Guia de cidade
Madrid MAD: What to Do on a Layover
Mercado San Miguel in 4 hours: jamón ibérico, vermouth, back in 30 minutes.
Getting from the airport
MAD to city center: 65 minutes by metro (Nuevos Ministerios - Aeropuerto T4). Trains run every 20 minutes. Service runs 05:00 to 23:30. Skip the taxi unless your connection is under 5 hours.
What to do in Madrid
The stops worth making: Prado Museum, Plaza Mayor, Retiro Park, Tapas tour. Rated above 4.4: Bernabéu (4.6), El Retiro Park (4.8), Museo Nacional del Prado (4.7), Royal Palace of Madrid (4.7), Mercado de San Miguel (4.4). You do not need the full tourist circuit. Pick two and commit.
Visa and entry
Madrid is visa-free for US passports. No application, no fee. The border process at MAD is standard. Budget 30 minutes.
How long do you need
The minimum useful layover is 4 hours. That gives you 65 minutes in each direction plus about 20 minutes on the ground. Up to 72 hours is a proper overnight.
MAD airport
MAD has 10 lounges. For short connections under 4 hours, the terminal is the destination: food options, showers, and enough space to reset before the next leg.