Exploring Spain: Madrid, Valencia, and Mallorca

I’ve been living in Europe for almost three years now, and about a year after I moved, my sister joined me. She was in France at the time, doing an online university program that allows her to live and study in a different country each year. When she moved to Madrid for her next term, I decided I would visit her during my semester break—and of course, I started by doing what I do best: searching for flights!

We even decided to fit in a little vacation for her as well. She had a long weekend while I was going to be there and wanted to visit another Spanish city. Since flights within Spain are pretty affordable, we chose somewhere with a bit more warmth: the island of Palma de Mallorca! With google flights I booked a multi-city flight: Munich to Madrid, Madrid to Palma, and Palma to Frankfurt. With the flights locked in, I just needed to book a hostel for Palma. Thankfully, I didn’t need to worry about accommodations in Madrid—knowing people in the places you travel to is the best!

We found a budget-friendly and pretty central hostel in Palma via Hostelworld.com called The Boc Hostels – City. Normally, I book a few activities through GetYourGuide ahead of time, but this time, I decided to just go with the flow. And now, onto my week in Spain!

Day 1 – Madrid

Arriving in Madrid was simple. After my flight, I took a bus to where my sister lives. Uber is an option, but the metro is easy to navigate and more affordable. While she was in online classes, I explored the city solo.

I started at the Royal Palace Grounds. It was stunning with lush gardens in front and a magnificent building behind them. I didn’t go inside, though I’ve heard the interior is just as impressive. Right across from it, the blue exterior of Almudena Cathedral stood out beautifully.

I continued toward Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, where there’s plenty of shopping and a buzzing city atmosphere. My sister eventually met up with me there, and we wandered more before grabbing tapas near the venue for our flamenco show. We ate at La Panera Rosa, which was delicious! My family has a thing for places named “Rosa”—we snap photos of anything with the name and share them in our group chat.

At the flamenco show, we were seated near the front. We ordered sangria, and the performance began. It was mesmerizing watching the dancers’ dresses swirl in rhythm. There were two women and one man dancing, accompanied by two musicians playing guitar and singing with full passion. You could tell they loved what they were doing. It was a great cultural experience, though not something I necessarily need to do again.

We ended the evening with a short walk and then took the metro back home.

Day 2 – Café Hopping & Cooking Class

While my sister attended more online classes, I decided to get productive with schoolwork too. I love studying in cafés, but many had laptop bans- even on a Tuesday! After checking out several places, I found Lilo Café, which allows computer use. Super cute, and you can order everything online via QR code.

Later, I walked through El Retiro Park, which was peaceful, and full of monuments. Then came the highlight: my paella and sangria-making class that I booked through GetYourGuide the day before.

First, we made sangria using tempranillo wine, brandy, vermouth, simple syrup, peach syrup, carbonated water, cinnamon, and orange juice, plus fruit slices.

Then came the paella: chicken broth, olive oil, red pepper pulp, garlic, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, chicken, prawns, bomba rice, saffron, and salt. We sautéed the veggies, added chicken, mixed in spices and rice, and finally poured in hot broth. Once boiling, it simmered without stirring, with prawns added at the 8-minute mark. It was incredibly tasty, and I highly recommend the class!

Since my sister has been living in Madrid for a while, she knows some of the local activities. One of her weekly routines is a board game meetup every Wednesday, so I tagged along during my visit. We got to learn a few new games, meet some friendly people, and had a great time overall!

Day 3 – Valencia

The next day, we took a train to Valencia. The ride was around two hours and went by fast. When we arrived, we started walking around and came across a market near the station. We grabbed an éclair and some salami and checked out the stands.

We had heard that horchata was popular in Valencia, so we went to a horchatería to try it. We were excited because of all the TikTok hype, but it ended up being a big disappointment. It tasted like sugar cane water and was oddly sour. Not at all like the Mexican horchata we’re used to back home.

After that, we kept walking and saw a nice-looking courtyard. We decided to go in and paid a small entrance fee. There were orange trees inside and it looked really pretty, a perfect photo spot! Then we went to see La Seu Cathedral and the square nearby, which were also nice.

Eventually, the rain got heavier and it wasn’t fun to walk around anymore. Our original plan was to go to the aquarium, but since it’s apparently 50% outdoors, we changed our minds and went to the National Art and Science Museum instead. The buildings in this area are huge and very modern/artsy looking.

The museum turned out to be really fun. It had a lot of hands-on exhibits that didn’t require reading long explanations. At the entrance, there was an incubator with real eggs where baby chicks were hatching. It was interesting, but also a little crazy to watch.

We spent a couple of hours there trying out the different activities, some of which were like brain puzzles or mini games. So fun! On the top floor, there was a space exhibit we walked through before leaving.

After the museum, we went to DDL Boutique, a bakery café. It was really good and had a nice atmosphere inside. Then we caught the train back to Madrid.

Day 4 – Toledo & Segovia

My sister was busy this whole day and so I booked a full-day bus tour to Toledo and Segovia through GetYourGuide.

First stop: Toledo—an important city during the Roman Empire. It’s surrounded by walls and reached by a bridge over a ravine, which already gives it a historic feel. The best view was from a lookout on a hill outside the city.

