Destination: MADRID, SPAIN

Madrid is the capital city of Spain, and is located almost exactly in the geographical centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Madrid is the largest city in Spain. Madrid is best known for its great cultural and artistic heritage, for which El Prado museum is a good example. It also boasts some of the liveliest nightlife in the world.

Nearly all of the most famous tourist areas are located in the centre of Madrid: Puerta del Sol just in the middle, Plaza Mayor a bit to the south, Palacio Real to the west, and Plaza de Colón to the north-east. Some of those hot spots spread up past the Gran Via, which is one of the main streets in Madrid (the largest one being the Paseo de la Castellana).

UNDERSTAND MADRID

The culture of Madrid was dominated by its religious and royal history. Enormous, monolithic cathedral and churches are plentiful in Madrid, as well as medieval architecture, although nowadays Madrid is a cosmopolitan city as you would expect from Berlin or London.

The citizens of Madrid (referred to by themselves as Madrileños or the more traditional term "gatos" (cats) though not so used today) live by a daily routine that is heavily influenced by the harsh climate. Due to the extreme heat in the middle of the day, a "siesta" is observed in which some citizens take a break from the heat. Small stores are often closed during this time. Workers and those more afflicted by Western lifestyles do not have to observe this long break and work traditional business hours, which are usually between 9 a.m. and 6-7 p.m. Offices usually close during the weekend but businesses are often open Saturday morning, and downtown also during the afternoon. Most grocers are closed on Sundays. Some major chain and department stores will be open throughout the day, however, for example- FNAC.

Madrid possibly has the largest number of bars per capita of any European city and a very active nightlife; Madrileños are known to stay up until even 6-8 a.m. It is important to note that due to their very active lifestyle, lodging located near the Gran Via can result in an aural nightmare at night; light sleepers should take heed.

Madrid has become very modernized as of late, with a very elaborate transportation network comprised of the Metro and buses. The city contrasts with some large European cities in that it is extremely clean, and city employees in bright green vests can almost always be seen cleaning the streets and sidewalks. Like most large cities, however, there is a substantial population of vagrants and beggars lining the streets.

Madrid is one of the biggest and most cosmopolitan cities in Europe. Communities of West Africans, North Africans, Latin Americans, other Europeans, Chinese, Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis are important.

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THINGS TO SEE IN MADRID

Major Museums The "Golden Museum Triangle"

Museo del Prado, one of the finest art collections in the world, and the best collection of classical art in Madrid. It contains the famous Velazquez piece, Las Meninas, as well many of the Black Paintings of Goya. Includes many different Collections: the Spanish (El Greco, Velazquez, and Goya), the Flemish and Dutch paintings (Rubens, van Dyck, and Brueghel), Italian (Botticelli, Tintoretto Caravaggio, and Veronese),the German paintings (Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, and Baldung Grien). Tickets are about €6, with discounts for students, children, etc. Entry is free on Sundays.
Reina Sofía National Museum and Art Centre, houses Madrid's best collection of modern art. It includes many of Pablo Picasso's most revered works including the renowned Guernica. The Reina Sofía also houses masterpieces by Miró, Kandinsky, Dalí, Bacon, and more. €6, free at weekends.
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum of Art, contains a large art collection including masterpieces by Monet, Goya, Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh, Picasso, Mondrian, Bacon and Lichtenstein. Tickets are about €6.
Atocha RENFE. A very large train station. The interesting thing about it is the winterhouse jungle garden inside the main building, complete with small turtles. Worth visiting.
El Retiro is considered to be the "Central Park" of Madrid, the perfect place to take a rest during a sunny day, or take part in the drum circles around the statue of Alphonso XII on summer evenings. There is a large boating lake where one can hire a rowing boat - great fun for the children! There is a monument to the victims of the Madrid 3/11 terrorist bombings, the Forest of the Absent, and the Crystal Palace, a large structure entirely made of glass. Sunday afternoons in summer are a treat in the park, where young hippies play bongos and dance.
La Casa de Campo is the park at the rear of the Palace (Palacio Real) which used to belong to the Royal family. Much of the park has been taken to smaller activity parks such as the Zoo but in general it's peaceful. From Moncloa you can take a teleferico across into the park.
Palacio Real (Royal Palace) is a enormous palace, with scorching plains of concrete around it and the Real Armorial (Royal Armoury), a two-story collection of medieval weapons and armour. In spite of its name, it is not the residence of the current royal family. The Royal Palace, in the Calle de Bailen, is considered to be one of the most emblematic and beautiful buildings in Madrid, not only for its location but also for its architecture and the artistic treasures to be found in its rooms. The façades of the palace measure 130 metres long and 33 metres high with 870 windows and 240 balconies opening on to the facades and courtyard. It has a surface area of 100,000 square metres with 44 stairways and more than 30 principal rooms. Also located within the palace is the Pharmacia, which contains hundreds of bottles of early medicines and a reconstructed laboratory.
Catedral de la Almudena. This massive cathedral can be found facing the Palacio Real. Finished in the end of 20th century, it is where the Princes of Asturias Felipe and Letizia were married in 2004.
Gran Vía. Literally, "Broadway", Gran Via is one of the busiest avenues in Madrid, what you could call the main street of Madrid, and the location of the cinema district. The Gran Via is very similar to Times Square in New York City. "From the Habsburgs to Manhattan in 2 minutes". Gran Via has a constan buzz of traffic and life. 3-4am Early morning traffic jams are not unusual.
Plaza de Cibeles houses one of Madrid's emblems, the fountain of Cibeles, and one of the world's most beautiful post offices, Palacio de las Telecomunicaciones.
Plaza Mayora burray of people and restaurants enjoying the surrounding buildings.

