The Making of Madrid
Your guide to Spain’s capital
Insider Tips for Visitors to Madrid
First time in the city and don’t know where to start? This info will help you get oriented.
How to Survive Summer in Madrid
Updated 31 May 2026 You’re coming to Madrid in August for your summer holidays, hombre, are you crazy? – would be the typical response a Madrileño would give you if they heard your travel plans. They know from bitter experience that this delightful city turns into a furnace during summer. Anyone in their right mind ought…
A Wine Lover’s Guide to Drinking in Madrid
Madrid is an excellent place to enjoy wine, not only because of the variety on offer but also because of the unbeatable prices. It’s a subject that came up when I recently interviewed Luke Darracott for my podcast. “Spain and actually, I would say Portugal are probably the best two in the world for price to…
Is Madrid Safe? A Tale of Three Cities
In the podcast this week, I discuss violence in Madrid and whether Spain’s capital is a safe city or not. Having lived in London, Tokyo, and Madrid, I’ve experienced firsthand how safety varies across major global cities. Each has its own unique challenges and cultural attitudes toward public behaviour, particularly when it comes to drinking and…
What to do on a layover in Madrid
Visiting Madrid but short on time? Whether you’re about to take a connecting flight or are in town for a conference at IFEMA, there are ways to maximise your precious few hours. All the itineraries suggested here take into account transport links ensuring you can easily whizz back to the airport at the end of a…
Neighbourhood Guides
Trying to work out what parts of the city to explore? These posts will guide you through Madrid’s neighbourhoods.
New Audio Tour of the City’s Muslim Origins
Think you know Madrid? Think again. Beneath the grand boulevards and baroque palaces lies a city with a very different origin story—one that’s largely hidden from view. My new audio tour with Voicemap, Medieval Madrid: A Guide to the City’s Muslim Past, peels back the layers of time to reveal a forgotten history that begins not…
Guide to La Latina
In the heart of old Madrid and yet a world apart from the touristy mayhem surrounding the royal palace, La Latina is the perfect place to base a stay in the city. For me, the steeply sloping squares and cobbled streets of the barrio (neighbourhood) offer a tranquil retreat into historic Madrid. By contrast, the bustling…
Where to Stay in Madrid: A Local’s Guide to the Best Neighborhoods
Originally published 8 December 2025 As a tour guide and Lonely Planet guidebook writer, I’ve been pounding Madrid’s streets for more than a decade, exploring not only its busy grand boulevards but also its charming quieter corners. So I’m a good person to ask about accommodation options if you’re a first timer with only a few…
Midstream Madrid Itinerary: the Hidden Heart of Old Madrid
Looking to escape the crowds in Madrid’s historic center? Just steps away from Plaza Mayor lies a peaceful neighborhood nestled between two ancient hills, where Madrid’s original streams once flowed. This hidden gem offers tranquil gardens, hushed churches, and authentic local spots that most tourists never discover. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJFCdwg6Xtk&t=2s The Secret Valley Between Two Hills Madrid’s original…
Hidden Gems
My guide to Madrid, away from the crowds. For more on the city’s tranquil side, check out my book Quiet Madrid.
Hidden Gems: Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares
Madrid’s Lavapiés neighborhood is home to one of the city’s most overlooked cultural treasures: the Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares. While this hidden gem lies off the beaten tourist track, offering a peaceful retreat from Madrid’s busier attractions, be warned that on a Sunday, you’ll find it closed when the bustling Rastro market takes over….
Madrid’s Hidden Gem: Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales
The big news at The Making of Madrid is that there’s a new podcast in the works. When the project was conceived, the very first person I wanted to interview was historian Caroline Fish – not only because she was about to leave for the States but also because she’s such an engaging speaker. A Fulbright…
Hidden Gems: the Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida
Goya’s Hermitage: an ode to the majo Tucked away beneath the palace by the Manzanares River, the Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida stands as a testament to Francisco de Goya’s artistic genius – a place where 18th-century Madrid comes to life and where the artist himself finds his final rest. Goya’s frescoes transform the…
Hidden Gems: Campo del Moro
Nestled below the royal palace lies one of the city’s most beautiful and overlooked treasures: the Campo del Moro gardens. One of the destinations in my new book Quiet Madrid: A Guide to the City’s Third Spaces and Hidden Places, these stunning gardens offer both tranquility and a fascinating glimpse into the city’s medieval past. A…
Popular Madrid History Posts
A history buff’s guide to the forces that have shaped Spain’s capital.
A History of Violence in Madrid
This particular episode is about the history of violence in Madrid and it was inspired because one of my most popular blog posts is called Gangs of Madrid, Is Madrid a Safe City? The following is a transcript of the podcast. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ex8WYnzwyptn4ebxwdD0f?si=JBTfWozqQ0q3Y1kXj42OKw Transcript When I lived in London as a young woman, I used to go…
Three Myths About the Spanish Inquisition
Challenging the Myths of the Spanish Inquisition Founded in 1478 to root out false Jewish converts to Christianity, the Spanish Inquisition was a bloodthirsty organization that killed between 5,000 and 10,000 people during its 350-year existence. Given these horrifying statistics, it might seem odd to say that the Spanish Inquisition wasn’t quite as bad as it…
How Paris Has Shaped Madrid
Bonjour à tous! This latest missive from The Making of Madrid comes to you from Paris. Summer in Madrid is way too hot for me and my Guardian opinion piece on the destruction of trees in Madrid has made things even hotter! My critique of the local government’s policy seems to have stirred up a small…
Street Signs in Madrid: a Brief History
The beautiful tiled street signs in Madrid are one of the city’s most distinctive features and reproductions of them are sold by the bucket-load to tourists looking to take some souvenir of their stay back with them. But did you know that these iconic tiles only date as far back as the 1990s? What might surprise…
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Recent blog posts
Interview with Luke Stegemann
There’s a particular kind of authority that only comes from decades of showing up somewhere — not as a tourist, not even as an expert parachuted in for research, but as someone who has genuinely lived inside a place’s contradictions. Luke Stegemann has that authority with Madrid. He first arrived from Australia in the mid-1980s, when…
Eating Gluten Free in Madrid: A Celiac’s Guide to the City
After recently developing a mild intolerance to wheat, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Madrid is an excellent destination for gluten free eating. Knowing that this was an issue that affects many travellers, I decided to sit down with a proper expert to get the low down for my podcast. Gareth Sewell is an event…
Madrid’s Hidden Black History with Kwame Ondo
The story of Black people in Spain didn’t begin with slavery, or even with Columbus, but centuries earlier. This lesser-known narrative is explored in the latest episode of the Making Madrid Podcast, where I sat down with Kwame Ondo, a tour guide, actor, and activist who has made it his mission to bring Madrid’s hidden Black…
Walking tour of Puente de Vallecas
A neighbourhood guide and self-guided itinerary for one of Madrid’s most rebellious districts. I’ve been meaning to do a proper barrio guide to Puente de Vallecas for years, but as I live in Usera, I rarely get out there. Though it’s technically adjacent, I always end up having to go into town and back out again…
Journalism by Felicity Hughes
Felicity Hughes has written about Madrid for major publications, including Lonely Planet, the Guardian, the Financial Times and Time Out. Here are a few examples of her work:
Tours
Felicity Hughes can be hired as a guide to the city. Check the guided tours page to see if she’s available. Or consider getting one of her Voicemap audio guides.
Tour Reviews
