If you come from a place where you have snow during Christmas, you’re probably thinking there’s no other place as beautiful, cosy and special as yours. Let’s talk about it.

The short answer is yes and no. Of course snow in Christmas is super special and we feel like in a fairy tale…but there are other places that are still quite interesting for Christmas even though they might not have the insane amount of snow that your place has. So Madrid is one of those places in Europe where you have so many different things happening during Christmas. So I want to share with you 4 things that you might want to do if you come here at least in December.

Before I forget, this is the video in case you prefer to watch a more complete version:

Let’s dive into the 4 things you might want to add to your list if you come to Madrid during December.

4) EL GORDO

For centuries Spaniards have kept the tradition of betting to win the Christmas lottery. They call it El Gordo, The Fat One because it’s big money.

The price of a full El Gordo Christmas lottery number is €200. It’s then broken up into €20 décimos or tenths of a ticket. Spaniards will often purchase décimos of different numbers to have more chances. Having said that, I still need to get mine for this year!

The truth is that it’s not about the money. This is about the sense of community. “El mayor premio es compartirlo” is the lottery’s slogan. In English this means “The greatest prize is sharing”.

You’ll quickly realise that the most common conversation in December is about El Gordo and how many décimos they’re getting!

3) SEE THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS 

This year sees the return of Naviluz, the Christmas bus, which takes passengers down some of Madrid’s most emblematic streets to show off the city’s wonderful display of Christmas lights.

The general tickets cost 6€ and the journey lasts approximately 50 minutes and buses run very often.

The bus will take you to some iconic places such as Plaza Colón, Calle Serrano, Plaza de la Independencia, Plaza de Cibeles, Alcalá, Plaza de España and so on.

2) VISIT THE CHRISTMAS MARKETS

Mercado de Navidad de Plaza Mayor

This is he main Christmas market in Madrid and perhaps the most beautiful square of the city. There are over 100 market stalls  market stalls and a lot of Christmas tree decorations to complement the scene. Apparently it as been around since 1860.

Mercado de San Miguel

This is not a real Christmas market but they’re decorating it very nicely to be in line withe most important event of the year. It’s one of my favourite spots even though I tend to recommend not to go crazy about it as prices can go up significantly. Another option that I enjoy too is Mercado de la Paz.

Mercadillo de Navidad – El Corte Inglés Castellana

Interesting fact is that this market is actually in the parking lot of El Corte Inglés Castellana. I found it to be a very refreshing surprise. Of course there are lot of people but it has some elements of that Northern European feeling. Good food, fantastic lights, little cabins close to each other, big tables to share with other people and it feels cosy.

1) EAT ROSCÓN

In Spain, it’s all about Roscón de Reyes. Yes, forget about the ginger biscuits and other stuff. Surely turrón (nougat) and polvorines (shortbread) are widely available… but the star here is the Roscón!

This is a large bagel shape cake (not a real cake but more like a brioche to be fair) and if you have limited knowledge about cooking like myself, you’d think it’s a massive doughnut. I’m lucky I grew up eating this in Argentina but if not I’d find myself a bit lost seeing it.

Spaniards eat Roscón for Christmas and Three Kings (Epiphany) whereas in Argentina this is more common during Easter… although I’ve seen it for Three Kings too. I just think it’s more common in Easter in Argentina.

So if you come to Spain in December/January, just make sure you try Roscón!