To help tourists cope better with the heat, the authorities of Madrid have urged visitors to explore the city's museums this summer during the hours of peak temperatures, providing free entry in air-conditioned environments. This initiative by the city's government is based on the observation that Madrid has become a prominent tourist destination even in the mid-summer when temperatures can reach or exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
Tourists, notably Americans, Germans, French, and Mexicans, are increasingly visiting Madrid, with new record numbers of tourists recorded annually. In July and August 2023, the city welcomed over 1.6 million tourists.
While the morning hours are bearable in terms of temperatures, Marta Rivera de la Cruz, the city's cultural and tourism official, remarked that "the heat is a recurring problem that encourages authorities to adapt urban centers." She added, "Even in Retiro Park, it can be hot at three o'clock in the afternoon, while the best places to visit are those that are air-conditioned, such as museums, cinemas, and libraries."
The Prado, Reina Sofia, and Thyssen museums, the three most important in Madrid, along with the Royal Collections exhibition, will host free flamenco performances during July and August between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM. These performances will feature prominent names in flamenco.
Cinemas, for their part, will attempt to attract Madrid residents by lowering ticket prices for early shows (around 4:00 PM), while libraries will offer comedy monologue performances in the early afternoon.
Marta Rivera de la Cruz, who prefers not to speak about combating climate change but rather about "changing behaviors to tackle heat," confirmed that these measures, being implemented for the first time this summer, "will not incur additional energy-related costs."
