Showing 12 Iberia Flights from Madrid - Starting at Just ₹6,748

  About Madrid

Madrid is one of the hottest holiday destinations in Spain and no, and we are not talking about the weather here. It's not as popular as Barcelona, but it is definitely a city that you must visit. Spain is one of the cheapest holiday destinations in Europe compared to other countries and is worth every penny spent. Madrid is an architectural marvel and is also known for its rich culture. You will occasionally run into an old Spanish Grandma or another local who is all excited to help you with directions or hand you a list of the best attractions to visit in the city. There are high chances of you befriending a lot of locals and staying in touch with them later on through social media. Not to mention, the city is musically inclined, and you will find yourself attending quite a few music festivals here. Of course, Madrid is also popular for its food, and you will want to visit the city again just for the gastronomic experience.

Best Time to Visit Madrid

Summer is one of the most popular times for tourists to plan a vacation to Madrid. However, a lot of local shops are shut during this time since the owners also take a vacation. If you don't mind the scorching heat, this is the best time to fly to Madrid. The temperature ranges from 15 to 31 degree Celsius in summer. You might also want to book your hotel in Madrid well in advance if you are planning to visit the city in summer. You can attend quite a few festivals and events during summers like the International Gay Pride, Mad Cool Festival, Feria del Libro and Veranos de la Villa. Tourists also prefer taking a taxi to get around the city instead of walking around to avoid the heat.

September to November is the autumn season in Madrid and quite pleasant, too. The temperature ranges from 6 to 26 degree Celsius, and this is also when most locals return from their vacations. The shops remain open, and you get to enjoy the highlights of the city at its best. You can also attend the Autumn Festival that happens in October and November. December to February are the coldest months in Madrid. The temperature ranges from 2 to 12 degree Celsius, January being the coldest month. This is also the best time to book a hotel in Madrid or get cheap flight tickets to Madrid since it is not a high season.

Spring season is from March to May and is a pleasant time to head to Madrid. It is right before the high season, so the locals are preparing to welcome a lot of tourists. The hotel prices are low this season and flight tickets are also pretty cheap. The temperature ranges from 5 to 21 degree Celsius and a lot of tourist spots are also open. The best part is that you get to hog the city to yourself since it is not very crowded.

Places to Visit in Madrid

Plaza Mayor, originally called Plaza del Arrabal, is a major tourist attraction in Madrid. You will find yourself admiring the architecture of the place and take lots of pictures. Royal Palace of Madrid is yet another tourist spot that has a lot of historical importance. It was built right where the Moorish Castle was destroyed in 1734 after a tragic fire broke out. It is one of the most important tourist spots in the city. You can also visit the National Museum of History, called the Museo Nacional Del Prado. It houses some of the best masterpieces by renowned artists like Van Dyck, Goya, El Greco, Rembrandt and so on. You will find paintings that date back to the 11th and 18th century. The Temple of Debod was a gift to the city by former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. Catch the best of artist Francisco Goya's paintings at the Royal Chapel of St Anthony of La Florida. The church also has the remains of the artist who was buried in front of the altar.

Teatro Real, or the Royal Theatre, is considered to be one of the best opera houses in all of Europe. It has a seating capacity of 1745 people, and you can even get a guide to take you through the theatre. You can also visit the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a monument that took approximately 20 years to construct. Watch some of the most beautiful fountains at the Plaza de Cibeles. It is also home to the bank of Spain, Linares Palace and Buenavista Palace. Madrid also has a happening nightlife scene. You can head to Barrio de La Latina for some delectable tapas, go dancing and have some amazing beer. However, if crowded places are a deal-breaker for you, you might want to steer clear of visiting the place on weekends.

Things to do in Madrid

You can go on a guided tour of the city. Reserve a day for museums, another day for art tours and a few days to sit back, relax and party. Madrid's nightlife scene is quite exciting. Make sure you visit museums like Museo del Prado, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Museo Sorolla and Museo Reina Sofia. It would be advisable to hire a guide for your museum tour. You'll get to know a lot more interesting facts about the city. You will find yourself appreciating the architecture, and you will be amazed at everything that you see in the museums. If you want to spend your evening relaxing at El Retiro, one of the most beautiful parks in Madrid. You can either plan a picnic on the grass or go boating around the lake in the park. If you are at Plaza Mayor, make sure you try the squid roll here. You will find a lot of restaurants here that serve delicious squid rolls. It is one of the most popular dishes to try here. You can head to Gran Via for a shopping spree and to La Latina for some tapas. Madrid is also easily accessible to other cities in Spain, and you can also cover other major cities in Spain like Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Ibiza and more. Madrid is a place you can visit with your family or your friends. You can also pack your bags and head for a solo trip to Madrid.

