We loved Madrid and can’t wait to return. Again, another of your videos which brought back so many beautiful memories. I celebrated my birthday at Botín and still have the sangria pitcher our waiter gifted me for my birthday - it’s identical to the one you show in your video! I made the reservation 6 months in advance!! As always, you knocked it out of the park!!! 👏🏻
What a precious and wonderful birthday experience, Maria! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! Botìn wasn't even on our radar before we arrived, but we are so glad we could experience it for ourselves! They also had tours available, but the amount of food that was built into the price was way too much for us. Thank you so much for watching! -Judy
Do people typically eat the thick pigskin? I only had a bite or two. The food at Botìn was really tasty! And yes, I really loved the Iberian ham. Fortunately, it was everywhere! -Judy
That is so helpful to know. Yes, it was really stunning. I guess if there were things inside of it there could be more concerns of vandalism. Could you actually go inside? Since it was under construction, we could not. -Judy
@sbkpilot1 it was closed when we were there, too. We could walk up to it, but it’s a vast empty space that I’m hearing was a former greenhouse. Not being able to enter didn’t diminish the experience for us though. It’s still an impressive building! -Judy
Totally enjoyed this from start to finish. Absolutely thorough and outstanding. Very interesting to learn about the oldest restaurant in the work. That cost for 2 was not too bad. Glad you guys had a date night. I think that palace was absolutely outstanding, Mind blowing beauty.
Thanks so much for watching, John, and for your comment. For a fancy dinner, it wasn't bad at all, considering it was a touristy spot with such a cool reputation. We enjoyed the date, too! Yes, we loved the palace as well. We couldn't go inside, but it didn't matter. It was still pretty impressive! -Judy
You guys did great with your budget! We expected it to be much higher. Your video showcased Madrid beautifully and makes us want to book a month trip there soon.
Thanks so much for watching! We ended up cooking a good amount of the time and typically only eat two meals per day. Food was definitely our highest category next to our accommodations. Where we stayed was a great, central location, but the Airbnb wasn't the nicest. But it was worth it to us for a month to be able to experience Madrid more affordably than the $2-3K accommodations we've seen there. We hope you have a terrific time. Madrid is super walkable and there is a lot to see and do. We would recommend a day trip to Toledo if you can swing it. We weren't able to get there, and we were bummed to have missed it. -Judy
Madrid is fun, for sure! Been there a couple times, but it is a big and very crowded city so probably don't need to go back. For anyone who wants a different site to see, the archaeological museum is wonderful and you'll see interesting artifacts from across the ancient and pre-historic world. OHHH. Almost forgot. Had the most wonderful jamon and mushroom dish for lunch the last time we were there. Was delightful.
Hi Dan, It actually didn't feel so big or crowded to us when we were there. But we felt like it was expensive, which was a little disappointing. We had a few really excellent meals, but for us the whole tapas culture was way overrated for us. Your jamon and mushroom dish sounds amazing though! We actually wanted to see that museum, so I'm bummed we missed out on it. Also, we've heard a day trip to Toledo is well worth one's time. We just were too pressed for time between coming off of fast travel and preparing to get ahead of our videos before traveling back to the US and more fast travel. We're looking forward to seeing more of Spain! -Judy
I was there Sept 2023 and love my visit to Madrid. I had no issues with entry into all the museums. If you go later in the afternoon closure to dinner time there’s less people especially during the week day. Also toward the end of September is best to travel to Europe.
Hi Sar, Thanks for watching! We were shocked that at 6:30pm the lines at the Prado Museum were still so long (and sold out). But we were there in mid July, at peak season. It can be hard to visit certain places when we can't share them with our viewers, but we'll definitely come back to see Prado because we love art museums. We agree about visiting in September versus the summer. We had just come back from seven months in Asia/SE Asia, so we were ready to enjoy some time in Europe, but it can be crowded. So glad to hear you had a terrific experience. -Judy
Yes, we thought so, too! We aren't typically fans of modern art, but there was even more that we could have shared. There were some interesting exhibits there! -Judy
We have been to Spain 5 times. We go to different cities and then end in Madrid always. We were there this past September-October.It is my favorite city to visit. There is so much to do and see. We never take the subway bc like you said,you will miss a lot. My favorite area to stay is Barrio Las Letras, the restaurants are amazing and cute little boutiques much better than High end stores. Contrary to what people say Madrid is pretty safe to walk around, day and night. I hope. You get to go back. We had been to El Botin it was a nice restaurant and my husband loved it, but I didn’t. There are so many restaurants much better. It is a shame that you couldn’t go to El Prado, It is amazing.
Hi @grizelmarquez949, Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your experiences We also felt very safe in Madrid. Obviously there are sections that have some rough edges, but overall, we never really worried. Thanks for the suggestion about Barrio Las Letras. I just looked at our photos on a map and it doesn't look like we spent any time in that area. We think that there will be plenty of occasions for us to return to Madrid. We actually had a very quick overnight there en route to Argentina (and if the flight was cheaper, we would have spent more time here). We are seeing that many overnight stops can happen in Madrid! We liked El Botìn for its history and for the experience there, but we preferred El Pimiento Verde (elpimientoverde.com/la-taberna-del-pimiento), which I think is worth trying if you haven't already. It's a little speedy, but still less than half the price of El Botìn (but still not a place we could go to very often due to the price). It's hard for us to visit places that we can't share with our viewers, but I think we would have absolutely loved El Prado and would actually really enjoy making time there. I'd also heard of an Artwalk experience that we'd probably enjoy quite a bit. Do you have other cities in Spain you'd recommend? We will be back in Europe in mid 2025. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie, no, there are no 'sections that have some rough edges' in Madrid. It is a city of 3.3M inhabitants and a metropolitan area of 8M, so there must be the occasional "wayward" person, but there is no area where you can't walk around peacefully at any time.
