The Palacio Real, the Royal Palace, in Madrid
The capital city of Madrid is almost located in the center of the country. Is it the heart of the country? Probably. Do all roads lead to Madrid? Well, most do. It is a hustling city with broad beautiful streets like the Gran Via in the center of the old section of the city. But don't be fooled into thinking that a visit to Madrid shows you what life in Spain is about. That would be like one saying that Los Angeles, Miami or Chicago shows the foreign visitor what life in the USA is about.
If you fly into Barajas Airport(and you probably will if you are on an international flight) outside of Madrid, you can take a bus into the city to Plaza Colon, then a taxi to your destination. The transportation is very easy in Madrid and there are thousands of cruising taxis and cabs at taxi stands(white with an official red stripe diagonally down the side).
I suggest that before you go to Madrid, especially if this is your first visit, to get one of the well known guide books of Spain(Fodors, Birnbaums or similar) and read up on hotels and select one. We usually stay in three star hotels and find them very comfortable with private baths and located on neat streets that are convenient to the city center. The hotel ratings are from one to five star(five star being the best). We stayed near Plaza España on the Gran Via and found it to be a very convenient downtown location. Although if you prefer it to be very quiet, then by all means find a small hotel away from the city center, as the area of the Gran Via is very busy!
Prado Museum
Madrid is a virtual museum
in itself; as a matter of fact so is all of Spain. For a pleasant
day, spend a few hours at the world famous Prado Art Museum. It
is wonderful and beautiful. One can spend much longer that just
a morning or afternoon if you really like art. Plan to have lunch
in the basement cafeteria cafe. A good choice would be paella,
a Spanish rice dish with all kinds of delicious fish and vegetables
in it. It is a great people watching place!
The
Thyssen Museum
The Thyssen Museum is another more modern art museum just down
the street from the Prado and is a must. It covers the famous
art from all over the world, including the USA. Also has a neat
little restaurant in the basement.
Palacio
Real (royal palace)
The Royal Palace is absolutely beautiful and you can buy a brief
tour of the city that includes entrance to the palace with a guide.
It is supposed to be built of local stone and is now only used
for state occasions. The palace dates from the 1700's. King Juan
Carlos and family live in a smaller residence on the outskirts
of Madrid.
Almudena
Cathedral
Madrid really doesn't have its own ancient Gothic type cathedral.
The cathedral of Madrid is considered to be the Almudena Cathedral,
next to the Royal Palace. It is built on the site of an ancient
church, and was started in the 1830's. They say it isn't completed
yet,and one can see that some of the interior chapels are still
yet to be finished. It is a beautiful building and definitely
worth a visit. Has beautiful art.
Convento de las Descalzas Reales
This is located in the Plaza de las Descalzas and was built in
the 16th century. Part is still a convent, and for a small fee
a guide will take you and a small group through it. Has many religious
art pieces, paintings and tapestries. Be sure and go here!
Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor is a wonderful and beautiful square. It is very large
and surrounded on four sides by apartments and offices. There
are shops and restaurants on the ground floor all around the plaza.
It is a very historical place as among other events that occured
here were bullfights, executions and such activities. It is in
the old city and surrounding it are more shops and restaurants,
making for a neat area to explore during the daylight hours.
Retiro
Park
The Retiro Park is a large and beautiful park loaded with nice
shade trees. If you are in Madrid in the summer, the weather will
be very hot, 90-105 degrees fahrenheit. The Retiro is a good place
to go to sit and sip a cool drink under the trees. It is busy
on the weekends, and you probably want to go in the daytime.
Daytrips you can take from Madrid
We booked our day trips through Julia Tours in Madrid. They were excellent trips and we were well taken care of. I would suggest the following day trips from Madrid: Toledo, and Segovia/La Granja, and there are many others. Your hotel can help you to locate Julia Tours.
Related Links
Travel Spain
Traveling
to Spain
Fodor's
Spain (current edition)
Iberia
by James A. Michener
Jet
Smart by Diana Fairchild
Passport's
Food & Wine Guides: Spain by Pepita Aris (Passport's
Books)
