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The Royal Palace dates
from the mid-18th century. There are more than 20
rooms open to the public, exhibiting priceless
tapestries, paintings, carpets, clocks, furniture,
silverware and porcelain. The armory has one of
the most valuable collections in Europe, mainly
from the 16th century. Madrid’s most historic
square, the Plaza Mayor, is enclosed by arcades
sheltering a variety of craft shops, restaurants
and tapas bars. It was completed in 1617 during
the reign of Philip III. The popular center of
Madrid is the famous square, the Puerta del Sol,
the main shopping district and hub of the city’s
nightlife.
Madrid’s most accessible green space is the Retiro
Park. A former royal retreat, its attractions
include a boating lake and summer concerts. The
Botanical Gardens, a short walk from the Prado,
are worth a visit.
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Mayor square, Madrid |
The Casa de Campo, west of the
city center, is a huge open space with a swimming
pool, tennis courts, a jogging track and a zoo
with aquarium. On the edge of Caso de Campo is the
Parque de Atracciones, a large amusement park.
Southeast of the city is the Parque Biológico, a
new theme park on bio-diversity with pavilions
recreating a variety of ecosystems. There is a
250-hectare Warner Brothers theme park in San
Martín de la Vega. Many visitors to the city take
the opportunity to see Real Madrid, one of the
world’s most successful football clubs, at the
Bernabéu Stadium.
EXCURSIONS: There are numerous places of interest
within easy reach of the city. The Monastery of
San Lorenzo del Escorial (49km, 30 miles) was
commissioned by Philip II as a mausoleum for
Spanish rulers. The highlights are the art museum,
with works by Rubens, Tintoretto, Titian and
Veronese, the palace, the basilica and the library.
Approximately 9km (6 miles) from the Escorial is
the Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen), a
huge crypt cut into the mountainside surmounted by
a stone cross of 152m (500ft). The dictator,
General Franco, conceived this dramatic monument
as a tribute to those on the Fascist side who died
in the Civil War. Franco himself is buried here.
Alcalá de Henares, a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
is the birthplace of the writer Miguel de
Cervantes and the English queen, Catherine of
Aragon. The main point of interest is the
university, founded in the 16th century by
Cardinal Cisneros. Other attractions include the
17th-century convent of San Bernardo and the
oldest surviving public theater in Europe – as
important to Spain as Shakespeare’s Globe is to
England. Aranjuez is famous for its gardens, an
18th-century Summer Palace, built by the Spanish
Bourbons and Charles IV’s enormously expensive
folly, the Casita del Labrador, on the banks of
the River Tagus. Aranjuez is known for
strawberries and asparagus. The Strawberry Train
(Tren de la Fresa), complete with steam engine and
wooden carriages, operates between Madrid and
Aranjuez between mid-April and July and September
to mid-October. Chinchón is an attractive little
town with an atmospheric main square, Plaza Mayor,
still used for bullfights during the fiesta (August)
and for a passion play at Easter. The mountains of
the Sierra de Guadarrama are easily accessible
from Madrid and are an important center for skiing
and winter sports. Puerto de Navacerrada and
Valdesquí are the main resorts.
Getting around
In spite of the
fact that Madrid is a large city, finding
your way around ends up not being so difficult as
long as you keep a series of coordinates in mind:
For the visitor, the
main point of reference is the Puerta del Sol
(the Gateway of the Sun). It marks the center of
the city and the starting point to see the
majority of its sites. The Puerta del Sol is
surrounded by the old city (casco antiguo), in
which you will find several must-see spots such as
the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), the
monastery known as "Monasterio de las
Descalzas", the Plaza de la Villa or
the Palacio Real (the Royal Palace).
Near the Puerta del
Sol you will find the Gran Vía, one of the
city's principal roads. The Gran Vía runs
from the Plaza de España to Alcalá
street, which itself takes you to the Parque del
Retiro.
Another fundamental
point of reference of the city would be axis of
the street Paseo de la Castellana which in
turn becomes the Paseo de Recoletos and the
Paseo del Prado. The origin of this road
could be considered the Plaza de Atocha, where you
will find the train station, and the end then
would be found in the Plaza de la Castilla,
which is clearly recognizable for the Puerta de
Europa, which is marked by the visually
impressive Kio Towers. On this axis we will find
the great museums of the city (Prado, Thyssen-Bornemizsa,
Reina Sofía, Natural Sciences, etc.) as well
as some of its most important plazas (Cibeles,
Neptuno, Colón, etc.).