Robert, there most definitely are parts of Madrid that are less polished and where there is more crime. It would be a virtual anomaly for a city of its size not to have those areas. However, we specifically say we didn’t feel unsafe. -Judy
@@robert111k The point was that they felt like slightly sketchy areas. I'm not going to debate with you whether the areas feel a little rougher to you or not or how much crime or other issues are in those places. -Judy
Hi Judy and Kevin, Lovely video as always. We were in Madrid in April and had a great time. We didn’t eat at Botin, but I have to give them a shout out as they were so nice to let us walk thru and see the restaurant plus even showed us the kitchen. We had a fabulous breakfast at Nomade Cafe. I even skipped out on another place to eat there twice and the owners were lovely there as well. Happy Travels. Take care, Tara.
Hi Tara, We didn't mention it, but Botìn actually offers tours and a set meal (lunch at noon or dinner at 7pm). It wasn't cheap, but it seems interesting. Right now the cost is €82 per person and includes the meal. In 2025 the price is going up to €93 per person with a required €29 per person deposit that goes towards the price. After dinner, you pay the €54 to the waiter for the full experience. We are so glad you were able to have a walkthrough experience! Thanks for the recommendation about Nomade Cafe! I'm sure we'll be back. We had an interesting breakfast most days at Majaderitos, which was "bun bread" with a side of pulverized tomatoes, a packet of salt, and a small packet of olive oil. It actually was so delicious! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie oooh thats awesome, thanks for the tips. The food in Spain is absolutely fabulous. I know we will be heading thru the area again. Thanks for the reply :)
We were a bit squeezed for time because while we wanted to see as much as possible, we were exhausted from our fast travel with our daughter and then feeling like we needed to get ahead of our time in the US when we'd be visiting family and not have much down time. Fortunately, we know we will be back in Madrid (and Spain) again to catch it. Under those circumstances, it was a little harder to justify when we weren't going to be able to share photos with our viewers. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Aww, Judy. That's perfectly understandable! I do recommend more FALL e.g. October visits to Spain... when you can avoid the heat and large crowds. Retiro Park was a challenge to me because I had hard time with the sloping terrain and some crazy thing that happened to my upper legs. :)
LOL. Yes, we struggle with figuring out our time in Europe. We'll be back again next year from April-August. In fact, thanks to your note, I've spent a large part of the day putting together a tentative schedule through the end of April 2026! There will never be enough time to see everything! -Judy
LOL. That actually sounds like a fun video ;) Do we get to physically go back to all our favorite places so we can do this review ;) Thanks for watching! -Judy
It was AMAZING! We are so glad we went there (a few times)! It was so worth it! I felt like a kid in a candy store with the amazing architecture everywhere! -Judy
Thanks so much for watching! We took a brief trip to Barcelona as well if you're interested in watching! Both cities were very, very different, but each interesting in their own way. -Judy 🎥 48 Hours in Barcelona | Travel Guide: ruclips.net/video/xoIWNnZWqNA/видео.html
Hi Enrique: It was touted as "Nonna's cheesecake." They do have a flan, but this is technically a burnt "Basque" cheesecake, which is a bit deliberately undercooked in the middle. It was pretty tasty! Thank you so much for watching! -Judy
Nice! Your $3000 total cost for the month in Madrid is all-inclusive ? Including groceries, eating out, transport, tickets, etc ? Just a suggestion- since you stayed there for 1 month, I would have loved it if your video had included a commentary - at the end - on how “liveable” the city is, vis-a-vis ur personal preferences ….. The hot summer weather, notwithstanding :)
Hi Mike, Yes, it is. Well, actually, for 28 days. It does not include the two days we spent in Barcelona. Our Madrid Airbnb was booked for 30 days, so the price we reference covers the full month even though we spent two of those nights in Barcelona. It also doesn't include things like our monthly costs such as cell service, health insurance, VPN, AppleTV. We're still trying to figure out how to discuss all that and whether it makes sense to do that in some other kind of cost episode. The cost of our flights to the US were a separate cost from the $3,000. Also, our 2-night detour to Barcelona cost us $587.07 (or $293.54 apiece), but obviously we would have spent much less than that if we had spent the entire time in Madrid. -Judy Thanks for the additional feedback about the extra commentary. We likely will do a recap at the end of the year with what we thought about each place. Would you want to know from a standpoint of whether it's a good city for expats (versus vacationers or something else)? We thought the price of food in Madrid was pretty high and we had a bit of sticker shock, but that could also have been due to the cheaper prices in Asia (and then the very expensive trip we took with our daughter in Italy). We did a decent job of cooking some of our meals. We had some great tacos and good breakfasts (Kevin really enjoyed the honey coated croissants and I had these very interesting "bun bread" with a side of tomato puree, salt, and olive oil. Our video was getting really long so we didn't have time to discuss more. But we weren't a fan of tapas, which were often fairly carb heavy. And even though Italy is pretty carb heavy, too (!!!), there were more fried foods. We had to work a bit more to get salads. The market food was tasty, but again the prices added up quickly. When we went for nice meals, they were amazing, but they weren't cheap (our favorite was La Vanduca, but it cost €62, so we only went once. I hope this helps, and we value your input as we work to continue to improve our videos! -Judy
Thks for the additional info! Regarding your expensive 2 night side trip to Barcelona, my view is that for slow travel, it may be better in terms of overall sustainable budgeting to just stick to day trips to nearby locations (eg Toledo). Because slow travel over many years means that we may eventually have another opportunity to return to Spain again, during which we can then concentrate on yet another city and its immediate environs ? But saying that, I would also find it very difficult to resist that side trip to Barcelona, haha 😊 Keep your ur travels and videos !
