If you’re considering corporate team building activities in Madrid, then you’re making a great choice.
With strong transport links, premium hotel offerings, and a packed cultural calendar, Madrid is a top choice for corporate meetings and conferences.
But it’s likely you have a number of questions:
- What are the most popular team-building activities in Madrid?
- What kind of event is best for my team?
- Who’s the best team-building organiser?
In this article, we’ve teamed up with leading corporate event organiser Madrid Adventure to look at the top 5 team building activities in Madrid.
Is Madrid a good choice for corporate team building?
Madrid is a solid choice for team-building activities.
The Spanish capital keeps winning recognition as a meetings and conferences destination, including being named Europe’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination for the eighth consecutive year.
According to Madrid Adventure’s General Manager, Jeremy Hickey, Madrid is a “smart option” for globally distributed teams because it works as a practical hub for annual summits and key meetings.
Some of the key benefits of choosing Madrid for a team event include:
- Logistics: Madrid-Barajas Airport is the second-largest in Europe. It serves over 250 global routes and sits only 20km from Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol square.
- Venues: Madrid has a strong pipeline of corporate venues, including hotels geared for meetings and incentives.
- Proven hospitality: InterContinental Madrid has been named Spain’s Best MICE Hotel on six occasions at the World MICE Awards.
- Culture: Your team can base an activity around flagship sights like the Museo del Prado, Museo de la Reina Sofia area and El Retiro park – all part of Madrid’s UNESCO-listed “Landscape of Light”.
- Food: Madrid is built for shared meals, from markets to traditional bars and private booths at premium restaurants, which makes it easy to extend bonding beyond the activity itself.
The top 5 team building activities in Madrid
So how should you decide upon a team building activity?
According to Jeremy Hickey, he recommends to choose an activity that best suits your team members’ hobbies or interests.
“During a survey we carried out, we found past corporate clients found enjoyment mattered most,” Jeremy added. The survey found that team members valued “enjoyment” much more than other factors such a smooth organisation, service quality and price.
It’s also worth prioritising flexibility, so the activity can fit your schedule and run near your hotel or meeting venue.
Finally, look for something memorable. Team bonding is enhanced when your team can leave with photos, stories, and shared reference points that last long after they’ve returned to regional offices.
With that out the way, let’s get into it!
1) Gastronomy team-building activities
According to Jeremy Hickey, the Wine and Tapas Tour is the most popular team-building activity in Madrid.
It’s a strong bonding experience because your team spends time together while sampling Madrid’s best dishes across a mix of iconic and hidden tapas bars. A bonus is flexibility, as the route and format can be tailored to your schedule, group size, and preferred location.
Jeremy also flagged two more gastronomy events that are a hit:
- Paella Challenge – a MasterChef-style competition that suits corporate teams with a competitive streak.
- Gastronomy Treasure Hunt – a team-vs-team format that mixes challenges with food stops, which tends to land well with teams that want something adventurous.
2) Creative team-building activities
Creative team-building activities are the second-most popular in Madrid.
Jeremy says a surprising number of corporate teams specifically ask for their Graffiti Workshop event. Madrid Adventure has run this event for years, and they bring in experienced graffiti artists to guide your group from blank canvas to finished piece. It suits teams with budding artists and designers, because everyone can contribute in a way that feels natural.
If you need the activity to come to you, Jeremy recommends three similar creative options that can run at your hotel or conference venue:
- Mosaic workshop – a fun corporate activity where teams collaborate to create a striking mosaic on-site, with all materials provided.
- Flamenco workshop – a flamenco teacher comes to your venue, teaches a short routine, then your team leaves with photos and a video to remember it.
- Filming commercials – a professional instructor splits your team into groups, then each group writes and films a short commercial for your company, which makes it a strong option for reinforcing company values through a shared creative brief.
3) Treasure hunts & escape games
Treasure hunts and escape games are the third-most popular type of team-building activity in Madrid.
The Madrid Treasure Hunt is a strong option for teams on a short visit to Madrid, because it lets you see many of the city’s major sights in a short period of time. It also keeps engagement high, since your group splits into smaller teams and competes to finish first. Each team solves challenges and clues set around Madrid’s best-known statues, monuments, and landmark buildings.
Jeremy says that, depending on your team, there are other treasure hunt options too:
- GPS Treasure Hunt – built for teams who love tech, with GPS hints and puzzles delivered through a custom tablet app as you move between Madrid’s key highlights.
- Money Heist – a themed escape game inspired by the Netflix hit, where your team takes on character roles and races against the clock to pull off a simulated heist.
- GPS Outdoor Escape Game – another tech-led escape game that fits neatly between conference sessions, offering a quick burst of fun and adrenaline while you explore Madrid’s major highlights.
4) Attending sporting matches
Watching a Real Madrid match is the fourth-most popular team building activity in Madrid.
Jeremy says that almost every corporate group includes a few football fans. That’s why a tour of Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu can be a strong team activity, especially when you pair it with attending a La Liga match. Madrid Adventure can also arrange a Real Madrid VIP experience, where your team gets access to the exclusive VIP lounge.
As an alternative, they can source tickets for Atlético Madrid, which is another popular option for teams who want a match-night experience.
5) Sporting team-building activities
Jeremy says that sporting team-building activities are the fifth-most popular category of team-building event in Madrid.
One of the most requested formats is the Madrid Olympic Games, where your team competes across a mix of sporting challenges. Depending on the group, events can include relay races, volleyball, long jump, bubble football, and more. It’s a strong option for teams who need to let off steam, or who bring a competitive streak to the offsite.
Madrid Adventure also organises outdoor options such as mountain biking in the hills surrounding Madrid, which works well for teams who want fresh air and a more active day out.
Contact Madrid Adventure to book your team-building activity
The most popular team-building activities in this article are based on Madrid Adventure’s bookings over the past three years – as seen in their article on the top 15 team-building activities in Madrid.
Rather than listing individual events only, the activities were grouped into five broad categories.
This should help corporate teams choose the type of team building that best fits their goals, schedule and team personality.
Madrid Adventure is one of the leading team building event organisers in Madrid. They bring 25 years of experience, and have worked with major companies such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Pfizer, ING, Bayer, Coca Cola, HP, Exxon Mobile, Nike, Volvo and more.
You can contact them for a quote or a bespoke package via their website: https://www.madrid-adventure.com/en
You can also email them on info@madrid-adventure.com or call +34 661 036 658.
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