The Entry/Exit System (EES) is now being instituted for entry into Europe for US travelers. If you are interested, you can pre-register with travel-related data 72 hours before your flight on the Travel to Europe mobile app, which may make customs lines go faster. We would assume that pre-registering is not at all necessary, and that everything can be done in person at the airport.

In late May in Madrid, we expect average highs in the mid 70s°F with lows in the low 50s°F. In Soto de Sepulveda, where the venue is, we expect slightly cooler temperatures in May, with expected highs of 68°F and lows of 43°F - you’ll likely want a sweater or warmer layer in the evening. Of note, there is also a 17% chance of rain on an average day, though rain is typically light (~ 0.38 in whenever it does rain).

El Retiro Park: This is Madrid's premier park and is a great place to go for a walk or for a picnic. You can also rent a little row boat and take it out on the pond. It’s located right next to the Paseo del Prado (below).

Paseo del Prado: This is one of the most beautiful streets in Madrid which houses the most famous museums including the Prado and the Reina Sofia. There are also two massive fountains, Neptuno (which is where Atletico de Madrid fans celebrate their wins) and Cibeles (where Real Madrid fans celebrate their wins). The Cibeles fountain is in front of the Palacio de Cibeles which is the old city central post office, and has a rooftop bar with nice city views (from what we remember, there is a cover and drinks/snacks are a little pricey).

Museo Nacional del Prado: This is a massive art museum with very famous works from painters like Velasquez, Goya, and el Greco. It’s the type of museum that people say you can’t completely see in one day, but that we think is still worth a visit if you are a bit more targeted with your interests. It’s primarily European art from the 12th to the 19th centuries, which we think can get a bit repetitive after a while, but definitely has some stand-outs. Amelia’s favorite painting is housed there: The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch.

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía: This is more of a modern art museum that houses famous works from Picasso and Dali. It’s a much more manageable size than the Prado.

Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum: Also worth a visit. There’s free entry on Mondays - when we went on a Monday, the line was quite long but moved quickly.

El Palacio Real: this is quite an extensive palace which formerly housed the Spanish royal family. We especially like the armory and the royal living quarters. It’s large enough to spend a good chunk of one day, especially if you’re interested in history. At 18€ per standard admissions though, it’s definitely skippable if you’re not.

Plaza Mayor: this is a beautiful square in the center of Madrid that, like many beautiful squares in city centers, will have pretty pricey offerings that are only okay in quality. It’s definitely worth a visit or at least a quick walk through if you’re in the area, but the most we would recommend doing is getting an up-charged beverage or a bocadillo de calamares (more below) and enjoying the atmosphere in the plaza.

Things to keep in mind: In Spain the largest meal of the day is lunch which occurs from ~1-3pm. Some good lunch options include the “menu del dia” (starter, entree, and dessert usually including 1 beverage +/- coffee), a variety of small tapas (with this approach, you can think about going to multiple places and having a few at each), or if you’re with a larger group, larger tapas plates called "raciones" that are more ideal for sharing. Be aware that most places will close for the afternoon starting around 3:30 or 4:00 pm, and will re-open for dinner (typically 9-11pm). We recommend trying to follow the local meal schedule as the restaurants that are open at typical American dinner times may be more targeted to tourists.

Cervantes Cerveceria: this is one of our favorite tapas spots in Madrid. They have a wide selection of classic Spanish tapas, which are all high quality/reasonably priced.

Los Gatos: the tapas at this place are in the style of the Basque Country (composed bites served on slices of bread) and the decor also has a pretty traditional central spain feel, including lots of soccer memorabilia. It’s pretty popular and gets crowded quickly at peak hours, but service is also fast.

La Dolores: this place is known for its cold tapas options (meats, cheeses, pickled fish, spreads), also served in the Basque style on slices of bread. It’s on the same street as Bar Cervantes and Los Gatos (we usually combine the 3). In general, La Dolores, Cervantes Cerveceria, and Los Gatos tend to have a more local vibe than some of the other restaurants on this list. The last time we were in the area, we went to all three on a Thursday night in March and they were all pretty packed, primarily with locals.

La Casa del Abuelo: we primarily recommend the “gambas al ajillo” (shrimp in garlic/parsley oil)

Casa Toni: they’re known for their organ meats (“casqueria”) here (which isn’t necessarily our vibe), but we’ve enjoyed their other dishes quite a bit, which tend to be meat or veggies/mushrooms grilled on a plancha/griddle. We’ve also had some pretty good chorizo here. Of note, last time we were there service was a bit slow because it was pretty packed.

Casa Labra: This place is known for its fried cod and cod croquetas. It can get quite crowded so be prepared to stand at a high table either inside or outside. Service is fast so this is a great place for a quick tapa and beverage.

Bar Cruz: This bar has great shellfish, especially the navajas (razor clams) and the zamburiñas (scallops served in a shell).

Bar La Campana: this place is famous for its "bocadillo de calamar" or fried calamari sandwich, which is a Madrid classic. It’s really the only place we’d recommend to grab a meal in the Plaza Mayor.

Mercado de San Miguel: this food market is definitely meant for tourists, which will be reflected in the pricing, but has a lot of tasty savory treats in a contained area. We would recommend it as a way to try a lot of different tapas in one session.

Restaurante Casa Amadeo los Caracoles: This place is famous for its snails, vermouth, and cozy vibe. It also has a wide selection of traditional tapas fare. If you’re feeling adventurous, last time we were there we particularly enjoyed the crispy lamb intestines (“zarajos”).