We agree, Mike. It's a conundrum at times because we also want to see new countries, too, so we have to balance the cities we visit. In Spain alone, there's probably half a dozen cities we want to visit (right off the top of our heads) and at a month apiece, that would cover half of a year. Visiting Barcelona at least gave us a taste of what it would be like to spend more time there. When it's an expensive city like Barcelona, we are actually okay with just spending a short time there because it may not ever be affordable for a month-plus we now have a better idea of where to stay and what to do. We didn't know about Antoni Gaudì's work, but we'd go back specifically to see that (and the Picasso Museum) versus anything else, which also can be covered in a short trip. Thank you so much for following along with us all this time! We love seeing your name and face pop up! -Judy
@@Property2030sg Hi Mike, the one drawback is that there are some very high priced European cities that will probably never be affordable for an entire month (Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Singapore). We'd miss out if we tried to eventually get back to them, so we are prepared at times to have a shorter stay just to get some time there. We are headed to Argentina in a few weeks and we'll be doing a few excursions in parts of the country (El Calafate and Iguaza Falls) where we'll only be staying a few days but then spending (hopefully) a full month in Buenos Aires. We foresee that we could have a few more of these types of experiences in other parts of South America. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Yes, how true :). It is just that if our original monthly budget is say $3000, it needs to be increased to $3500 monthly to accommodate overnight side trips to nearby big cities. Unfortunately, it raises the cost of slow travel. In slow travel, I guess that we are trying to sustainably live our “normal” day-to-day lives albeit in different cities of the world, but the fact is that we still need to take a “vacation” once a while to well-known must-visit places of attraction nearby! Whenever our budget permits :) Look forward to ur adventures in Argentina !
They allowed photos, but they weren't so happy that we had recorded it! We didn't see any signs saying we couldn't, so OOPS! We've never been in a museum before where they made a point to stop us. Usually unless you are endangering or close to endangering artwork, the docents don't really say much. We weren't sure if it was just that piece of work, but someone stopped us somewhere else, too, in that museum. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie There must have been fewer people there than when I went - the docents were all over alert to people taking pictures. I had to take MINE from the adjoining room!
They actually were around quite a bit. We were told TWICE to stop, including one right after we filmed that piece! I've never been in any museum before with such jumpy docents. -Judy
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words, @Kari-Evan! Our music is from Epidemic Sound: share.epidemicsound.com/747rgk When we're out and about, we are using DJI Osmo Pocket 3, and for the VoiceOver we use a Sony FX30 and Sony ECM-B10 microphone. Here's a link to our full gear list, which lists all our info! -Judy ⚙️ GEAR LIST: findingGinaMarie.com/gear
Another really good video, Judy & Kevin. I first saw one of your travel videos earlier this year when I was planning my trip to Vienna during this summer. I'm planning on going to Madrid in the Spring and saw that you had been there. How would you guys rate Madrid compared to Vienna?
Hi @thesilversurfer171, Thanks for watching! I feel like that's a big question. Both are spread out cities, have great architecture, and have high-quality art. I'd say that perhaps in certain ways Vienna is more refined and more formal. We aren't particularly fans of the tapas in Madrid, so we preferred some of the flavors of Vienna more. We also like Vienna's cafe culture. A lot of coffee shops in Madrid don't open early. I'd say that Madrid has more nightlife (bars). They're different, but somewhat similar. Not the greatest answer, but hopefully it helps somewhat! -Judy
@FindingGinaMarie Thanks for the very quick reply, Judy. It certainly does help. I absolutely loved Vienna, and had a feeling Madrid is not quite as nice, but after watching some videos, including yours, I think it's definitely worth a visit. I hope you are both well and enjoying your time wherever you are at the moment. Regards, Akhtar, in Glasgow, Scotland.
Hi Akhtar, first off, we enjoyed our brief time in Glasgow, and Scotland is one of our favorite countries! There's snow in Madrid right now, so I might pick a warmer time of year! But we did enjoy Madrid. When I was trying to compare and contrast, there is more alike than different, especially when you venture into various parts of each city. Neither was a cheap city, but Madrid might be a little more budget friendly. I think if you enjoyed Vienna, you will also appreciate Madrid. Thanks so much for leaving us this comment and for sharing your name. It always is nice to get a deeper connection to our viewers! -Judy
Thanks so much for watching, @muravi8167! There is a lot to see and do in Madrid. We wanted to see a flaminco dance as well, but we ran out of time. We didn't include this restaurant, but if you're looking for a splurge meal outside of Botìn, we recommend this place: elpimientoverde.com/la-taberna-del-pimiento/ They had one of our tastiest meals here, but you might want to make reservations in advance. We lucked out, but we saw people being turned away. And truly the prices weren't outrageous (much cheaper than Botìn, but expensive for us at $76). We'd love to know what you think of Madrid and Barcelona when you return! -Judy
I can’t wait to see Spain! Loved your video. Wow where did you find such great prices on your flight? Is that one way back to the US? How early did you book it? 👍
Hi Diana, Thanks so much for watching! This was a one-way ticket, which is typically what we buy. We purchased it on January 28 and we left Madrid on July 16. It's Iberian Air and it does include the cost of checked bags (ugh) and seat assignments, so that wasn't terrible (but it still stings as a one-way ticket a bit). -Judy
Hi Stan, You have the advantage of speaking Spanish, correct? That puts a great spin on things. But that's interesting because you've been to several cities in Spain already. We only barely scratched the surface. I was pleasantly surprised by Madrid. I absolutely love how walkable it is! Thank you so much for watching! Safe travels! -Judy
That's a really great price for the Airbnb, how much in advance did you book? Due to logistics I had only a month to book and Airbnbs were running over $3000/month yikes! Even rooms with a private bath were asking $2000/month. I had to get a room in the outskirts for a reasonable price.
Hi @sbkpilot1, We booked on Jan. 28 for our reservation beginning June 16. We learned last year that prices in all of Spain can be eye-wateringly expensive, which is why we tried to book fairly early when we saw this listing. Granted, this was a very basic Airbnb, but for the price and location, we were fine with it. It has really good reviews because the host was very transparent about everything, but it still wasn't the easiest Airbnb we've been in. Would we book it again for that price and location? Probably! We hope you have a terrific time! -Judy
You might have missed our pricing at the end and part of our intro where we talk about being in La Latina about a 10-minute (or less) walk to Plaza Mayor. For a month it cost us $1,699.86 (or $56.66 per night). It was a fabulous location and the price is right, but the Airbnb itself was a little underwhelming. -Judy 🎥 48 Hours in Barcelona: ruclips.net/video/xoIWNnZWqNA/видео.html
This "palace" (previously used as a greenhouse, but maybe decades ago) just "sits there pretty," with some occasional art exhibits. This what I've found on the webs.
