Christmas in Madrid is mostly free and on the street, so the real choice is which dates to travel. Come between 28 November, when the nativity scenes open next to the Plaza Mayor market, and 23 December and everything runs at once, museums included. Come for Christmas week and you plan around closures: the Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía all shut on 25 December and 1 January, and on Christmas Eve the Metro stops at 10pm. Only three things need booking: the San Silvestre Vallecana race, ALSA’s Naviluz bus and the CentroCentro nativity pass.
Christmas in Madrid is the season of street lights, nativity scenes and markets that the city and regional governments run in the centre from late November to 6 January.
Is Madrid worth visiting at Christmas? Yes, if you avoid planning museums for 25 December and 1 January, when the Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía close. In the 2025-26 season Madrid lit its streets from 6pm between 22 November and 6 January, the Plaza Mayor market ran to 31 December and the Three Kings parade left at 6pm on 5 January.
When should you go to Madrid at Christmas?
The dates below are from the 2025-26 season; the 2026-27 programme comes out in late November.
- Late November to 23 December is the window for a first visit. The lights, the Plaza Mayor market, the nativity scenes and normal museum hours all overlap, and the lights stay on until midnight Sunday to Thursday and 1am on Friday and Saturday. On the busiest nights Madrid City Council can make Preciados and Carmen one-way for pedestrians. The route is in Christmas lights in Madrid.
- Christmas week suits a festive trip more than a sightseeing one. On 24 and 31 December the Prado opens 10am to 2pm and the Thyssen 10am to 3pm, and on the 25th nothing big opens, as covered in what’s open in Madrid on Christmas Day.
- New Year to 6 January is for the countdown and the parade. The square in Sol holds 15,000 people from 10pm, with entry streets in New Year’s Eve at Puerta del Sol, and the parade route and best spots are in the Three Kings Parade.
- After 6 January the lights are off, but the Plaza de España fair and ice rink ran until 11 January and the Museo de San Isidro and Madrid History Museum nativity scenes stayed until 18 January and 1 February.
What do you need to book before you fly?
- The San Silvestre Vallecana on 31 December costs €27, €29 or €31 by entry number, plus an €0.80 fee, and closes at 11pm on 23 December. You collect the race shirt in person between 26 and 30 December, so arrive by the 30th. Details in the San Silvestre Vallecana race.
- The Naviluz bus ran 23 November to 6 January, except 24 and 31 December and 5 January. Adults paid €12 to €15, or €9 from the 9pm departure, and according to ALSA there is no refund for rain. It covers Serrano and Goya, not Sol, as explained in the Naviluz Christmas lights bus.
- The CentroCentro nativity gives free timed passes every 30 minutes, with a €0.50 fee online and last entry at 7pm. The Sol scene needs nothing and opens until 10pm; both are compared in nativity scenes in Madrid.
How Christmas in Spain differs from home
- Presents come on 6 January, from the Three Kings, so the parade on the evening of the 5th is the big family night and the 6th is a public holiday.
- Christmas Eve is a family dinner at home. Day buses end around 8.30pm and the last Metro trains leave the terminus at 9.30pm, so a late dinner out means a taxi or a night bus.
- Restaurants decide for themselves whether they open on 24, 25 and 31 December and with what menu: ask when you book, and book early. Service is not added to the bill, so tipping is optional and small.
- New Year’s Eve means twelve grapes at the twelve chimes of the Sol clock, and the square rehearses them at midnight on 30 December.
- Pack for cold evenings. December lows in Madrid average about 3.6 degrees, and the Naviluz top deck is open.
Landing in Madrid over Christmas
Check your arrival time against the transport, because the holiday nights change it.
| Way into town | Fare | Christmas catch |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi | Fixed €33 to anywhere inside the M-30 ring road | None, and the safest bet late on 24 December |
| Exprés Aeropuerto bus | €5, paid on board | Runs 24 hours, but ends at Cibeles at night instead of Atocha |
| Metro | Single ticket plus the €3 airport supplement | Last trains around 9.30pm on Christmas Eve |
On any other night the Metro runs until 1.30am, so it only fails you on the 24th.
A free afternoon walk in the centre
The Royal Palace, Sol and Cibeles line up west to east, and closing times set the order.
Start with the Belén del Príncipe at the Royal Palace, which follows palace hours and shuts at 6pm, then CentroCentro before its 7pm last entry. The lights come on at 6pm: walk the 2.2 km from Banco de España down to the Plaza Mayor, where the 104 stalls stay open until 9pm, or 10pm on Fridays, Saturdays and holiday eves, as covered in the Plaza Mayor Christmas market. Finish at the Sol nativity, open until 10pm.
Frequently asked questions about Christmas in Madrid
What should I book for Christmas in Madrid?
Only three things. The San Silvestre Vallecana race closes at 11pm on 23 December or when its 42,000 numbers sell out. ALSA’s Naviluz lights bus cost €12 to €15 for adults in 2025-26. The CentroCentro nativity scene is free with a timed pass.
What is open in Madrid on Christmas Day?
The streets, the lights from 6pm and, in 2025, the CentroCentro nativity scene from 10.30am to 1pm. The Prado, the Thyssen, the Reina Sofía and the Royal Palace all close on 25 December, and the Metro starts at 8am.
When is the Three Kings parade in Madrid?
On 5 January, leaving Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz at 6pm and reaching Cibeles just before 9pm. It is free and needs no ticket, and the Kings bring presents to Spanish children on the morning of 6 January.
Does Madrid have a Christmas market?
Yes, in the Plaza Mayor, with 104 stalls of nativity figures, decorations and joke items, from 27 November to 31 December in 2025. It sells no mulled wine or food. The Plaza de España fair with an ice rink stayed open until 11 January.
Pick your dates first; in Madrid the calendar, not the ticket queue, decides what you see.