Other Museums

San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Art: Great art collection with paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints. Several Goya masterpieces.
The Museum of the City: with five floors it tells the city's history, since it was founded by the Arabs. There are models of some urban areas.
San Antonio de La Florida Hermitage: This small church is famous for its murals, painted by Goya. It's also the mausoleum of the painter.
The Debod Temple: An Egyptian temple, located in one of Madrid´s most beautiful parks. Near Royal Palace and Plaza de España, it was a present given to Spain for its role in saving the temple of Abu Simbel from the floodwaters of lake Nasser following the construction of the Aswan Dam in southern Egypt.
Real Madrid Museum: Located in the famous stadium, Santiago Bernabeu, it showcases all the trophies of the considered most successful football club in the world. - Real Madrid.

THINGS TO DO IN MADRID

Stroll on El Retiro (Madrid's biggest park near the Prado Museum and by Puerta Alcalá Monument), Madrid of the Hagsburgs (center of Madrid, where you can go out for tapas) and Paseo del Prado (a pedestrian walkway full of fountains and trees near the famous museum).
Enjoy the famous nightlife of Madrid.
Check out some Flamenco - Visit the Corral de la Moreria, one of the most famous flamenco tablaos in the world. It´s right in the heart of the city, and you can enjoy a full fledged Spanish meal while you watch performances by renowned international flamenco music and dance artists.
Watch some soccer Two teams from Madrid play in La Liga (Spain's premier division): Atletico de Madrid (at Vicente Calderón stadium) and Real Madrid (at Santiago Bernabeu stadium). Real Madrid, or Los Galacticos , has a team comprising of some of the world's most talented and famous players yet have failed to turn their hand to winning any silverware in the last few seasons. Despite this, the Santiago Bernabeu is one of the great soccer stadia of Europe and watching a match there is a great experience.
Atletico are traditionally the second team in Madrid and don't have the illustrious past that their bitter rivals across the city do. However, they do have Fernando Torres, arguably Spain's brightest star in their team, so watching them play is rarely dull. The football season starts in September and ends in May/June depending on the year. Tickets cost anywhere from 20 euros upwards.
Check out the sport - In basketball, there are also two major teams, Estudiantes and Real Madrid. Another important event held in October is Madrid Tennis Masters series, where the best ATP tennis players participate.
Concerts are plentiful.
Have your portrait drawn in the Plaza Mayor. Generally very good quality and the prices are very reasonable.
Cinemas offering international o.s.t. movies can be found in inner city, consult the daily press for what they show at the moment.
La Transhumancia. A yearly festival (of sorts), in which the centre of Madrid is traffic free and instead the streets are filled with sheperds exercising their ancient right to drive sheep and livestock through the city.

FOOD IN MADRID

Food in Madrid is heavily influenced by Mediterranean cuisine. The most famous dishes from Spain are the appetizers, Tapas, that are often served at bars and small cafes before a main meal. These Tapas can be almost anything, from French fries to heavily seasoned octopus medallions (and can be very hard on one's pocketbook).

A very popular dish, for tourists seeking the Spanish cuisine experience, is Paella, a rice dish that includes a variety of seafoods and vegetables. Remember that Spanish people have lunch from 2:00 p.m. and dinner after 9:00 p.m.

TRIPS OUT OF MADRID

Madrid is both a city and a region in Spain and as such has a number of sights within easy reach. Popular destinations include:

Aranjuez - Home to royal residences, botanical gardens & summer retreats.
Chinchon - Typical Spanish town which retains its character from the 1700´s
El Escorial - A mountainous retreat home to Spains largest monestary.
Segovia - Medieval city home to the Spanish Mint
Toledo - Medieval walled city previously home to the kings of Spain
Valle de los Caidos - Valley of the fallen, The worlds largest free standing christian cross comemerating those who fell in the civil war and home to Franco´s tomb.

For more information on Madrid, visit the source at Wikitravel

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Madrid, Spain