Madrid

Capital of Spain: population, location, elevation, climate and landmarks.

Overview

Madrid is the capital of Spain. About 3.3 million people live in the city proper, making it the 1st largest city of Spain in our atlas.

It lies at 40.42° N, 3.70° W, about 665 m (2,182 ft) above sea level, and keeps time on the Europe/Madrid time zone.

Location

Red dot: Madrid. Green dots: other major cities of Spain. Map data: Natural Earth.

Climate

Madrid has a Mediterranean (hot summer) climate (Köppen Csa). The warmest month is usually Jul, with average highs near 34°C (93°F); the coolest nights come in Jan at about -1°C (30°F). Around 448 mm (18 in) of rain and snow falls in a typical year, most of it in Oct.

8°-1°Jan3810°-1°Feb3914°2°Mar4818°5°Apr5223°9°May4230°14°Jun2234°17°Jul933°17°Aug1427°13°Sep2420°8°Oct6613°2°Nov549°0°Dec40mm

Bars: average daily high and low (°C) for each month; blue columns and figures: average precipitation (mm). Gridded 2001-2025 averages from NASA POWER, so mountain and coastal spots can differ from local station records.

Landmarks and places to see

Spanish
SpanishRomance language originating in the Iberian Peninsula
Bernabéu
BernabéuReal Madrid's home ground, stadium in Madrid
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina SofíaNational museum of art in Madrid, Spain
Royal Spanish Academy
Royal Spanish AcademyOfficial regulator for the Spanish language
Royal Palace of Madrid
Royal Palace of MadridOfficial residence of the Spanish Royal Family
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Thyssen-Bornemisza MuseumArt museum in Madrid, Spain
Puerta del Sol
Puerta del SolSquare in Madrid, Spain
Torre Moeve
Torre MoeveSkyscraper in Madrid, Spain

Popular sights within a few kilometres of the city centre, ranked by how widely they are documented on Wikipedia.

What to eat in SpainNational dishes, street food, desserts and drinks on Intercontinental Chef.

Nearby major cities

← SpainAll cities

Sources

Text written by Geographical Effect from these sources.

Photo credits
  • Eñe on keyboard - grey: Unknown, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Estadio Santiago Bernabéu Madrid: Zoser, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • MNCARS 05: Luis García (Zaqarbal), CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Fachada de la Real Academia Española: Real Academia Española, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Palacio Real de Madrid Julio 2016 (cropped): Tim Adams, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Site of the Retiro and the Prado in Madrid 49 (29684554308): Kyle Magnuson from Los Angeles, United States, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Puerta del Sol (Madrid) 10: Tomás Fano, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Torre Cepsa (Madrid) 01: Luis García (Zaqarbal), CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)