Madrid, from the Prado to the Castellana
Madrid keeps its grand hotels along two lines – the Paseo del Prado, where the Ritz has stood beside the museum since 1910 and the Canalejas ensemble sits a few streets up toward Puerta del Sol, and the Castellana as it passes Salamanca's grid of Serrano and Velázquez – with the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Reina Sofía and the Retiro in between.
The collection
4 hotels
Four Seasons Hotel Madrid
Five-star · Centro, Canalejas & Paseo del Prado
Four Seasons inside the seven-building Canalejas ensemble, a few steps from Puerta del Sol – Dani García's Dani on the roof, a 1,450 m² spa below.
From $1,000 per night
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
Rosewood Villa Magna
Five-star · Salamanca & Recoletos
Rosewood's 1972 Castellana landmark, reborn in 2021 – Amós by Jesús Sánchez and Las Brasas de Castellana in the house, Salamanca's grid at the door.
From $1,000 per night
BLESS Hotel Madrid
Five-star · Salamanca & Recoletos
Palladium's 111-room house on calle Velázquez, in the heart of Salamanca – a rooftop pool above, Martín Berasategui's Etxeko below.
From $500 per night
Madrid keeps its grand hotels along two lines – the Paseo del Prado, where the Ritz has stood beside the museum since 1910 and the Canalejas ensemble sits a few streets up toward Puerta del Sol, and the Castellana as it passes Salamanca's grid of Serrano and Velázquez – with the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Reina Sofía and the Retiro 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 east of the Castellana – Serrano, Velázquez and Ortega y Gasset with their tailors and jewelers, Paseo de Recoletos and its cafés running down to Plaza de Cibeles, the National Library and Plaza de Colón at the district's edge, and the Retiro at the foot of every north–south street – with two of the four hotels.
Centro, Canalejas & Paseo del Prado
The old center and its museum mile – Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Canalejas, the Barrio de las Letras running downhill to the Paseo del Prado, and along it the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía, with the Botanical Garden and the Retiro behind – with the other two.
Good to know
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 holidays. 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 concierge books the seats and a driver at the other end.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on any hotel's page to see rates and what is available, then book the room or suite you want. A concierge is on hand throughout – to weigh the Prado against Salamanca before you book, and to arrange a driver from Barajas, a table on a rooftop, tickets for the Prado and the Reina Sofía and the train to Toledo once you have.