We could define the
borders of the main part to visit by the area
formed by linking the points of Moncloa,
Atocha and Retiro. Within this large
area, the majority of monuments and points of
interest can be located.
Some other sites
must also be mentioned, such as the Park of
Juan Carlos I, which is today one of the
biggest areas of development. Within the enclosure
are the fair grounds, which welcomes around 200
fairs a year and, therefore, holds massive
attendance. These grounds are located only a few
kilometers from the city, reached by taking the
road to Zaragoza or easily accessed by the
Metro (Madrid's underground train network).
Yet another point of reference would be the area
known as Mendez Álvaro, situated south of
Madrid. It is not a touristic area, nor is it of
special beauty, but it is one of the principal
points of access to the city because here the bus
station, Estación Sur de Autobuses, can be found.
Just next to the bus station we find Tierno
Galván Park as well as the Planetarium of
Madrid. Next to that is the IMAX Cinema,
which plays films in 3D and on a giant circular
screen.
Finally, one must keep in mind that the city is
surrounded by Highway M-30, which circumscribes
the city and therefore eliminates the need to go
through the city to arrive from one extreme to
another.
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Cibeles square, Madrid |
Popular traditions
Madrid
has always been a very traditional city and its
opening to the exterior has not kept it from
following its traditions, although it is also true
that traditions from other regions of Spain have
been adopted, largely due to the massive
immigration that took place principally during the
sixties.
Some of Madrid's most attractive traditions for
tourists are:
El Chotis: The typical Madrileño dance
that is performed especially during the festival
of San Isidro.
Chulapos y Chulapas: Also during the
Festival of San Isidro, the men of Madrid dress
up in black and white checkered trousers and
hats, black vests and white shirts while
Madrid's women wear the typical costume and a
white cloth with a carnation in their hair.
San Isidro: Patron Saint of Madrid, is
celebrated 15 May with street parties and the
Fair of San Isidro in which, during one month,
bull fights take place at the Plaza de las
Ventas.
In
this section we will see a few examples of the
locales with performances or shows that are
somewhat different from what we normally might see.
Routes
Ther are four points that take you a bit off the
central tour path:
La Ermita de San Antonio de
la Florida: This
hermitage is home to Fancisco de Goya's most
important frescoes, among them the Ciclo de los
Milagros de San Antonio, which decorates the dome,
pechinas y crucero, and narrates the miracle of
San Antonio de Padua on Lisbon in which he
resuscitates a dead man in order that he declare
innocent his accused murderer. The remains of Goya
have lain in the hermitage since 1919.
El Puente de Toledo:
Constructed by Pedro de Ribera between 1719 and
1732, this footbridge crosses the Manzanares.
Preceeded by the older and bigger Puente de
Segovia (16th C.), this bridge demonstrates a
discrete beauty.
El Parque de la Fuente del
Berro: Acquired
by the Duke of Frías in the 17th C. and ceded to
the monks of Montserrat in the 18th C, this park
was scene of many parties and celebrations. In
1941, it was acquired by the Ayuntamiento (City
Hall) de Madrid. Now it is a garden-filled park,
with a smattering of small constructions and
fountains, and a pond with several different
streams of water.
Museo Sorolla:
This is the site that least moves away from the
central tourist route. Situated in what was once
the house of the Valencian painter, it exhibits
his work and the collections that he put together
in his lifetime. The museum reflects the
environment in which the painter lived.
To
take the central tourist path, one could take the
following path:
Starting at the Cuartel del Conde Duque,
constructed by Pedro de Ribera to house the Royal
Companies of the Guardias de Corps under the reign
of Felipe V. The severe-looking walls contrast
with the doorway which allows entrance to the
cultural center in which the Municipal Historical
Archives and the Municipal Hemeroteca are housed.
Following the street La Princesa, one comes upon
the Plaza de España, dominated by the Statue of
Cervantes and a sculpture of Don Quijote and
Sancho Panza.