We took a short walk through the town before visiting a steel workshop known for metal art and sword making. Craftsmen hammer holes and patterns into metal to create detailed designs, perfect for jewelry. The swords, while not used anymore, were once a major part of the local economy.

Next: Segovia. After driving a couple hours we made it here and started at the massive Roman aqueducts, which are still functioning. For lunch, some of us ate at a traditional restaurant where pork was the main dish—including whole roasted pig. A few people in my group ordered it, and it came out with the skin and parts of the face still visible. It was pretty intense and honestly unappetizing.

Afterward, we did a rainy walking tour through the old coblestoned town. It really is a beautiful old city. The rain turned into the worst downpour I had seen so far, and everyone was eager to get to the castle, where reprieve from the rain awaited us.

Finally our last destination the Alcázar of Segovia was reached. Our visit of this fairytale castle was short and soon we were headed back to Madrid.

Despite the weather and the long drives between cities, both stops were worth it. The history and architecture made the day really interesting.

Day 5 – Palma de Mallorca

We flew to Palma early in the morning. Unfortunately, like Madrid, the weather was rainy. We dropped off our bags at the Boc City Hostel in advance before heading out.

We began our day by taking a bus to Algaida, a small village just outside of Palma. After arriving, we wandered around the cute little town and grabbed some salami at a farmers market. There’s not too much to see since it’s quite small, but we stopped for brunch at one of the only places to eat there— Sa Mossegada.

With some food in our systems, we headed to our wine tasting at Vidrios Gordiola , which we booked through GetYourGuide. While booking ahead isn’t necessary, it’s definitely worth it—you get some finger foods and six wines to try, compared to just five out of the 72 available for the same price with a walk in. The tasting system was super neat: you get a key card to swipe for each pour. There were three pour sizes—1€ for a small taster, 2€ for a quarter glass, and 4€ for a full glass. Descriptions of the wines and grapes are displayed above each section, and they’re mostly organized by type.

The experience was amazing—great wine, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and a cozy atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Afterwards, we caught a bus back to Palma to enjoy the city. Even with the rain, the streets were lively as we walked up and down the shopping areas. The cathedral near the ocean is absolutely stunning—it towers over the city with a water moat-like feature in front of it. The ocean view is beautiful too; I can only imagine how nice it would be in summer weather.

Later in the evening, I stopped by La Corderia | Vins | Cafe for a glass of wine. It’s a tiny wine café with a cozy interior and a couple of armchairs out on the small front patio. The atmosphere was so peaceful, a lovely spot to unwind.

For dinner, we wandered around until we found a restaurant that looked nice—Bazaar Tapas Restaurant & Bar. It turned out to be much fancier than we expected. Since we’re both in our early 20s, we don’t always feel like we’re taken seriously in places like that. But the service was excellent—they treated us with so much respect, like any other guest. The food was delicious, and the whole experience ended up being a really pleasant surprise.

Day 6 – Boat Day

We woke up and headed out for breakfast at a place we found on TikTok. When we arrived at brunch it, there was a line out front, but luckily it moved quickly—and we were so glad we stayed. The food was amazing. The eggs Benedict and the açaí bowl were honestly some of the best we’ve had.

After breakfast, we hopped on a bus that took us to a port at Playa de Palma, where our boat was waiting for an afternoon on the water. Even though the weather was chilly and had been rainy all weekend, we really wanted to get out on the ocean. We found a €35 boat excursion on GetYourGuide and booked it for the warmest day of our trip. Luckily, the rain held off!

Surprisingly, there were quite a few people on board, even with the less-than-perfect weather. We grabbed spots on the top front deck, which seemed great… until we started moving. That ocean wind was cold. But our welcome sangrias helped a little. The views were absolutely stunning and everyone we chatted with on the boat was super friendly.

Halfway through the ride, we stopped at a swimming spot. Most people were hesitant to jump in, it was cold, after all, but my sister and I had come prepared. Swimsuits, towels, and no excuses. We were one of the first people in the water, and it was freezing. Everyone watched us like we were crazy, but about 10 minutes later, others started jumping in too after we encouraged them. Soon, the water was full of swimmers. It was so fun, but we were definitely glad we had towels after, unlike most others.

We kept chatting with people until the tour ended and even convinced a group to join us for our next stop.

This part of Palma is known for its large number of German tourists. In fact, some locals here didn’t even speak English, and only understood me when I spoke German! During the summer, the area is packed, and Bierkönig is the go-to party spot for Germans from April to October. Even though we missed the high season, we still wanted to check it out. It was busier than expected, and we ended up drinking beer, chatting with people, and eating some Döner. Honestly, it felt like a night out in Germany.

We ended the evening by grabbing empanadas on the way home. We walked into this small Argentine restaurant where someone was singing live. Everyone was focused on him, and he was so good. It felt like a private concert. We were surprised they let us in as it felt like a closed event. And the empanadas? Easily the best we’ve had in Spain so far. Even my sister, who lives in Madrid, agreed. It was the perfect way to end the night.

Day 7 – Farewell

Since it was our last day, and we were both pretty tired, we took it easy. Our bike tour ended up getting canceled, so we decided to just walk around the city and do a bit of shopping along the way. It was relaxed and peaceful, and we definitely got our steps in! Nothing major happened, but it was a nice way to wrap things up and enjoy some final sister time before flying off in separate directions.

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