That's so interesting and not ideal. It is so beautiful that it sort of deserves to have more going on with it! And the floors deserved some special mosaic treatment or something! Thanks for watching and for this bit of info. We saw that it has art exhibits occasionally, but we weren't sure whether things wore recently scraped out for an overhaul. 🤷♀️ -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie , Madrid looks lovely. The "webs" say most of the wealth came from gold and silver taken from South American countries. Well, they don't use the word "taken," but they don't say buy or trade...
@@michaels3003 😳😱 I can believe that "taken" is the more appropriate term for it! But that's no bueno. 😞 History is full of that stuff, and I think when we were learning about it, we didn't take the time to think through what it actually meant and how horrible it was to do. -Judy
Sorry, Tim, we didn't. We aren't big fans of milk chocolate, and churros in the morning seemed too sweet for us, which is when we saw most people eat them. But it looks like San Ginés might have been worth trying since it looks like they have dark chocolate. I would have liked to have tried them, but not enough to order it. Kevin did get plain ones once and they were tasty. I guess it's a reason to return! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie they were a nice treat late in the evening after a nice paseo (walk/stroll) with a decaf cappuccino and the dark chocolate was excellent. However, a single order was enough to share. We saw Botin on Phil Rosenthal's Netflix show and while it looked good it would have been far too much food for us. BTW, do you get any ideas from travel writers like Rick Steeves or Phil Rosenthal for food? Both have given us a few ideas in both Italy and Spain and Jose Andres program on HBO/MAX was a great guide in Spain.
@tkozikow My fixed price menu was a lot, but nothing nearly what you'd get if you took the Botìn tour and ate their set menu. We mistakenly thought Kevin's filet was just going to be a piece of meat. We had no idea it was a rounded-out entree. Your "nightcap" 😉 sounds terrific. We ate enough in Madrid that we really didn't have very much in the way of late-night eating (maybe because I knew we would be back in the US seeing family that I was trying to not overeat too much). We definitely missed out. We aren't regular viewers of too many RUclipsrs' travel videos in some ways because we don't want to be copycats and do what they've already done. We do watch them but not consistently. It may make more sense with these huge channels to ensure we don't miss something important. It's a fine line to straddle. But we LOVE to get recommendations from our viewers and visiting those places. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie if nothing else Phil's shows are wildly entertaining, but I would agree that you are probably not going to gain much from 'influencers'. TBH I hate that that even exists since you really don't know what bias they are bringing or who is supporting them. OTOH I like your channel since you seem to be enjoying yourselves without an agenda.
We actually have a short overnight layover in Madrid between Fes and Argentina at the end of October. If we aren’t too exhausted, we will try to get there! It looks like they’re open until midnight! and thanks for the compliment. We try to be as genuine and transparent as we can. -Judy
We're actually working on something on our website that will give date information for all of our episodes. We were there from June 16-July 16. Thanks for watching! Not sure if you saw our Barcelona episode that we did before heading to Madrid, so I'll link it here just in case you're interested. -Judy 🎥 48 Hours in Barcelona (First Time In Spain!): ruclips.net/video/xoIWNnZWqNA/видео.html
Hi Enrique, I tried to make it clear that this was our favorite "cremeria." But then I actually *tried* to say "helado" later in the video. It may have sounded like gelato, but I promise it wasn't the word I used! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie, Judy, I could not understand what you called the ice cream eatery (probably due to background noise), but it did not sound like Gioelia. This company has over 40 locations in a few different countries. I assume you know that "h" is silent in Spanish (also in Italian), so "eLAdo" is the word. Here in the U.S., there are "Hellados Mexico" ice cream bars, but they are made in California. I wonder how many people do not buy them thinking they are imported from Mexico.
@@michaels3003 The place we spotlighted was a "cremeria," which is how I referenced it. The ice cream was absolutely wonderful and creamy. I think we ate there three times and it was far and away the best we ate (but it was a little out of the way for us, but the walk did us good!). I didn't realize it had so many locations, but if you find one, they're worth going to! I'm not sure if I actually mentioned the specific name of it beyond saying cremeria! Later when we were talking about prices I say helado, and I used this pronunciation guide for reference: ruclips.net/video/EMCOx0G7U4E/видео.htmlsi=FEs48YvAHo07O-By I've not seen these before in California, but I would imagine you're right! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Same with Cuban, Venezuelan, Argentinian, Colombian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Chilean, Brazilian food because the cuisines are direct descendants from Spain, and hot spices were not a "thing" ... oh and also The Philippines because they were ruled by Spain for 400 years (I used to work for a Filipino company here.) ♥
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Judy, you are always a captivating narrator at the beginning of your videos!
Thank you SO much for saying so! We really appreciate you taking the time to watch and also to give us this very kind compliment! -Judy
Ole 🎉 I miss Madrid so much
Thanks for watching, CK! We especially loved the architecture and the food! -Judy
Oh I can't wait we are heading there in November!!
Lots of great food here, Julia! We hope you love it! -Judy
We loved Madrid and can’t wait to return. Again, another of your videos which brought back so many beautiful memories. I celebrated my birthday at Botín and still have the sangria pitcher our waiter gifted me for my birthday - it’s identical to the one you show in your video! I made the reservation 6 months in advance!! As always, you knocked it out of the park!!! 👏🏻
What a precious and wonderful birthday experience, Maria! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! Botìn wasn't even on our radar before we arrived, but we are so glad we could experience it for ourselves! They also had tours available, but the amount of food that was built into the price was way too much for us. Thank you so much for watching! -Judy
The BOTIN food is always amazing! That Iberian Ham is quite special ♥
Do people typically eat the thick pigskin? I only had a bite or two. The food at Botìn was really tasty! And yes, I really loved the Iberian ham. Fortunately, it was everywhere! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie YES - those who don't mind having high cholesterol!
LOL. Good to know!
The CRYSTAL PALACE cannot be missed! ♥ There was nothing on the floor when I went :) Just open spaces!
That seems to be "normal" for this place based on old (2019) TripAdvisor's users' comments.
