the four hotels. Serrano, Velázquez and Ortega y Gasset are the streets of tailors and jewelers; Paseo de Recoletos and its cafés run down to Plaza de Cibeles, with the National Library and Plaza de Colón at the district's edge. The Retiro lies at the foot of every north–south street.
Centro, Canalejas & Paseo del Prado
The old center and its museum mile – home to the other two of the four hotels. From Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Canalejas, the Barrio de las Letras runs downhill to the Paseo del Prado. Along it stand the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía, with the Botanical Garden and the Retiro behind.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Madrid?
Four. Every hotel we list in Madrid holds five-star standing: Four Seasons Hotel Madrid; Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid; Rosewood Villa Magna; and BLESS Hotel Madrid. Each has its own page, reached from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of Madrid should I stay in?
Two of the four sit in the center, on the line of the Paseo del Prado – Mandarin Oriental Ritz on Plaza de la Lealtad beside the Prado itself, Four Seasons a few streets up at Plaza de Canalejas, between Puerta del Sol and the Barrio de las Letras. The other two are in Salamanca, the grid of streets east of the Castellana – Rosewood Villa Magna on the Paseo de la Castellana at the district's edge, BLESS on calle Velázquez in the middle of it. Choose the center for the museums and the old city on foot; Salamanca for Serrano's shops, quieter streets and the Retiro at the foot of every avenue.
When is the best season for Madrid?
Spring and fall – late April to June and September to October – are Madrid's months: warm, dry days, long evenings on the terraces and the city at its most walkable, with the San Isidro festivities in mid-May the one week that fills early. July and August run hot, regularly past 35 °C in the afternoon, and the city empties in August when its own residents leave for the coast – the museums and the hotels stay open, many restaurants take their vacations. November through March is cold, bright and quiet, the right weather for an afternoon in the Prado, with the Christmas weeks through Three Kings' Day on 6 January the one busy stretch.
Do I need a car in Madrid – and how far are Toledo and Segovia?
No. From the center, the three museums of the Paseo del Prado, Puerta del Sol, the Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace are all on foot; from Salamanca, Serrano and the Retiro are at the door and the Prado is twenty minutes on foot or a few minutes by taxi. Barajas airport is about half an hour by car from either quarter. For a day out, the high-speed trains from Atocha and Chamartín reach Toledo and Segovia in about half an hour each, and Seville, Valencia and Barcelona in under three hours; the hotel books the seats and a driver at the other end.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