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Down the calle Bailén, many historical buildings
are discovered, but we won't stop to visit them on
this route. Continue along until the Iglesia de la
Virgen de la Paloma, a small church that was
erected behind the catedral de la Almudena, which
reflects life in the time of Pérez Galdós.
Continuing along calle Mayor, and very near the
Puerta del Sol, we find the Plaza de Pontejos,
surrounded by small, charming shops in which the
most traditional souvenirs can be found.
Down calle de Huertas, we slip ourselves into the
middle of the siglo de oro. Here in the Barrio de
los Literatos or de las Musas (the Neighborhood of
Letters or of the Muses), the Casa-Museo de Lope
de Vega, el Corral de la Pacheca and the Corral de
la Cruz are the highlights. In this area, Lope,
Tirso de Molina, Cervantes, Quevedo, Calderón and
Góngora, among others, premiered their plays.
Cervantes himself is buried in the convent 'de las
Trinitarias'.
Upon reaching the Paseo del Prado, we can visit
the famous Museum, especially the Goya and
Velázquez rooms, in order to give ourselves an
idea of the society of this era through its
paintings.
Continuing along Paseo del Prado, we arrive to the
Plaza de la Cibeles, from where we turn onto the
calle de Alcalá in order to visit the Royal
Academy of Fine Arts, center of meetings and chats
during the Siglo de Oro and, today, cultural
center of exhibitions, theatre and conference
center. Within its walls, parties are common
occurences, or one can simply have coffee in its
"pecera (fishbowl)".
Returning to the Paseo de Recoletos, we reach the
Biblioteca Nacional (National Library), whose
exterior is worth seeing, although it is not
possible to enter within its halls, in which the
most important base of documents of the country is
stored.
At
the Plaza de Colón (Columbus), turn to find the
Plaza de las Salesas Reales, where the Church of
the same name rises. Dating back to the time of
the Bourbons, this church conserves within a
notable number of paintings, sculptures and
sepulchres.
Finally, we will end our visit at the Municipal
Museum, to which we arrive by calle de Mujía
Lequerica. This builiding is another of the works
by Pedro de Ribera and is situated in the old
Hospicio de San Fernando, the chapel is still
conserved with the sepulchres of Beatriz Galindo
and her husband, as well as a canvas of Lucas
Jordán. This is one of the best museums for
learning about the history of Madrid and possesses
an 1830 model of the city by León Gil Palacios.
Shows
CABARET
Berlín Cabaret.
C/ Costanilla de San Pedro 11. Madrid 28005.
Tel. 91 366 20 34.
Candilejas.
C/ Bailén 16. Madrid 28013.
Tel. 91 365 55 45.
MAGIC SHOWS
La Cripta Mágica
C/ Tarragona 15. Madrid 28045.
Tel. 91 539 96 96.
Houdini
C/ Fuencarral 21. Madrid 28004.
Tel. 91 521 06 70.
FLAMENCO
Almonte
C/ Juan Bravo 35. Madrid 28006.
Tel. 91 563 25 04.
Arco de Cuchilleros
C/ Cuchilleros 7. Madrid 28005.
Tel. 91 364 02 63.
Cardamomo
C/ Echegaray 15. Madrid 28014.
Tel. 91 369 07 57.
Los Gabrieles
C/ Echegaray 17. Madrid 28014.
Tel. 91 429 62 61.
La Soleá
C/ Cava Baja 34. Madrid 28005.
Tel. 91 465 52 64.
JAZZ
Café Central
Plaza del Ángel 10. Madrid 28012.
Tel. 91 369 41 43.
Clamores
C/ Alburquerque 14. Madrid 28010.
Tel. 91 445 79 38.
Segundo Jazz
C/ Comandante Zorita 8. Madrid 28020.
Tel. 91 554 94 37.
RESTAURANT/ SHOW
Florida Park
Avda. Menéndez Pelayo/Opposite C/ Ibiza. Madrid
28009.
Tel. 91 573 78 05.
Scala Melia Castilla
C/ Capitán Haya 43. Madrid 28020.
Tel. 91 571 44 11.
SALSA
Puerto Plata
C/ Orense 14. Madrid 28020.
Tel. 91 556 02 36.
Tropical House
C/ Martín de los Heros 14. Madrid 28008.
Tel. 91 541 59 37. |
