Ernest Hemingway in Madrid: Books to Read & Spots to Visit
Ernest Hemingway is one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. He had a profound connection with Spain, especially Madrid which he called “the most Spanish of all cities”. So, it’s not a surprise that his experiences in the Spanish capital during key historical moments left a mark on his works, making Madrid a central location for all of us fellow Hemingway enthusiasts. This literary travel guide explores the essential books and key landmarks in Madrid that fans of Hemingway should not miss.
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Short on time? Here are my top recommendations:
- For Whom the Bell Tolls – my favourite Hemingway book and a perfect example of his work in Madrid
- Restaurant Botin – Hemingway’s favourite restaurant
- La Venencia – Hemingway’s go-to bar
- Las Ventas Bullring – Hemingway loved bullfighting and often wrote about it
- Prado Museum – Hemingway loved the art collection there
- Tablao Flamenco 1911 – Hemingway’s favourite flamenco tablao
- Hostal Aguilar – Hemingway stayed there in the 1920s
- NH Collection Madrid Suecia – where Hemingway stayed during his last visits in the 1950s
- Tasting Tour Madrid Best Historical Restaurants and Bars – including Hemingway’s favourite bars
- Prado Museum Tour & Lunch at the Oldest Restaurant in the World – including Hemingway’s favourite restaurant Botin + guided visit to Prado Museum
Hemingway’s Madrid Connection
Ernest Hemingway’s connection to Madrid is largely shaped by his extended stays during some of the most critical periods in Spain’s history, particularly the Spanish Civil War.
For many readers, including myself, his time in Spain represents the heart of his work and my all time favourite novel For Whom the Bell Tolls is based on Hemingway’s experiences during the Spanish Civil War as a reporter for the North American Newspaper Alliance.
So, not only Madrid (and Spain) inspired some of his greatest works, but is also a gateway to understanding Hemingway and his literary genius.
Hemingway’s Life in Madrid
Spring of 2023 marked the 100 years since Hemingway first came to Madrid. He was in Madrid in the 1920s, 1930s (during the Spanish Civil War) and his last visit was in the 1950s.
As a war correspondent during the Civil War, he reported from the frontlines, providing accounts of the war and human struggles. It was then when Hemingway got culturally immersed with Madrid and Spain. He was especially intrigued and interested in the bullfighting tradition, a theme that repeats in many of his works (Hemingway’s male protagonists are always Code Hero Macho Men).
He also developed relationships with Spanish intellectuals, writers and artists who would influence his writing style and deepen his connection to the country.
Lastly, just like his main heroes, Hemingway loved to drink and visit Madrid’s bars, which are luckily still in operation today, so you can follow his footsteps (don’t forget to drink responsibly though, no one loves super drunk tourists in the city!).
Must-Read Hemingway Books Set in Madrid (and Spain)
Hemingway’s experiences in Spain, especially Madrid, are immortalised in several of his most iconic works that capture the political, social and cultural aspects of life in Spain during that time.
Here are the must-read Hemingway books set in Madrid (and Spain):
As I already mentioned, this is by far my favourite book of Don Ernesto (as he’s called in Spain), so if you haven’t read it yet, now is the time to do so! It tells the story of Robert Jordan, an American dynamiter who fights alongside the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War. The novel explores themes of loyalty, love and sacrifice, while painting a vivid portrait of war-torn Spain.
Even though the place of a setting is near Segovia (easy day trip from Madrid), there are some references to Madrid, particularly those of El Retiro Park (when Robert Jordan daydreams of a place where he and Maria could be happy) and Royal Botanic Gardens (referencing the “reflection of the smell of approaching death”).
The novel follows a group of American and British expatriates as they travel from Paris to Pamplona to witness the bullfighting during the fiesta of San Fermin.
In terms of Madrid, there are 2 mentions of it. The first one is that of The Westin Palace hotel when Jake and Brett came for drinks and commented “wonderful gentility you can get in the bar of a big hotel “, while they watched how the barman works. The 2nd one is that of the most famous and Hemingways’s most loved restaurant Botin where the final scene of the book happens.
“If you really want to learn about bullfighting, or if you are ever very interested, sooner or later you will have to go to Madrid”. Death in the Afternoon
It’s a non-fiction book about the history, ceremony and traditions of Spanish bullfighting – a great read if you want to learn more about Spain too and understand better the themes Hemingway introduced in his novels set in Madrid and Spain.
It’s a play that was inspired by Hemingway’s experiences as a newspaper correspondent in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War.
Hotel Madrid Gran Via 25 was mentioned as one of the establishments in the play. Today on the facade you can find an inscription that says that this hotel was often visited by Ernest Hemingway.
📖 Check my 16 Best Books to Read Before Visiting Spain: Fiction & Non-Fiction blog post.
Hemingway’s Literary Sites in Madrid
“I have never been to a city
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
where there is
less reason to go to bed and…
if I did go to bed, to sleep”
Madrid is home to several key sites that were integral to Hemingway’s time in the city. Some locations in this blog post were either visited by Hemingway himself, or he mentioned them in the books or both. I divided them based on their functionality: restaurants & bars, sights and hotels, so you can track it more easily.
Bars & Restaurants
- Restaurant Botin
Not only Restaurant Botin was mentioned in the final scene of The Sun Also Rises, but it was also visited frequently by Hemingway himself.
“We lunched upstairs at Botin’s. It is one of the best restaurants in the world. We had roast young suckling pig and drank rioja alta.”
