Madrid’s December long weekend is the first big Christmas weekend of the season, and in 2026 it lasts four days, from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December. Constitution Day falls on a Sunday this year, so the regional work calendar moves the holiday to Monday 7, and Tuesday 8 is the Immaculate Conception. Spaniards call it el puente, the bridge, and the Comunidad de Madrid, the regional government, sets these dates in its yearly work calendar. For a visitor it changes two things: which museums are free on which day, and El Rastro, the Sunday flea market, which also sets up on holidays and so runs three mornings in a row.
What is open in Madrid on the December long weekend of 2026? Nearly everything. The Prado Museum opens on all four days with a free late-afternoon window, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is free on Monday 7 from 12:00 to 16:00, and the Rastro flea market runs on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The one big closure is the Reina Sofía Museum on Tuesday 8.
Is the long weekend a good time to come?
For museums and street life, yes. The Christmas lights are already on, the Plaza Mayor Christmas market is open, and the two holidays add free entry windows that a normal Monday or Tuesday would not.
Unlike 24, 25 and 31 December, which close many doors, nothing on these four days runs short hours; the late-December closures are in what is open in Madrid at Christmas.
The drawback is that locals are in town too. Anything with a fixed capacity, from family Christmas attractions to the lights bus, sells its top-priced tickets for these dates.
Which museum is free on which day?
Plan Monday 7 around the free windows, because the Prado opens free in the late afternoon and the other two line up around it: the Thyssen from 12:00 to 16:00, the Prado from 17:00 to 19:00 and the Reina Sofía from 19:00 to 21:00. The rules behind each are in the Thyssen’s free Mondays, the Prado’s free evening hours and the Reina Sofía free hours.
On Sunday 6 the Reina Sofía is free all day, since 6 December is one of its free-entry dates, but on Sundays the Reina closes at 14:30. On the Saturday and Sunday the eight state museums at 3 euros are also free, from 14:00 on Saturday, and that free entry does not carry over to the two holidays, as the state museums guide explains.
What runs on each day of the long weekend?
The Rastro sets up on Sundays and public holidays from 9:00 to 15:00, which gives three mornings in a row this year; details are in the Rastro Sunday market. Keep your phone and wallet zipped away there, the crowded lanes being the classic pickpocket spot described in pickpockets in Madrid.
How do you get around and eat on a holiday?
Metro de Madrid runs its usual 6:00 to 1:30 on holidays, and a single journey is priced as set out in Madrid Metro ticket prices. The Royal Palace of Madrid keeps its winter hours of 10:00 to 18:00 Monday to Saturday and closes at 16:00 on Sundays, and Patrimonio Nacional can close it for state events, so book a timed ticket; a palace visit takes about an hour and a half.
Meal times do not move for the holiday: lunch here is served from about 14:00 and dinner starts around 21:00, so a 19:00 museum exit leaves time for a walk under the Christmas lights before eating. Families with young children can add the Santa visit in where to see Santa in Madrid, which costs 25 euros on these dates. The wider season is in Christmas in Madrid.
Madrid December long weekend FAQ
Is 8 December a holiday in Madrid?
Yes. The Immaculate Conception on 8 December is a public holiday across the Madrid region, and in 2026 Monday 7 December is one too, because Constitution Day falls on Sunday 6 and moves to the Monday. That makes a four-day weekend from Saturday 5.
Are shops and museums open on Madrid’s December holidays?
Museums mostly are. The Prado opens on all four days with a free window in the late afternoon, and the Thyssen is free on Monday 7 from 12:00 to 16:00. The Reina Sofía closes on Tuesday 8, as it does every Tuesday.
Is the Rastro open on 7 and 8 December?
Yes. The Rastro flea market sets up on Sundays and public holidays from 9:00 to 15:00, so in 2026 it runs on Sunday 6, Monday 7 and Tuesday 8.
Is the Reina Sofía free on 6 December?
Yes. 6 December is one of the Reina Sofía’s free-entry dates, and in 2026 it falls on a Sunday, when the museum opens from 10:00 to 14:30.
Does the Madrid Metro run normally on public holidays?
Yes. Metro de Madrid keeps the same hours on holidays as on any other day, from 6:00 to 1:30, so the long weekend needs no change of plans for getting around.
Book the Monday around three free museums and the Rastro will take care of the mornings.