That is so helpful to know. Yes, it was really stunning. I guess if there were things inside of it there could be more concerns of vandalism. Could you actually go inside? Since it was under construction, we could not. -Judy
@michaels3003 Thanks for looking into it for us! -Judy
Crystal Palace is closed, I was in Retiro just 2 days ago and it was roped off
@sbkpilot1 it was closed when we were there, too. We could walk up to it, but it’s a vast empty space that I’m hearing was a former greenhouse. Not being able to enter didn’t diminish the experience for us though. It’s still an impressive building! -Judy
Totally enjoyed this from start to finish. Absolutely thorough and outstanding.
Very interesting to learn about the oldest restaurant in the work. That cost for 2 was not too bad.
Glad you guys had a date night.
I think that palace was absolutely outstanding, Mind blowing beauty.
Thanks so much for watching, John, and for your comment. For a fancy dinner, it wasn't bad at all, considering it was a touristy spot with such a cool reputation. We enjoyed the date, too! Yes, we loved the palace as well. We couldn't go inside, but it didn't matter. It was still pretty impressive! -Judy
You guys did great with your budget! We expected it to be much higher. Your video showcased Madrid beautifully and makes us want to book a month trip there soon.
Thanks so much for watching! We ended up cooking a good amount of the time and typically only eat two meals per day. Food was definitely our highest category next to our accommodations. Where we stayed was a great, central location, but the Airbnb wasn't the nicest. But it was worth it to us for a month to be able to experience Madrid more affordably than the $2-3K accommodations we've seen there. We hope you have a terrific time. Madrid is super walkable and there is a lot to see and do. We would recommend a day trip to Toledo if you can swing it. We weren't able to get there, and we were bummed to have missed it. -Judy
I love your cost breakdown per person! You're doing great, thank you for sharing 😊
Thank you so much for the feedback. It helps a lot to know we're getting close to what people want to see! -Judy
Madrid is fun, for sure! Been there a couple times, but it is a big and very crowded city so probably don't need to go back. For anyone who wants a different site to see, the archaeological museum is wonderful and you'll see interesting artifacts from across the ancient and pre-historic world. OHHH. Almost forgot. Had the most wonderful jamon and mushroom dish for lunch the last time we were there. Was delightful.
Hi Dan, It actually didn't feel so big or crowded to us when we were there. But we felt like it was expensive, which was a little disappointing. We had a few really excellent meals, but for us the whole tapas culture was way overrated for us. Your jamon and mushroom dish sounds amazing though! We actually wanted to see that museum, so I'm bummed we missed out on it. Also, we've heard a day trip to Toledo is well worth one's time. We just were too pressed for time between coming off of fast travel and preparing to get ahead of our videos before traveling back to the US and more fast travel. We're looking forward to seeing more of Spain! -Judy
I was there Sept 2023 and love my visit to Madrid. I had no issues with entry into all the museums. If you go later in the afternoon closure to dinner time there’s less people especially during the week day. Also toward the end of September is best to travel to Europe.
Hi Sar, Thanks for watching! We were shocked that at 6:30pm the lines at the Prado Museum were still so long (and sold out). But we were there in mid July, at peak season. It can be hard to visit certain places when we can't share them with our viewers, but we'll definitely come back to see Prado because we love art museums. We agree about visiting in September versus the summer. We had just come back from seven months in Asia/SE Asia, so we were ready to enjoy some time in Europe, but it can be crowded. So glad to hear you had a terrific experience. -Judy
The Reina Sofia was fascinating! ♥
Yes, we thought so, too! We aren't typically fans of modern art, but there was even more that we could have shared. There were some interesting exhibits there! -Judy
We have been to Spain 5 times. We go to different cities and then end in Madrid always. We were there this past September-October.It is my favorite city to visit. There is so much to do and see. We never take the subway bc like you said,you will miss a lot. My favorite area to stay is Barrio Las Letras, the restaurants are amazing and cute little boutiques much better than High end stores. Contrary to what people say Madrid is pretty safe to walk around, day and night. I hope. You get to go back. We had been to El Botin it was a nice restaurant and my husband loved it, but I didn’t. There are so many restaurants much better. It is a shame that you couldn’t go to El Prado, It is amazing.
Hi @grizelmarquez949, Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your experiences We also felt very safe in Madrid. Obviously there are sections that have some rough edges, but overall, we never really worried. Thanks for the suggestion about Barrio Las Letras. I just looked at our photos on a map and it doesn't look like we spent any time in that area. We think that there will be plenty of occasions for us to return to Madrid. We actually had a very quick overnight there en route to Argentina (and if the flight was cheaper, we would have spent more time here). We are seeing that many overnight stops can happen in Madrid! We liked El Botìn for its history and for the experience there, but we preferred El Pimiento Verde (elpimientoverde.com/la-taberna-del-pimiento), which I think is worth trying if you haven't already. It's a little speedy, but still less than half the price of El Botìn (but still not a place we could go to very often due to the price). It's hard for us to visit places that we can't share with our viewers, but I think we would have absolutely loved El Prado and would actually really enjoy making time there. I'd also heard of an Artwalk experience that we'd probably enjoy quite a bit.
Do you have other cities in Spain you'd recommend? We will be back in Europe in mid 2025. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie, no, there are no 'sections that have some rough edges' in Madrid. It is a city of 3.3M inhabitants and a metropolitan area of 8M, so there must be the occasional "wayward" person, but there is no area where you can't walk around peacefully at any time.
Robert, there most definitely are parts of Madrid that are less polished and where there is more crime. It would be a virtual anomaly for a city of its size not to have those areas. However, we specifically say we didn’t feel unsafe. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie, can you name those áreas and give figures?
@@robert111k The point was that they felt like slightly sketchy areas. I'm not going to debate with you whether the areas feel a little rougher to you or not or how much crime or other issues are in those places. -Judy
Hi Judy and Kevin, Lovely video as always. We were in Madrid in April and had a great time. We didn’t eat at Botin, but I have to give them a shout out as they were so nice to let us walk thru and see the restaurant plus even showed us the kitchen. We had a fabulous breakfast at Nomade Cafe. I even skipped out on another place to eat there twice and the owners were lovely there as well. Happy Travels. Take care, Tara.
Hi Tara, We didn't mention it, but Botìn actually offers tours and a set meal (lunch at noon or dinner at 7pm). It wasn't cheap, but it seems interesting. Right now the cost is €82 per person and includes the meal. In 2025 the price is going up to €93 per person with a required €29 per person deposit that goes towards the price. After dinner, you pay the €54 to the waiter for the full experience.
