Christmas in Madrid 4-night festive season break.
Madrid is a city that cherishes and adores Christmas traditions and festivities. In early December the city is transformed into a spectacle of lights, colours and activities. The main streets and squares are festooned with thousands of lights and Christmas decorations. A spectacular route runs from El Retiro through Gran Via to Puerta del Sol. Catch sight of the giant illuminated bauble with 43,000 lights. Christmas markets can be found in the Plaza Mayor for traditional gifts and in the Paseo de Recoletos for design-led alternatives. Stay at the Hospes Puerta de Alcala near the Calle de Serrano shopping street and with the Retiro Park on the opposite side of the square. Houses in an elegant 19th century residence, the hotel has restaurant, bar, fitness area, spa and indoor relaxation pool. Throughout the festive season you are welcomed at the hotel with traditional Spanish churros, hot chocolate and mulled wine. On 24 December we have included a Christmas dinner at the hotel. This consists of a welcome drink, three courses with either fish or meat for the main course, and paired wines. Mineral water, soft drinks, beer, tea and coffee are also included.
Highlights
Madrid • El Retiro • Puerta del Sol • Plaza Mayor
We had a very enjoyable holiday, thank-you, and wanted to express our thanks for organising such an excellent trip. This is the third you have organised for us, and all three have been outstanding.Mrs P, June 2026
Holiday price guide Price per person and includes 4 nights’ bed and breakfast based on two people sharing a Dreamer double room.
From about
£2,360
Holiday Code FHSN13
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Christmas in Madrid 4-night festive season break.
Fly to Madrid and you are met by private transfer and taken to the hotel. Check-in to the hotel, perhaps having asked us to book you a table for dinner. If this is 24 December, then we will have included a special dinner at the hotel and will have booked a table for you.
You have three days to relax and enjoy the festive season in Spain's lively and elegant capital. The largest city in Spain, Madrid is rich in art, royal history and gastronomic traditions. Its architecture reflects the city's growth under two ruling dynasties, from the narrow streets and red-brick squares of Habsburg Madrid to the grand boulevards and neoclassical façades added by the Bourbons. At Christmas the city centre is strung with lights, and the Christmas market in the Plaza Mayor, with its stalls selling nativity figures and decorations, is a tradition dating back to the nineteenth century. The landmarks of Madrid showcase the artistic, regal and botanical heritage of the capital, from the Royal Palace and the Prado to the Retiro Park and the Royal Botanical Garden, and several of these are within walking distance of your hotel. A multitude of restaurants, taverns and cafés also allow visitors to enjoy the finest Spanish cuisine.
The cuisine of Madrid draws on the produce of the whole country, brought to the capital from every region, alongside its own hearty traditions from the plains of Castile. Typical dishes include cocido madrileño, a slow-cooked stew of chickpeas, meats and vegetables served in several courses, as well as roast lamb and suckling pig from the surrounding countryside. A bocadillo de calamares, a crusty roll filled with fried squid, is a local favourite near the Plaza Mayor, and churros dipped in thick hot chocolate are a popular winter treat. At Christmas, look out for turrón, a nougat made from almonds and honey, marzipan from nearby Toledo, and the roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped cake eaten to celebrate Epiphany on 6 January.
The Christmas markets, such as those on the Plaza Mayor, the Plaza de Espana and the Plaza de Colon, are open until 31 December but will close on 25 December, as do museums and galleries including the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Reina Sofia and the Royal Palace.
Return to the airport by private car in time for your onward flight home.
We had a very enjoyable holiday, thank-you, and wanted to express our thanks for organising such an excellent trip. This is the third you have organised for us, and all three have been outstanding.Mrs P, June 2026
Holiday price guide Price per person and includes 4 nights’ bed and breakfast based on two people sharing a Dreamer double room.
From about
£2,360
Holiday Code FHSN13
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
● Flights from London to Madrid return
● 4 nights’ bed and breakfast at the Hospes Puerta de Alcala in a Dreamer room
● Christmas menu for dinner on 24 December with three courses, welcome drink and wine selection
● Private car transfers airport to hotel and back
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
Additional information This holiday is suggested as being 4 nights to include Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Additional nights can be added at any point on this itinerary. Timings can vary depending on the day of the week.