Food and Restaurants in Madrid

Traditional Madrid food consists of meat, bread and cheese. It's best tasted in tapas, samples of small plates of Spanish dishes. They come free with the drinks that you order at the bars. Mercado de San Miguel, a popular market that is located right outside Plaza Mayor, offers tapas along with cocktails, dessert, coffee and produce stalls. You can head over to El Tigre if you want to try some complimentary tapas along with your favourite cocktail. The restaurant serves a large plate of tapas, and even though the place is quite loud, you will enjoy your time here. You can also try paella (which is rice with fish), croquetas (fried breadcrumb rolls dish that is filled with mashed potatoes, meat and cheese), Espanola (potato omelette that you will fall in love with) and gazpacho, which is cold soup. You cannot leave Madrid without trying the famous jamón Iberico, one of the most expensive hams in the world. You will also find a lot of Indian, Asian, Chinese and Latin American cuisine in Madrid. Kathmandu Tandoori House Nepali serves the best Indian and Nepali cuisine. You can head to Antonio of Italia a Tavola for authentic Italian food. If you want to try street food that's also healthy, you can try Azotea Forus Barcelo and to Empanadas Malvon Retiro for Argentinean cuisine. Gramabar is a popular spot for everyone who is in the mood for American, Caribbean and Venezuelan cuisine.

How to reach Madrid (Transportation)

Madrid International Airport is called Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport and is situated in the Barajas district. It is about 12 km away from the city centre. The flight connectivity to Madrid from India is excellent. Turkish Airlines, EgyptAir, Lufthansa, Air France are some of the airlines that fly to Madrid quite frequently with layovers at Istanbul, Cairo, Munich and Paris; these are the most popular routes to Madrid by air. If you book in advance, there are high chances that you get cheap flight tickets to Madrid. You will also come across decent flight deals to Madrid online. Madrid Airport is well-equipped with WiFi, lounges and also has a sleeping room in case you want to reach the airport early and wait for your flight. There are lots of taxi and bus services from the airport to your hotel. If you are on a Europe trip and Madrid is on your itinerary, you can also take the Eurail that connects to France and Italy as well. Though you can reach Madrid by rail and road from any other European country, taking a flight to Madrid is one of the most convenient ways to travel.

  About Iberia Airlines

Iberia, legally incorporated as Iberia, Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. Operadora, Sociedad Unipersonal, is the national flag carrier of Spain. The airline was founded in 1927 and is recognised as one of the old European airlines prevalent. Based out of Madrid, the airline operates a slew of international routes from its base at Madrid-Barajas Airport. Iberia, along with Iberia Regional (predominantly operated by Air Nostrum, an independent carrier based in Valencia) and Iberia Express, are all part of the International Airlines Group, along with British Airways, Aer Lingus and more. Iberia group of airlines cater to the transportation of passengers as well as freight. Some of the other airline-related activities undertaken by the airline include aircraft maintenance, in-flight catering and airport handlings. Currently, Iberia group of airlines cater to about 109 destinations in the world with an additional 90 destinations that are connected, thanks to their codesharing agreements with a bunch of airlines. It is easily one of the best airlines in Spain.

With capital financing initiated by Horacio Echevarrieta and Deutsche Luft Hansa of a whopping 1.1 million pesetas, Iberia, Compañía Aérea de Transportes was formed in 1927. Flight operations for the same commenced in the same year. The company received government sponsorship the following year as they needed the airline to provide for postal transportation between Barcelona and Madrid. Under the dictatorial rule of President Miguel Primo de Rivera between 1923 to 1930, the operations of the aviation companies were combined to operate as a state-owned and controlled public entity directly. This resulted in the merger of Iberia with Compañía de Líneas Aéreas Subvencionadas S.A. with all its independent activities ceased.

Further, with the Spanish War taking place and the series of political unrest that took over the world, Iberia also played a role in providing air transport to the nation. They deployed many aircraft from their fleet. The airline has witnessed quite a flourishing history and has been a part of a major part it too. Over the years, the airline worked towards expanding their business to connect to many other international routes and further introduce newer routes to enhance its demand in the aviation industry in the European Union.

For a brief period of time, Iberia was privatised in 2001 which led to its name being listed on a handful of stock exchanges. In fact, they also introduced their own low-cost carrier, Clickair, operations of which commenced in 2006. The airline's subsidiary helped strengthen their domestic route connectivity until Vueling Airlines came into the picture to pose as a serious threat. Iberia was part of the Oneworld airline alliance. However, they soon withdrew from the airline alliance. Over the years, Iberia has witnessed several big shareholders from entering in the business and ceasing investment. In 2010, British Airways and Iberia announced that they would be signing an agreement to merge and make for combined operations. Following the merger, Iberia and British Airways became the third largest commercial airline across the globe with respect to revenue. The merger brought forth a new company, popularly known as International Airlines Group (IAG), which was established in 2011. Despite the formation of a new company, British Airways and Iberia continue to work under the original airline brands that they are recognised for.

