La Violeta, on Plaza de Canalejas, sells Madrid’s best-known souvenir, and like most classic gifts here it is solid, which matters if you fly with hand luggage only: a box of violet sweets from La Violeta on Plaza de Canalejas costs 2.70 euros, rope-soled espadrilles from Casa Hernanz on Calle Toledo cost 11.50 euros, and a ceramic magnet from Real Fábrica costs 8.90 euros. What does not fit the cabin is a bottle of vermouth, and canned fish depends on the tin: the security limit is 100 ml per container. And plan the shopping for a weekday or Saturday morning, because several classic shops close on Saturday afternoon and publish no Sunday hours.
What should I buy in Madrid? For a small gift, violet sweets from La Violeta, 2.70 euros a box. For something to wear, espadrilles from Casa Hernanz, 11.50 euros, if you know the size. For a big present, the Sofía poncho from Seseña, 300 euros. For football fans, a keyring from the Real Madrid store on Gran Vía, 12 euros.
- Hand luggage: solids only; liquids and pastes up to 100 ml.
- Saturday afternoon: Casa Hernanz and Seseña are closed.
- Sunday: Real Madrid store, El Jardín del Convento, Real Fábrica.
What can I take home in hand luggage?
At airport security, liquids go in containers of 100 ml or less, all inside one transparent one-litre bag per passenger, children included. The rule also covers pastes, creams and jams, and it does not apply to checked luggage.
The trap is the small bottle. Real Fábrica sells a Zarro vermouth in an 18.75 cl bottle for 5.90 euros: that is 187.5 ml, nearly twice the cabin limit. Its sardine pâté, 3.90 euros, is sold by weight, 100 grams, not by volume, so check the container or pack it in the hold. Whether food is allowed into your home country is another question, for your customs, not Spanish security.
Which classic Madrid souvenirs are worth buying?
| Gift | Shop | Price | Hand luggage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violet sweets, 100 g | La Violeta, Plaza de Canalejas 6 | 2.70 euros | Yes |
| Madrid fridge magnet | ZiNGS, Calle Alcalá 231 | 3 euros | Yes |
| Ceramic swallow magnet | Real Fábrica, Cervantes 9 | 8.90 euros | Yes, wrapped |
| Convent orange shortbread | El Jardín del Convento, Cordón 1 | 8.70 euros | Yes |
| Plana Tradicional espadrilles | Casa Hernanz, Toledo 18 | 11.50 euros | Yes |
| Real Madrid crest keyring | Real Madrid store, Gran Vía 31 | 12 euros | Yes |
| Sofía poncho / Leonor cape | Seseña, Cruz 23 | 300 / 360 euros | Yes |
| Zarro vermouth, 18.75 cl | Real Fábrica | 5.90 euros | No |
These are the prices each shop lists online; stock in the shop changes, so if you want one exact piece, check it is there before you go.
Violet sweets. La Violeta, at Plaza de Canalejas 6, sells the small purple sweets Madrid is known for: 2.70 euros for a 100 gram box of about 60 sweets, measuring 11 × 6 × 2.5 cm, or 5.40 euros for 200 grams. It also sells real crystallised violet flowers, 6 euros for 50 grams, a different and more fragile product. Open Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 20:00.
Espadrilles. Casa Hernanz, at Calle Toledo 18, has made rope-soled shoes since 1845. The Plana Tradicional, cotton with a jute and rubber sole, costs 11.50 euros in sizes 35 to 48, and the shop advises your usual size.
Capes. Seseña, at Calle de la Cruz 23, makes capes in Madrid: the Sofía poncho costs 300 euros and the Leonor cape 360 euros.
Fans and umbrellas. Casa de Diego, at Puerta del Sol 12, by Sol Metro (lines 1, 2 and 3), sells fans, umbrellas and shawls; ask for prices in store, by model.
Are the shops open at weekends?
Opening hours are the catch for a short stay, because the traditional shops keep shorter hours than the chains.
Casa Hernanz opens Monday to Friday 9:30 to 13:30 and 16:30 to 20:00, closing for lunch, and Saturday only until 14:00. Seseña opens weekdays 10:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 10:30 to 14:30, and closes for a few weeks in August. On Sunday, the shops with published hours are the Real Madrid store, El Jardín del Convento and Real Fábrica; confirm Real Fábrica’s times before you go. More in which shops open on Sunday in Madrid.
Where can I buy convent sweets?
El Jardín del Convento, at Calle del Cordón 1, sells sweets made in Spanish convents, open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 14:30 and 17:30 to 20:30, closed Monday. Its corazones de naranja, orange shortbread made by Poor Clare nuns in Extremadura, cost 8.70 euros. To buy directly from a convent, the Carboneras convent at Plaza del Conde de Miranda 3 sells biscuits and pastries through a revolving hatch, 9:30 to 13:00 and 16:30 to 18:15; selling days are not published. At Christmas, see where to buy turrón in Madrid.
Where do I buy football souvenirs?
The Real Madrid store at Gran Vía 31 opens every day, 11:00 to 21:00. A small gift that packs flat is the crest keyring, 13 × 6.5 cm, for 12 euros; the 10.20 euros shown online is the members’ price.
The Atlético de Madrid store is at Gran Vía 47, open Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 21:30, Friday and Saturday until 22:00, and from 11:00 on Sunday, with closing time to be confirmed. For a match, how to get Real Madrid tickets.
Can I get the VAT back?
If you live outside the European Union, yes: ask for the tax-free form when you pay. The steps are in tax-free shopping in Madrid. For other shopping, see the best shopping areas in Madrid and, on Sunday mornings, El Rastro.
What might disappoint
Buying espadrilles as a gift without the size: the shop’s advice is your usual size, which you need to know. Expecting Madrid-made ceramics: Antigua Casa Talavera, on Calle Isabel la Católica, sells pottery from Talavera, Toledo, Seville and other Spanish towns. And leaving it all to Sunday morning before a flight: La Violeta, Casa Hernanz and Seseña publish no Sunday hours.
Madrid souvenirs, questions
What is Madrid famous for to buy?
Violet sweets, sold by La Violeta on Plaza de Canalejas at 2.70 euros for a 100 gram box; rope-soled espadrilles from Casa Hernanz on Calle Toledo, from 11.50 euros; fans and umbrellas from Casa de Diego on Puerta del Sol; and from Seseña on Calle de la Cruz, the Sofía poncho at 300 euros or the Leonor cape at 360 euros.
Can I take Spanish vermouth home in hand luggage?
Not in a normal bottle. Liquids, pastes and creams in hand luggage must be in containers of 100 ml or less, inside one transparent one-litre bag per passenger. Even the small 18.75 cl Zarro vermouth bottle is 187.5 ml, so it has to go in checked luggage.
Which souvenir shops are open on Sunday in Madrid?
The Real Madrid store at Gran Vía 31 opens every day from 11:00 to 21:00, El Jardín del Convento opens Tuesday to Sunday, and Real Fábrica opens on Sundays too. La Violeta, Casa Hernanz and Seseña publish no Sunday hours.
What are cheap souvenirs from Madrid?
A 100 gram box of violet sweets costs 2.70 euros at La Violeta, a Madrid fridge magnet 3 euros at ZiNGS, and a ceramic swallow magnet 8.90 euros at Real Fábrica. All three are solid and small enough for hand luggage.
Buy solids, shop before Saturday lunch, and put the vermouth in the hold.