We are so glad you were able to have a walkthrough experience! Thanks for the recommendation about Nomade Cafe! I'm sure we'll be back. We had an interesting breakfast most days at Majaderitos, which was "bun bread" with a side of pulverized tomatoes, a packet of salt, and a small packet of olive oil. It actually was so delicious! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie oooh thats awesome, thanks for the tips. The food in Spain is absolutely fabulous. I know we will be heading thru the area again. Thanks for the reply :)
I adoreeee this city for me is a european style NY ...absolutelly stunning, cool and the vibes are incredibleeeee
Hi David, We agree, especially the Gran Via! Thanks for watching! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie greetings from Chicago
@@davidcrespo8026 The land of the deep dish pizza! Yummy! Greetings back to you from Buenos Aires, our current stop!-Judy
Nicely done! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for watching, Erin! We have so much more of Spain to experience. -Judy
El Prado was an amazing place, too! ♥
We were a bit squeezed for time because while we wanted to see as much as possible, we were exhausted from our fast travel with our daughter and then feeling like we needed to get ahead of our time in the US when we'd be visiting family and not have much down time. Fortunately, we know we will be back in Madrid (and Spain) again to catch it. Under those circumstances, it was a little harder to justify when we weren't going to be able to share photos with our viewers. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Aww, Judy. That's perfectly understandable! I do recommend more FALL e.g. October visits to Spain... when you can avoid the heat and large crowds. Retiro Park was a challenge to me because I had hard time with the sloping terrain and some crazy thing that happened to my upper legs. :)
LOL. Yes, we struggle with figuring out our time in Europe. We'll be back again next year from April-August. In fact, thanks to your note, I've spent a large part of the day putting together a tentative schedule through the end of April 2026! There will never be enough time to see everything! -Judy
We are planning journey to Madrid in february.
Hi @fifikyt5852, We hope you have a terrific time! It's a big city with so much to see. We barely scratched the surface! -Judy
Kevin, that steak looked amazing, but I think they forgot to cook it:)
I've been told that it's criminal offense in Spain to cook steaks well done. So, basically, I was just following the law. ;)
Great video! Thinking we’ll need an end of year recap of best gelato and coffee stops!
LOL. That actually sounds like a fun video ;) Do we get to physically go back to all our favorite places so we can do this review ;) Thanks for watching! -Judy
Told you the GRAN VIA was like NYC ♥
It was AMAZING! We are so glad we went there (a few times)! It was so worth it! I felt like a kid in a candy store with the amazing architecture everywhere! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Super!
Super
Thanks so much for watching! We took a brief trip to Barcelona as well if you're interested in watching! Both cities were very, very different, but each interesting in their own way. -Judy
🎥 48 Hours in Barcelona | Travel Guide: ruclips.net/video/xoIWNnZWqNA/видео.html
That dessert was a type of Flan
Hi Enrique: It was touted as "Nonna's cheesecake." They do have a flan, but this is technically a burnt "Basque" cheesecake, which is a bit deliberately undercooked in the middle. It was pretty tasty! Thank you so much for watching! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Ah OK... :) Just looked that way to me! My pleasure Judy
Nice! Your $3000 total cost for the month in Madrid is all-inclusive ? Including groceries, eating out, transport, tickets, etc ?
Just a suggestion- since you stayed there for 1 month, I would have loved it if your video had included a commentary - at the end - on how “liveable” the city is, vis-a-vis ur personal preferences ….. The hot summer weather, notwithstanding :)
Hi Mike, Yes, it is. Well, actually, for 28 days. It does not include the two days we spent in Barcelona. Our Madrid Airbnb was booked for 30 days, so the price we reference covers the full month even though we spent two of those nights in Barcelona. It also doesn't include things like our monthly costs such as cell service, health insurance, VPN, AppleTV. We're still trying to figure out how to discuss all that and whether it makes sense to do that in some other kind of cost episode. The cost of our flights to the US were a separate cost from the $3,000.
Also, our 2-night detour to Barcelona cost us $587.07 (or $293.54 apiece), but obviously we would have spent much less than that if we had spent the entire time in Madrid. -Judy
Thanks for the additional feedback about the extra commentary. We likely will do a recap at the end of the year with what we thought about each place. Would you want to know from a standpoint of whether it's a good city for expats (versus vacationers or something else)?
We thought the price of food in Madrid was pretty high and we had a bit of sticker shock, but that could also have been due to the cheaper prices in Asia (and then the very expensive trip we took with our daughter in Italy). We did a decent job of cooking some of our meals. We had some great tacos and good breakfasts (Kevin really enjoyed the honey coated croissants and I had these very interesting "bun bread" with a side of tomato puree, salt, and olive oil. Our video was getting really long so we didn't have time to discuss more. But we weren't a fan of tapas, which were often fairly carb heavy. And even though Italy is pretty carb heavy, too (!!!), there were more fried foods. We had to work a bit more to get salads. The market food was tasty, but again the prices added up quickly. When we went for nice meals, they were amazing, but they weren't cheap (our favorite was La Vanduca, but it cost €62, so we only went once. I hope this helps, and we value your input as we work to continue to improve our videos! -Judy
Thks for the additional info! Regarding your expensive 2 night side trip to Barcelona, my view is that for slow travel, it may be better in terms of overall sustainable budgeting to just stick to day trips to nearby locations (eg Toledo). Because slow travel over many years means that we may eventually have another opportunity to return to Spain again, during which we can then concentrate on yet another city and its immediate environs ?
But saying that, I would also find it very difficult to resist that side trip to Barcelona, haha 😊
Keep your ur travels and videos !
