NFL in Spain: Bengals star Joe Burrow goes full tourist in Madrid, reveals the one thing he hates the most

MADRID — With the Bengals playing in Spain this week, the team decided to fly out early to make the most of their trip to Madrid, and it's safe to say that no one was happier about that than Joe Burrow. 

The Bengals quarterback has gone into full tourist mode since arriving in the Spanish capital on Wednesday morning. Bengals coach Zac Taylor decided to give his guys the day off on Wednesday and a lot of them decided to spend the day exploring the city. For Burrow, that meant a trip to one of Madrid's most iconic museums. 

"I went to Museo Del Prado on Wednesday," Burrow said during his press conference Friday. "That was cool."

Those aren't exactly the words you'd expect to hear out of the mouth of an NFL quarterback just five days before a game, but that's just Burrow being Burrow. Not only is he one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but he has one of the most unique personalities. 

Burrow, who basically requested to play in Spain back in 2025 after the NFL announced that Madrid would host an NFL game, has been quietly getting pumped about this trip since the day the schedule was released in May. 

"I was really excited about it; I hadn't been here yet, so that was exciting for me," Burrow said.

The Bengals will be the "visiting" team on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET against the Falcons. 

Taylor has done his best to give the team some free time in Madrid, and they'll have even more time to explore the city on Friday evening. Burrow hasn't yet decided what he's going to get into, but he's currently mulling over several options. 

Joe Burrow went to the Museo del Prado on Wednesday, and now, he's trying to figure out what to do in Friday evening in Madrid. If you're at an art gallery, you might run into him #Bengals #Spain #Madrid pic.twitter.com/6qdOYAbUVy

— John Breech (@johnbreech) November 6, 2026

Joe Burrow went to the Museo del Prado on Wednesday, and now, he's trying to figure out what to do in Friday evening in Madrid. If you're at an art gallery, you might run into him #Bengals #Spain #Madrid pic.twitter.com/6qdOYAbUVy

"I'd like to go and see some more museums, and go to an art gallery and do a little shopping, but we'll see," Burrow said. 

One reason Burrow has enjoyed his time in Spain is that, for the most part, he can walk around without being recognized.

"I love being out here so I can feel like a normal person for a little bit," Burrow said. 

Of course, that doesn't mean that NO ONE has recognized him. The Bengals star QB said he ran into a group of students that knew exactly who he was. 

"As far as my recognizability abroad, sometimes, sometimes not," Burrow said. "That's how it goes. I ran into some students studying abroad from the United States the other day when I was walking around, so that was certainly surprising. It's often a little more than I expect when I'm in a different country. I usually expect to go pretty incognito and not have anybody recognize me."

Burrow didn't pack any special disguises, and that's mostly because he's not in charge of packing his own suitcase, which is probably for the best. Packing a suitcase is apparently the one thing Burrow hates more than anything. For the trip to Madrid, he let his mom and his assistant, Kyle Smith, handle all the packing. 

"Thank God I don't have to pack anymore," Burrow said. "That's my least favorite thing to do in the entire world, is pack a suitcase for a trip. My mom helped me, Kyle helped me, and we have a good fit for Sunday for sure."

Burrow isn't the only Bengals player who has been enjoying his downtime this week. Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims visited the Real Casa de Correos, where he made some new friends. 

Meanwhile Amarius Mims in Spain😂😂 pic.twitter.com/yiQLcOqFtW

— Drake Burton (@bengalsdrake) November 5, 2026

Meanwhile Amarius Mims in Spain😂😂 pic.twitter.com/yiQLcOqFtW

The fact that Mims was even awake was a good thing for the Bengals, because earlier in the week he was still having trouble adjusting to the six-hour time difference between Madrid and Cincinnati. 

"So I went to sleep [Wednesday] night. Woke up at 12:30 a.m. CET, watch the whole 76ers game, went back to bed at 3:30 a.m. CET and I woke up at 7:30," Mims told Bengals radio voice Dan Hoard.

Based on Cincinnati time, that means Mims went to bed Wednesday afternoon, woke up at 6:30 p.m. ET, watched an NBA game until 9:30 p.m. ET and then woke up for good at 1:30 a.m. ET. Waking up at that hour isn't normal, which is why it makes sense to leave early for an international game, so your players have a chance to get acclimated. 

Mims has been a busy guy this week: Not only did he meet a few police officers, but he also spent some time walking around Madrid with the Bengals offensive line, and at some point on Wednesday, they ran into a Bengals fan.

Walking around Madrid, guess who I just bumped into? THE BENGALS OL!!! Missing Ted but everyone else! They were all so friendly…. This grin is never going away 😃😃😃😃😃 pic.twitter.com/Wsymb7Csjf

— isobelh.art🇨🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@isobelh_art) November 4, 2026

Walking around Madrid, guess who I just bumped into? THE BENGALS OL!!! Missing Ted but everyone else! They were all so friendly…. This grin is never going away 😃😃😃😃😃 pic.twitter.com/Wsymb7Csjf

It's not that surprising to see the offensive line run into a fan, as Bengals fans have taken over Madrid. 

Who Dey Nation en Madrid. #WHODEY pic.twitter.com/7SE2dqwPIg

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 5, 2026

Who Dey Nation en Madrid. #WHODEY pic.twitter.com/7SE2dqwPIg

Heading into the weekend, Bengals fans were far outnumbering Falcons fans in Madrid, so Atlanta's home game might not feel like much of a home game. 

First-time overseas

For most Bengals players, this will be their first international game, but Tee Higgins might have them all topped. Not only will this be the first time he's played a game outside the United States, but this trip marked the first time he had ever been to Europe. 

"Once I landed out here, I was like, 'I can't believe I actually crossed the Atlantic,'" Higgins said Thursday. "It's my first time ever crossing the Atlantic [to] Europe. It's just amazing to me, just knowing where I came from, bringing my family out here, because it's their first time as well, so it's pretty dope. It's surreal. We're definitely going to enjoy our time here, even though it's short."

Higgins has been one of the best receivers in the NFL this year. Heading into Week 9, he's one of just two players — along with Jaxon Smith-Njigba — averaging more than 100 receiving yards per game. Higgins has 43 catches for 726 yards, which leads the Bengals (We actually took a close look at why Higgins has been so successful this year, and you can check out the story here). 

Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase have been quite the tandem, and although Chase's numbers haven't been as impressive, he's not complaining, because he loves to see Higgins thrive. 

"I think it's fun working with Tee and him working with me," Chase said Friday. "We're always making each other better."

Speaking of Chase, during the team's off day on Wednesday, he might have been the only one who didn't have fun, at least to start things off. All he wanted was some food, and he couldn't find anything he liked.  

"My first day, I was a little annoyed trying to find some food, and I was saying I miss my chef, but now, I think I'm pretty good," Chase said. 

"Pretty good" would also be an accurate way to sum up the Bengals right now. At 5-2, the team is surging at the right time, and a win over the Falcons would set up an AFC North showdown, with first place on the line, against the Steelers in Week 10. However, no one on the Bengals' roster is looking ahead to that game just yet. This team is enjoying their time away from home. 

"This is somewhere I've always wanted to go, and so, to be able to do it while doing what I love, playing football, is really a dream come true for me," Burrow said. 

Burrow and the Bengals can put the finishing touches on this dream trip by beating the Falcons on Sunday. 

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