On the upper floor there’s a table where he used to sit and dine. His favourite meal there was a roast suckling pig. There’s an anecdote that says how the owner’s grandfather tried to teach Hemingway to make paella, but unsuccessfully.
- Museo Chicote
Don’t get confused by the name, Museo Chicote is not a museum, it’s a cocktail bar, but with an interesting history. It first opened in 1931 and welcomed people such as Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Of course it was not missed by Hemingway either who also talks about it in the short story The Denunciation. Also, one of the scenes from The Fifth Column is also happening there.
- Cerveceria Alemana
Cerveceria Alemana was opened by a group of Germans in 1904 and was also visited frequently by Hemingway.
He describes it as a “good cafe and beer place on the Plaza Santa Ana in Madrid” in a Life Magazine article. Actually, he loved it that much that he got his own table near the window overlooking the plaza. If you’re lucky and the table is free, you can sit where Hemingway once used to (his photo is hung there on the wall too).
- La Venencia
La Venencia is a pretty unique bar in Madrid, with very little info online and no marketing whatsoever. Why?
It was once a place where Republicans came to drink its famous sherry wine and talk about war. To this day no pictures are allowed inside to commemorate the wartime patrons who just wanted to drink their sherry without being identified by their opponents, the Fascists.
Beside no photo, the other 2 rules are no tipping (bar’s socialist principles) and no spitting on the floor (I mean, why would you!?).
It was Hemingway’s go-to spot in Madrid.
Sights
- Las Ventas Bullring
It’s no surprise that Hemingway was interested in bullfighting: it’s a theme that occurs in many of his fictional and non-fictional works.
There are 2 ways to experience Las Ventas Bullring. You can either attend the actual bullfighting that generally runs from April to May and from September to October. If this is too aggressive for you (and I totally feel that way), you can also tour Las Ventas with an audio guide.
- Prado Museum
Prado is one of the best museums you can visit not only in Madrid, but in the world. It has some of the greatest art collection that competes with the British Museum in London and The MET in NYC. I loved it a lot there and I highly recommend you to visit. And guess who also loved spending his time at Prado Museum?
✅ Buy your Prado Museum Tickets
💡To save money on sightseeing, the best is to get the Go City Madrid Pass.
- El Retiro Park & Royal Botanic Gardens
Close to the Prado Museum are El Retiro Park and Royal Botanic gardens. Both were mentioned in For Whom the Bell Tolls.
“We can get an apartment in Madrid on that street that runs along the Parque of the Buen Retiro. I know an American woman who furnished apartments and rented them before the movement and I know how to get such an apartment for only the rent that was paid before the movement. There are apartments there that face on the park and you can see all of the park from the windows; the iron fence, the gardens, and the gravel walks and the green of the lawns where they touch the gravel, and the trees deep with shadows and the many fountains, and now the chestnut trees will be in bloom. In Madrid we can walk in the park and row on the lake if the water is back in it now.”
- Villa Rosa (Tablao Flamenco 1911)
Tablao Flamenco 1911, or Villa Rosa as formerly known, is one of the most traditional flamenco tablao establishments in Madrid. Hemingway loved coming here on many occasions, and the best part, you can experience it too.
✅ Tablao Flamenco 1911 Tickets
🫶 I personally enjoyed Las Tablas, another great option.
- Telefonica Building
It was a home of the Office of Foreign Press from where Hemingway would wire his reports as a war correspondent.
Hotels
Hemingway stayed in this hostel with his family between 1923 and 1926 according to his first biographer Carlos Baker. You can both stay and visit the establishment. If you’re lucky enough, you may even get room Number 7 which was Hemingway’s room.
The hotel was mentioned as one of the establishments in the play The Fifth Column. Today on the facade you can find an inscription that says that this hotel was often visited by Ernest Hemingway.
It was mentioned in The Sun Also Rises when Jake and Brett came for drinks and commented “wonderful gentility you can get in the bar of a big hotel “, while they watched how the barman works.
📖 Wondering where to stay in Madrid? Beside these hotels, check out my Where to Stay in Madrid – 8 Best Areas and Top Hotels blog post for more ideas.
Hemingway often stayed here during his last visits to Spain in the 1950s. Inside, you will find a Hemingway Cocktail Bar and a cocktail dedicated to his name.
Google Maps: Hemingway in Madrid Sites
Here is the Google Maps of all Hemingway’s literary sites in Madrid to help you plan your itinerary better.
📖 Planning a trip to Madrid? Check out my 4 Days in Madrid Itinerary – Things to do in Madrid blog post.
Walking Tours of Hemingway’s Madrid
There are few walking tours where you can follow the footsteps of Hemingway in Madrid.
- Self-Guided Tour
Of course, you can do a self-guided tour by following the key literary sites as outlined in this blog post. That’s why I created the Google Map above, so you can more easily plan your walking tour.
In this tasting tour, you will explore Madrid’s best historical restaurants and bars, specifically some where Hemingway used to come and which we mentioned in this blog post. Plus, you will learn some interesting facts about Madrid’s gastronomy and culture.
We’ve already mentioned that Hemingway loved Prado Museum, so in this guided tour you’d be able to learn about some of the most important works at the Prado Museum, visit Madrid’s literary quarter and enjoy the lunch at the world’s oldest restaurant where Hemingway enjoyed his suckling roast pig – yes, it’s Restaurant Botin.
Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and let me know if you visit some of the places on this list and what you think of them. 🥰
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