🎄 Madrid at Christmas: A Light Tour to Remember

A chilly night, a crowded bus, and some of the best lights we’ve ever seen.

The frigid winter air cut through all of us like a knife as we sat on the top level of the double-decker bus. We were embarking on a Christmas light tour in Madrid, ready to take in all the glitter and glamour of a big-city Christmas.

Naviluz light tour in Madrid | December 2024

Last year, 2024, was our first Christmas living abroad, and we were all missing what felt familiar. Ordinarily, we’d spend our evenings driving through neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights, baking holiday treats, and, on Christmas Eve, we’d travel to my brother’s house in Kentucky for a traditional holiday meal.

To combat the homesickness pangs, I decided we were due for a little adventure.

I had no idea where to go, but I knew it was too late for Christmas markets in other European countries, so I started investigating the best Christmas lights in Spain. As it turns out, there are several, and the ones that kept popping up were:

• Vigo (The mayor is a Christmas fanatic.)

• Malaga

• Madrid

• Barcelona

Despite having passed through Madrid a handful of times via plane or train, we’d never spent any time in the city. It was only two hours away from Valencia by high-speed train.

That’s how I decided this was where we'd have our Christmas adventure.

Situated steps from Plaza de España, our aparthotel got us off to a good start, putting us within walking distance of a small holiday market in the plaza. Just a little farther away was the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor. We were in a prime location for exploring.

On our first night, we settled into our rental and then ventured out to Plaza de España for vittles and to gawk at the holiday lights. To our surprise, the temperature change from Valencia to Madrid was significant, and we all quickly learned we’d have to layer up while we were there.

I had several things planned over the next few days, culminating in the light tour on top of that bus. But the first night? That was all about settling in, getting used to our surroundings, and relaxing.

Scenes from our Madrid adventure

The next day, Will, the kids, and I were all ready for a day of exploring.

Madrid has several Christmas markets scattered around the city, and they’re a lot of fun to explore. This is where you’ll find the crowds – and the souvenirs – and there’s a buzz of excitement in the air. The largest market is Mercado Navidad Plaza Mayor, which is where we traveled to first.

Admittedly, the market was loud, busy, and … underwhelming. I don’t know exactly what I expected. Maybe more local goods for sale? Instead, much of the merchandise at the stalls felt like copycats of one another.

From Plaza Mayor, we were off to lunch at Cantina Canalla Centro, a highly-rated Mexican restaurant near the Royal Palace. (I am always on the hunt for a great Mexican restaurant in Spain!)

After lunch, we spent the afternoon wandering, eventually ending up back at our aparthotel to rest before venturing out for churros and the light tour.

My original plan was for us to have churros and chocolate at the famous Chocolatería San Ginés. In business since 1894, it’s the oldest churro shop in Madrid. However, when we saw the ridiculously long line snaking around the building, Will and I decided we didn’t have time to wait if we were going to make our light tour.

We pivoted.

In business since 1902, Churrería Chocolateria 1902 was also busy, but the line was shorter and moving quickly. We hopped in line and, within 30ish minutes, had churros and chocolate in front of us.

No regrets. No notes. It was phenomenal.

Stepping back into the chilly night air, we began making our way toward the light tour departure point. We were going to be early, and to our delight, we discovered that the departure point was situated right next to the Mandarin Oriental Ritz hotel.

Will and I looked at one another, and he said, “Drinks?”

Don’t mind if I do.

We spent the next 45 minutes killing time and enjoying drinks at the swanky Ritz bar, listening to live piano music and gazing at the ornate Christmas decorations.

Bliss.

Leaving the warmth of the Ritz bar and moving back out into the cold again, we made our way to the bus stop, where a line was forming.

This was the Naviluz tour, which was operated by the city of Madrid but is now run by Alsa. The buses traverse the most well-lit streets, showcasing Madrid’s elegant Christmas lights while you sit on an open-air, double-decker bus.

As is always the case when we travel with our kids these days, we were late and had to squeeeeeeeze onto the bus just in time for it to leave. None of us brought enough layers (or heavy coats!), so we found four seats together toward the back and huddled up. It was 35ºF (about 1.6ºC), and the wind tunneling through the top of that bus was teeth-chatteringly cold.

But it’s hard to focus on the cold when you’re being dazzled by incredible lights.

Madrid probably isn’t on your radar as a great place to spend Christmas, but let me reassure you. If you think New York City is giving Christmas, try Madrid’s Gran Vía. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it feels as though every square inch is lit up in shades of red, green, pink, blue, white, and yellow. On the double-decker bus, you pass under the lights close enough to touch them.

If we did nothing else while in Madrid, this was the highlight. Watching my kids’ awe at the lights like they used to do in the car as we drove through neighborhood after neighborhood made the entire trip worth it.

I had a few more activities planned – more typical tourist activities – and over the next couple of days, we did those, including:

• Royal Palace of Madrid tour

• Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena

• Puerta del Sol

• Mercado de San Miguel

While those were fun, nothing quite lived up to the brilliance of the light bus tour … except maybe watching the sunset on the grounds of the Royal Palace of Madrid.

I write here about building a life abroad—slowly, imperfectly, and with a lot of trial and error.

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If you’d like to reach out directly, you can find me at jen@jeninspain.com.

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