Fleet size of Iberia

As of 2020, Iberia's fleet size stands at 84 aircraft. It is an all-Airbus fleet which has variants from the European-manufacturer's aircraft family. Part of the airline's fleet is 11 Airbus A319-100s, 14 Airbus A320-200s, six Airbus A320neos, 11 Airbus A321-200s, 12 Airbus A330-200s, eight Airbus A330-300s, 16 Airbus A340-600s and six Airbus A350-900s. They have also made a few orders such as four Airbus A321neos, 12 Airbus A320neos, eight Airbus A321XLR and 14 Airbus A350-900s. As the Airbus A340-600 is all set to retire, they will be replaced with the Airbus A350-900s that have been ordered by Iberia. Although in the past, Iberia did have a mixed fleet which comprised of Boeing aircraft along with Convair 440, de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide, Douglas DC models, Fokker F28 Fellowship, Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, McDonnell Douglass DC-10, Junkers and more. However, they opted to transform their fleet into an all-Airbus to enhance the aircraft's efficiency and better accommodation for in-flight services and cabin classes.

Baggage Allowance

Iberia maintains a baggage allowance policy that is predominantly followed by a majority of global airlines. The checked baggage that the airline accommodates is 23 kg, which can be exceeded the maximum to 32 kg. Depending on the ticket type and cabin class, the passenger will also receive bonus pieces of baggage that can be carried. Beyond 32 kg though, the airline will charge a fee of 60€ per baggage. Passengers travelling from the economy class are allowed to carry one piece of checked baggage. As for full economy and business class passengers, the number of baggage that can be carried for free is two. Business plus class passengers have the best resources as they can carry three pieces of checked baggage with them. While the checked baggage provisions are quite convenient, the airline does expect passengers to be very careful of the dimensions of their baggage. The maximum dimension of checked baggage cannot exceed 158 cm. It is very important for passengers to follow this specific clause as the airline will reject or ask the passenger to send the baggage as cargo.

In-flight services

Iberia's in-flight services are one of the best in the airline industry. Owing to the number of cabin classes, the facilities have also been upgraded. Thanks to their fleet turning all-Airbus, the aircraft has the best amenities such as better seats, excellent seating configuration, more legroom, new in-flight entertainment systems, to name a few. Further, passengers can also enjoy lip-smacking Spanish and global cuisine as it comes with their in-flight meal menu. You will be welcomed with a glass of alcoholic beverage as a smiling flight attendant will help you settle in, ahead of your journey.

Popular routes and top cities for Iberia

Iberia is one of the few airlines in the world to have phenomenal connectivity with South American destinations. The airline boasts a long list of international routes that connect to some of the biggest cities in the South American continent. Following this, Iberia also has a good presence in the European and South American market. Although the airline hasn't explored much of the Asian market yet, they do have a few codeshare agreements with airlines that directly connect with Asian countries. Airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines and Hainan Airlines have codeshare agreements with Iberia. Some of the top cities that Iberia connects with on the international route includes Algiers, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Bogota, San Jose, Dubrovnik, Havana, Prague, Quito, Cairo, Paris, Marseille, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Athens, Budapest, Tel Aviv, Florence, Milan, Rome, Tokyo, Kuwait City, Luxembourg City, Mexico City, Marrakech, Panama City, Oslo, Lisbon, San Juan, Stockholm, Zurich, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Montevideo and Caracas. Further, their domestic route is also quite strong with connectivity to about 26 destinations in Spain. These include Asturias, Barcelona, Bilbao, Granada, Madrid, Las Palmas, Palma de Mallorca, Granada and San Sebastian, to name a few.

Why travel by Iberia?

Iberia Airlines has built quite a reputation for itself as one of the top European airlines. With its rich and illustrious history, the airline has triumphed through various challenges and also become the largest airline in Spain. Ever since its merger with British Airways and the formation of International Airlines Group, Iberia's domestic route and international route connectivity has expanded. They are now able to accommodate newer routes and reach to bigger cities and destination across the world. It is not just their route expansions that have enhanced over the years. They have also worked towards bringing the best in-flight services and cater to all the travel needs of customers. Iberia's fleet has also been transformed into a kind that accommodates diverse cabin classes, is well-equipped and is more efficient in terms of fuel and engines.

With a means to make the passenger's travel diaries less cumbersome, the airline has also introduced various online benefits. These include web check-in facilities that can be found on the official website of Iberia. Travellers can book an Iberia flight ticket on their website and find the same in various other travel portals too, thanks to its presence worldwide. The airline has also installed programmes that enable passengers to get an update of their flight status as well as Iberia's flight schedule. This would further help them with their booking. Further, the airline's other perks include the fact that they have put all necessary and important details regarding the flight, the baggage allowance and in-flight services.

The airline also has a bunch of mileage programmes that passengers could consider if they are frequent flyers. Again, details can be found on the airline's official website. Their tie-ups with hotels in a few international destinations would come in handy as gives passengers discounts on their accommodation too.