We agree, Mike. It's a conundrum at times because we also want to see new countries, too, so we have to balance the cities we visit. In Spain alone, there's probably half a dozen cities we want to visit (right off the top of our heads) and at a month apiece, that would cover half of a year. Visiting Barcelona at least gave us a taste of what it would be like to spend more time there. When it's an expensive city like Barcelona, we are actually okay with just spending a short time there because it may not ever be affordable for a month-plus we now have a better idea of where to stay and what to do. We didn't know about Antoni Gaudì's work, but we'd go back specifically to see that (and the Picasso Museum) versus anything else, which also can be covered in a short trip. Thank you so much for following along with us all this time! We love seeing your name and face pop up! -Judy
@@Property2030sg Hi Mike, the one drawback is that there are some very high priced European cities that will probably never be affordable for an entire month (Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Singapore). We'd miss out if we tried to eventually get back to them, so we are prepared at times to have a shorter stay just to get some time there. We are headed to Argentina in a few weeks and we'll be doing a few excursions in parts of the country (El Calafate and Iguaza Falls) where we'll only be staying a few days but then spending (hopefully) a full month in Buenos Aires. We foresee that we could have a few more of these types of experiences in other parts of South America. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Yes, how true :). It is just that if our original monthly budget is say $3000, it needs to be increased to $3500 monthly to accommodate overnight side trips to nearby big cities. Unfortunately, it raises the cost of slow travel. In slow travel, I guess that we are trying to sustainably live our “normal” day-to-day lives albeit in different cities of the world, but the fact is that we still need to take a “vacation” once a while to well-known must-visit places of attraction nearby! Whenever our budget permits :)
Look forward to ur adventures in Argentina !
I am SO surprised you were allowed to photograph Picasso's GUERNICA!
They allowed photos, but they weren't so happy that we had recorded it! We didn't see any signs saying we couldn't, so OOPS! We've never been in a museum before where they made a point to stop us. Usually unless you are endangering or close to endangering artwork, the docents don't really say much. We weren't sure if it was just that piece of work, but someone stopped us somewhere else, too, in that museum. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie There must have been fewer people there than when I went - the docents were all over alert to people taking pictures. I had to take MINE from the adjoining room!
They actually were around quite a bit. We were told TWICE to stop, including one right after we filmed that piece! I've never been in any museum before with such jumpy docents. -Judy
Great quality, very professional. Can I ask which camera you used for this video? I like the song choice too!
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words, @Kari-Evan! Our music is from Epidemic Sound: share.epidemicsound.com/747rgk
When we're out and about, we are using DJI Osmo Pocket 3, and for the VoiceOver we use a Sony FX30 and Sony ECM-B10 microphone.
Here's a link to our full gear list, which lists all our info! -Judy
⚙️ GEAR LIST: findingGinaMarie.com/gear
Another really good video, Judy & Kevin. I first saw one of your travel videos earlier this year when I was planning my trip to Vienna during this summer. I'm planning on going to Madrid in the Spring and saw that you had been there. How would you guys rate Madrid compared to Vienna?
Hi @thesilversurfer171, Thanks for watching! I feel like that's a big question. Both are spread out cities, have great architecture, and have high-quality art. I'd say that perhaps in certain ways Vienna is more refined and more formal. We aren't particularly fans of the tapas in Madrid, so we preferred some of the flavors of Vienna more. We also like Vienna's cafe culture. A lot of coffee shops in Madrid don't open early. I'd say that Madrid has more nightlife (bars). They're different, but somewhat similar. Not the greatest answer, but hopefully it helps somewhat! -Judy
@FindingGinaMarie Thanks for the very quick reply, Judy. It certainly does help. I absolutely loved Vienna, and had a feeling Madrid is not quite as nice, but after watching some videos, including yours, I think it's definitely worth a visit. I hope you are both well and enjoying your time wherever you are at the moment. Regards, Akhtar, in Glasgow, Scotland.
Hi Akhtar, first off, we enjoyed our brief time in Glasgow, and Scotland is one of our favorite countries! There's snow in Madrid right now, so I might pick a warmer time of year! But we did enjoy Madrid. When I was trying to compare and contrast, there is more alike than different, especially when you venture into various parts of each city. Neither was a cheap city, but Madrid might be a little more budget friendly. I think if you enjoyed Vienna, you will also appreciate Madrid. Thanks so much for leaving us this comment and for sharing your name. It always is nice to get a deeper connection to our viewers! -Judy
J n K,
Thank you for the inputs. Madrid is my target for 2025.
Thanks so much for watching, @muravi8167! There is a lot to see and do in Madrid. We wanted to see a flaminco dance as well, but we ran out of time. We didn't include this restaurant, but if you're looking for a splurge meal outside of Botìn, we recommend this place: elpimientoverde.com/la-taberna-del-pimiento/
They had one of our tastiest meals here, but you might want to make reservations in advance. We lucked out, but we saw people being turned away. And truly the prices weren't outrageous (much cheaper than Botìn, but expensive for us at $76).
We'd love to know what you think of Madrid and Barcelona when you return! -Judy
I can’t wait to see Spain! Loved your video. Wow where did you find such great prices on your flight? Is that one way back to the US? How early did you book it? 👍
Hi Diana, Thanks so much for watching! This was a one-way ticket, which is typically what we buy. We purchased it on January 28 and we left Madrid on July 16. It's Iberian Air and it does include the cost of checked bags (ugh) and seat assignments, so that wasn't terrible (but it still stings as a one-way ticket a bit). -Judy
So far, I think Madrid is our favorite city that we have visited.
Hi Stan, You have the advantage of speaking Spanish, correct? That puts a great spin on things. But that's interesting because you've been to several cities in Spain already. We only barely scratched the surface. I was pleasantly surprised by Madrid. I absolutely love how walkable it is! Thank you so much for watching! Safe travels! -Judy
That's a really great price for the Airbnb, how much in advance did you book? Due to logistics I had only a month to book and Airbnbs were running over $3000/month yikes! Even rooms with a private bath were asking $2000/month. I had to get a room in the outskirts for a reasonable price.
Hi @sbkpilot1, We booked on Jan. 28 for our reservation beginning June 16. We learned last year that prices in all of Spain can be eye-wateringly expensive, which is why we tried to book fairly early when we saw this listing. Granted, this was a very basic Airbnb, but for the price and location, we were fine with it. It has really good reviews because the host was very transparent about everything, but it still wasn't the easiest Airbnb we've been in. Would we book it again for that price and location? Probably! We hope you have a terrific time! -Judy
Good video of the city views. Where did you stay for a month? How much did the accommodations cost?
