The nativity figure, the hand-painted, the terracotta, the 15 cm high, the €12 at the stall in the Plaza Mayor (the Christmas market, the “Mercado de la Navidad”, the 1860, the 104 stalls, the largest and the oldest Christmas market in the Madrid), and the essential Madrid Christmas purchase: the Spanish nativity figurines are the finest in the world (the “caganer” tradition from the Catalonia is the peculiar, the figure of the someone “doing the business”, and the best conversation piece from the Christmas in the Spain), is the essential Madrid Christmas experience. The Madrid at the Christmas is the warmest Christmas in Europe: the 11°C in the December, the lights (the Calle de la Montera, the Calle de la Mayor, the Gran Vía, the best urban Christmas lights in Europe), the churros at the Chocolatería San Ginés (see #1555), and the spirit that is the less commercial and the more traditional than the Germany. Here is the guide to the Christmas in the Madrid.

Christmas Markets in Madrid

• The Plaza Mayor market, the essential: The Plaza Mayor is the 1619, the arcades, the Habsburg, the equestrian statue of the Philip III, and the most beautiful urban space in the Madrid (see #1223 for the Madrid guide). During the December, the Plaza Mayor is the home to the Mercado de la Navidad: the 104 stalls of the red-and-white striped cabins, the nativity (the “belén”, the Spanish nativity scenes are the extensive: the village, the hills, the streams, the dozens of figures, the €5–100, and the essential Spanish Christmas purchase: the small, the hand-painted, the €8, and the best souvenir from the Spain), the joke items (the fake moustache, the mask, the noisemaker, the Spanish Christmas market is the part joke-shop), the sweet (the turrón, the almond-and-honey nougat, the soft, the “turrón de Jijona”, the hard, the “turrón de Alicante”, the most Spanish Christmas food, the €5–10 for the bar and the best Christmas gift), the polvorones (the crumbly, the almond, the melt-in-the-mouth, and the best Christmas biscuit in the Spain, the €3 for the bag), and the essential: the market runs from the late-November to the 31st December. The essential experience: the Sunday morning, the 11am, the café con leche at the terrace of the Café de Oriente overlooking the Royal Palace, and the walk to the market. More Spain →
• The alternative Madrid Christmas, the Three Kings and the lottery: The Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos (the 5th January): the Three Kings Parade is the most important Spanish Christmas event and the more important than the Christmas Day: the procession of the Melchior, the Gaspar, and the Balthasar through the streets of the Madrid (the Paseo de la Castellana to the Cibeles), the floats, the 1,200 participants, the 300,000 spectators, and the best Christmas parade in Europe. The essential: the children open the gifts on the 6th January, the Epiphany, not the 25th December. The essential preparation: the arrive the 2 hours early for the viewing spot on the Plaza de la Cibeles. The Lotería de Navidad, the El Gordo: the 22nd December at the Teatro Real, the oldest and the largest lottery in the world (the prize pool of the €2.6 billion, the winning number is the sung by the schoolchildren of the San Ildefonso, and the tradition: the buying the ticket, the “décimo”, the €20, the shared among the friends and the family. The essential: the winning tickets are the often from the small town, and the news is the best of the Spanish Christmas). The essential Madrid Christmas dinner: the cochinillo asado (the roast suckling pig, the Casa Botín, see #1223 for the Madrid food guide), the seafood (the langoustine, the langostinos, the €30 for the plate at the Marisquería Ribeira do Miño), and the grapes at the midnight on the New Year’s Eve at the Puerta del Sol (the 12 grapes, the 12 chimes from the clock of the Real Casa de Correos, and the most Spanish New Year tradition. The essential: the arrive at the Puerta del Sol at the 10pm for the midnight)