Call us on 01392 441245
We had a very enjoyable holiday, thank-you, and wanted to express our thanks for organising such an excellent trip. This is the third you have organised for us, and all three have been outstanding.Mrs P, June 2026
Holiday price guide Price per person and includes 4 nights’ bed and breakfast based on two people sharing a Dreamer double room.
From about
£2,360
Holiday Code FHSN13
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• Flights from London to Madrid return
• 4 nights’ bed and breakfast at the Hospes Puerta de Alcala in a Dreamer room
• Christmas menu for dinner on 24 December with three courses, welcome drink and wine selection
• Private car transfers airport to hotel and back
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
The journey and how you get there We include flights from London to Madrid.
Additional information This holiday is suggested as being 4 nights to include Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Additional nights can be added at any point on this itinerary. Timings can vary depending on the day of the week.
Call us on 01392 441245
Christmas in Madrid 4-night festive season break.
We had a very enjoyable holiday, thank-you, and wanted to express our thanks for organising such an excellent trip. This is the third you have organised for us, and all three have been outstanding.Mrs P, June 2026
Holiday price guide Price per person and includes 4 nights’ bed and breakfast based on two people sharing a Dreamer double room.
From about
£2,360
Holiday Code FHSN13
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• Flights from London to Madrid return
• 4 nights’ bed and breakfast at the Hospes Puerta de Alcala in a Dreamer room
• Christmas menu for dinner on 24 December with three courses, welcome drink and wine selection
• Private car transfers airport to hotel and back
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
The journey and how you get there We include flights from London to Madrid.
Additional information This holiday is suggested as being 4 nights to include Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Additional nights can be added at any point on this itinerary. Timings can vary depending on the day of the week.
Call us on 01392 441245
Christmas in Madrid 4-night festive season break.
About Madrid
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to Madrid is a chance to explore this lively and passionate capital city with a laid-back lifestyle. Atmospheric cobbled streets link bustling squares which are filled with pavement cafes, whilst tree-lined boulevards are overlooked by neo-classical buildings. Our luxury holidays to Madrid feature some of the best four- and five-star hotels in the city, including elegant hotels and more boutique properties. Visitors to Madrid will find plenty to fill their days. Art and culture play an important role, primarily thanks to the three world-class art museums which make up Madrid’s Golden Triangle of Art, home to works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Francisco de Goya. Illustrating the city’s rich history are the sights of Old Madrid, including the lavish Royal Palace, the grand Plaza Mayor, and the city’s spiritual centre – Puerta del Sol. There are plenty of designer shops to browse throughout the city, as well as small boutiques and flea markets which visitors might stumble across. It is after dark that Madrid really comes alive as the streets, parks and open-air cafes fill with people of all ages and the bars and clubs remain open until dawn. What better way to recover from a late night than to while away a morning in the Parque del Retiro, strolling through the beautiful gardens and perhaps hiring a rowing boat on the park’s tranquil lake. For those who wish to escape the energetic city, a number of towns are located nearby which make for an interesting day trip.
Highlights of Madrid
Numerous squares including the historic Plaza Mayor, the setting of bullfights and executions during the Spanish Inquisition. The Royal Palace, a lavish building which was constructed in the 1700s and is still used today for state occasions. The Prado Museum, one of the largest art galleries in the world which contains an impressive selection of Spanish paintings including works by Goya and El Greco. Reina Sofia Museum, displaying modern works including Picasso’s ‘Guernica’. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, based on a private art collection which illustrates the history of western art and includes pieces by Goya, Degas and Renoir. Retiro Park formerly used by the royal family and now a popular spot for relaxation. The Teatro Real, an important opera house with performances of opera and dance. Almudena Cathedral. Gran Vía, a famous street which is lined by theatres and shops. Debod Temple, an ancient Egyptian temple which was rebuilt in Madrid in the 1960s. The Santiago Bernabéu Football stadium, home to Real Madrid. El Rastro Market, an open-air flea market which is held on Sundays. Ventas Bullring where bullfights take place every week during the bullfighting season.