You might have missed our pricing at the end and part of our intro where we talk about being in La Latina about a 10-minute (or less) walk to Plaza Mayor. For a month it cost us $1,699.86 (or $56.66 per night). It was a fabulous location and the price is right, but the Airbnb itself was a little underwhelming. -Judy
🎥 48 Hours in Barcelona: ruclips.net/video/xoIWNnZWqNA/видео.html
This "palace" (previously used as a greenhouse, but maybe decades ago) just "sits there pretty," with some occasional art exhibits. This what I've found on the webs.
That's so interesting and not ideal. It is so beautiful that it sort of deserves to have more going on with it! And the floors deserved some special mosaic treatment or something! Thanks for watching and for this bit of info. We saw that it has art exhibits occasionally, but we weren't sure whether things wore recently scraped out for an overhaul. 🤷♀️ -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie , because it was built as a "greenhouse" (in 1800s!), it is very warm,or hot, inside. Not good for art that is not heat proof 🙂.
@@michaels3003 You are right! It could use a deep cleaning, but it really is a beautiful space! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie , Madrid looks lovely. The "webs" say most of the wealth came from gold and silver taken from South American countries. Well, they don't use the word "taken," but they don't say buy or trade...
@@michaels3003 😳😱 I can believe that "taken" is the more appropriate term for it! But that's no bueno. 😞 History is full of that stuff, and I think when we were learning about it, we didn't take the time to think through what it actually meant and how horrible it was to do. -Judy
Did you get churros and hot chocolate at Chocolateria San Gines? IMO one of the best desserts in Madrid.
Sorry, Tim, we didn't. We aren't big fans of milk chocolate, and churros in the morning seemed too sweet for us, which is when we saw most people eat them. But it looks like San Ginés might have been worth trying since it looks like they have dark chocolate. I would have liked to have tried them, but not enough to order it. Kevin did get plain ones once and they were tasty. I guess it's a reason to return! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie they were a nice treat late in the evening after a nice paseo (walk/stroll) with a decaf cappuccino and the dark chocolate was excellent. However, a single order was enough to share.
We saw Botin on Phil Rosenthal's Netflix show and while it looked good it would have been far too much food for us.
BTW, do you get any ideas from travel writers like Rick Steeves or Phil Rosenthal for food? Both have given us a few ideas in both Italy and Spain and Jose Andres program on HBO/MAX was a great guide in Spain.
@tkozikow My fixed price menu was a lot, but nothing nearly what you'd get if you took the Botìn tour and ate their set menu. We mistakenly thought Kevin's filet was just going to be a piece of meat. We had no idea it was a rounded-out entree. Your "nightcap" 😉 sounds terrific. We ate enough in Madrid that we really didn't have very much in the way of late-night eating (maybe because I knew we would be back in the US seeing family that I was trying to not overeat too much). We definitely missed out.
We aren't regular viewers of too many RUclipsrs' travel videos in some ways because we don't want to be copycats and do what they've already done. We do watch them but not consistently. It may make more sense with these huge channels to ensure we don't miss something important. It's a fine line to straddle. But we LOVE to get recommendations from our viewers and visiting those places. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie if nothing else Phil's shows are wildly entertaining, but I would agree that you are probably not going to gain much from 'influencers'. TBH I hate that that even exists since you really don't know what bias they are bringing or who is supporting them. OTOH I like your channel since you seem to be enjoying yourselves without an agenda.
We actually have a short overnight layover in Madrid between Fes and Argentina at the end of October. If we aren’t too exhausted, we will try to get there! It looks like they’re open until midnight! and thanks for the compliment. We try to be as genuine and transparent as we can. -Judy
Wondering what month you were in Madrid? I don’t think it was mentioned.
We're actually working on something on our website that will give date information for all of our episodes. We were there from June 16-July 16. Thanks for watching! Not sure if you saw our Barcelona episode that we did before heading to Madrid, so I'll link it here just in case you're interested. -Judy
🎥 48 Hours in Barcelona (First Time In Spain!): ruclips.net/video/xoIWNnZWqNA/видео.html
Ice cream is NOT GELATO in Spain, it is "Helado" :) Which means frozen!
If used as a noun, the Internet sources say: ice cream. It means "frozen" when used as an adjective (adjetivo).
Hi Enrique, I tried to make it clear that this was our favorite "cremeria." But then I actually *tried* to say "helado" later in the video. It may have sounded like gelato, but I promise it wasn't the word I used! -Judy
Hi @michaels3003, We always love a good backstory on language learning! Thanks! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie, Judy, I could not understand what you called the ice cream eatery (probably due to background noise), but it did not sound like Gioelia. This company has over 40 locations in a few different countries.
I assume you know that "h" is silent in Spanish (also in Italian), so "eLAdo" is the word. Here in the U.S., there are "Hellados Mexico" ice cream bars, but they are made in California. I wonder how many people do not buy them thinking they are imported from Mexico.
@@michaels3003 The place we spotlighted was a "cremeria," which is how I referenced it. The ice cream was absolutely wonderful and creamy. I think we ate there three times and it was far and away the best we ate (but it was a little out of the way for us, but the walk did us good!). I didn't realize it had so many locations, but if you find one, they're worth going to! I'm not sure if I actually mentioned the specific name of it beyond saying cremeria! Later when we were talking about prices I say helado, and I used this pronunciation guide for reference: ruclips.net/video/EMCOx0G7U4E/видео.htmlsi=FEs48YvAHo07O-By
I've not seen these before in California, but I would imagine you're right! -Judy
SPANISH FOOD IS NEVER SPICY! I blame the US obsession with Mexican food for that offense!
Unfortunately, I do like a bit of spice-in nearly everything I eat, but I realize that isn't the case in most areas of the world. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Same with Cuban, Venezuelan, Argentinian, Colombian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Chilean, Brazilian food because the cuisines are direct descendants from Spain, and hot spices were not a "thing" ... oh and also The Philippines because they were ruled by Spain for 400 years (I used to work for a Filipino company here.) ♥
It makes sense. Thanks for the insights, Enrique. -Judy