Recently I embarked on a harrowing 9 day, 3,000 mile, road trip through France, Spain and Switzerland with my husband and dog. Harrowing might seem too strong of a word, but that’s only because you weren’t there.

One of us barely made it out alive, although it had less to do with the unfamiliar roads and traffic and more with the limited mutually agreed upon music selection. Despite the long car ride, any journey with delicious food is worth it for me. Enter Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid and goodbye waistline!

Things to Do

Madrid is truly a beautiful city in which we recommend you to fly there instead to drive. There are a number of things to do and see. Besides the market, we also enjoyed our visits to the Prado Museum, the Parque del Buen Retiro, the Royal Palace, and Plaza Mayor.

 

Mercado de San Miguel

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For foodies and tapas lovers, you have to go to the Mercado de San Miguel. For lunch, dinner, or just a snack between meals, this market is one of my favorite in Europe. There are a few restaurants inside of the market where you can sit and have a drink while enjoying your tapas, or you can walk around and grab bites from each station and enjoy them outside.

The market has areas devoted to seafood, cured meats, cheeses and desserts. I recommend visiting early in your trip so as to have the best chance to sample everything. I also recommend throwing out your scale because it’s a real buzz kill.

Mercado is open daily and the hours are following: 
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Sunday: from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Thursday, Friday & Saturday: from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Address:
Plaza de San Miguel
s/n 28005
Madrid, Spain
Telephone: +34 915 42 49 36

How to Get There

The drive to Madrid is just over a 16 hours southwest from Kaiserslautern, 16 hours and 40 minutes southwest from Wiesbaden and 17 hours southwest from Stuttgart. Click on DB Bahn train details. Contact your local travel agency for flight information.

Author’s Profile: Kelly is a DOD wife, devoted dog-mom, a mediocre cook, a whiskey aficionado and an avid traveler who’s exploring Europe with dog and husband in tow.

Featured image photo credit: © Kelly Lauer