Weekender

James McElroy’s Madrid

Myself and my brother Timothy travel to Madrid quite a lot,

as Spain is an important market for our start-up, HouseMyDog. We usually go during the week, and spend most of our time in meetings, but recently it was our dad’s birthday and the whole family flew out. Seeing the city as a tourist made us realise just how nice it is.

Timothy and I usually just want somewhere central with Wi-Fi,

but for this weekend, we rented an apartment on Airbnb. It was beside the Plaza de Santa Ana and a 10-minute walk from Gran Via in the centre, so it was great for getting around.

On Saturday, we’d start the day off with some food.

Le Pain Quotidien is a bakery chain that does a great breakfast. After that, a walk around the city in the sun is a nice way to spend the day. Madrid has so many sights, like the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor, but a different thing to do is to rent a rowboat on the lake in Retiro Park.

On a Saturday evening, I’d recommend taking a wine and tapas tour.

A local tour guide will teach you some history of the city, and, of course, you get to try some great Spanish wine and tapas. After that, if you’re still hungry, or feel like a few more drinks, the Chueca neighbourhood has streets of bars and restaurants.

On Sunday, there is a great place that does brunch called Federal Cafe.

It’s in the Conde Duque neighbourhood, not far from the city centre. You will probably have to queue, but it’s really good food. It’s close to the metro station, too, which will get you to the airport in about 15 minutes.