Casa Dani: this place is famous for its tortilla de patatas, which they serve with a bit of a runny center.

Sobrino de Botín: this is considered the oldest restaurant in the world, open since 1725. As you’d imagine it’s definitely pricey/on the fancy side, but has high quality roasted lamb and suckling pig along with other classic Spanish offerings prepared in an elegant fashion. We particularly enjoyed the alcachofas (artichokes) with jamon. You can also explore the old wine cellar and see Ernest Hemingway’s favorite table (he was apparently a regular back in the day).

100 Montaditos: this is a chain restaurant that we like in Spain. The quality won’t blow you away but it’s generally good for a quick bite, and they literally offer 100 different mini sandwiches to pick from, so you can try a few options. It’s a particularly useful place to go if you miss out on the lunch rush and all the kitchens at more traditional restaurants are closed for the afternoon.

Chocolatería San Ginés: This is a great place to eat “churros con chocolate”. If you’re not familiar with the Spanish style of churros, they generally aren’t very sweet and are often served with a thick, dark chocolate that’s more of a sauce than a drink. If you don't like things too sweet, you can also have the churros with coffee or by themselves.

El Riojano: this is a nice place to get pastries for breakfast or for merienda (snack between lunch and dinner time in Spain). The decor is very classic Spanish.

1) We would recommend against ordering paella at a restaurant with pictures of paellas outside. Those are mostly frozen paellas. Some potentially good options for paella in Madrid include Restaurante Casa Benigna, Restaurante Samm, and Arroceria Marina Ventura, though we haven’t actually been ourselves (not an exhaustive list, we’re sure there are plenty more good options). In general, we would recommend going for lunch since it’s traditionally a lunch dish, and more authentic restaurants may only serve it at that time. For some of the better restaurants, you may need to make a reservation ahead of time and also reserve the specific rice dish you are wanting to eat, since it takes ~1 hour to make from scratch.

2) Don't plan to drive in the city center. A lot of central Madrid is walkable and there is a pretty good subway system if you're going somewhere further. We've also found that Ubering is relatively cheap compared to US cities. You’ll likely need to enter your passport information into the app in order to use it the first time that you try. Another app that you can download is "Cabify" which is a company like Uber from Spain.

3) There is no need to leave a 20% tip. Although tipping is appreciated in Spain, it is not calculated into people's wages so they are not expecting a tip. If you're happy with the service, you can leave some change.

Admittedly, we’ve spent significantly less time in Segovia and in the area around the venue than in Madrid, but we’ll comment on our limited experience and on what we’ve heard from Manuel’s family.

Segovia:

We recommend taking a day trip to explore this Roman and medieval city 45 minutes from the venue. Attractions include:

Alcazar de Segovia: this is an impressive castle that is rumored to have possibly inspired the Disney Castle. You can enter, though we haven’t ourselves, and there is also a nice park surrounding it that is situated on a river.

Acueducto de Segovia: this is an Ancient Roman aqueduct that can be found in a central part of the city. The aqueduct is really impressive in its conservation and is great to walk around - we liked this viewpoint. There are also tons of restaurants and shops in this central area. You can also find lots of taxis hanging out here - although Segovia is extremely walkable, you should note that unlike in Madrid, Uber is not reliable in Segovia.

Catedral de Segovia: the outside of the Cathedral is done in a beautiful gothic style, and was worth visiting for us to walk around the outside even though we didn’t end up entering. There is also a nice square nearby.

Restaurante José María: here we had an excellent oven roasted suckling pig (“cochinillo”), which is their signature dish, and also really liked the traditional Segovian dessert they served: ponche segoviano.

Asador Maribel: we didn’t end up going on our most recent trip, but we’ve heard that this is another great option if you’re interested in wood fire suckling pig or lamb. It’s also very close to the Roman aqueduct.

El Sitio: We really liked the artichokes with serrano ham here. Also, if you’re interested, they’re known for a traditional potato-based tapa from Segovia called “patatas revolconas”. When we went, we thought it was solid and worth a try, but not a super standout.

Parador de Segovia: If you’re interested in views of the city, this is a great place to have a drink around sunset (after which the city’s main buildings may be lit up, depending on the day). It’s also a great hotel option if you want to stay outside of the city center. The easiest way to get there from the city center is to get a taxi from under the aqueduct.

Pedraza:

This is a beautifully preserved medieval walled town ~35 minute drive from the venue. It’s a super cute place to walk around and explore the medieval streets, has a castle that you can enter with nice hilltop views, and is also renowned for its oven-roasted lamb. We recommend Restaurante el Jardín (open only for lunch) if you want to try the lamb (note: roasted lamb will also be served as the main dish at our wedding). We would recommend ¼ (“cuarto”) portion for every 2 people if you’re hungry.

Sepulveda:

We haven’t actually been to Sepulveda, but it’s a medieval style town around 20 minutes from the wedding venue. It comes recommended by Tio Manolo, whose opinions we generally trust :) In addition to walking around the town’s squares, churches, and medieval streets, it’s also surrounded by the Parque Natural Hoces del Río Duratón, with opportunities for hiking and bird-watching. The ‘senda de los dos rios’, a short loop hike around the town of Sepulveda through the natural park, looks like a nice option passing by the rivers and various medieval ruins. Another 20 minutes west of Sepulveda, you can find viewpoints and trails with more dramatic views of the river and gorges. Kayaking is also a popular activity in this area; this company offers guided tours.