Visit Madrid, tourism Madrid
Madrid
The Spanish capital is a vibrant, atmospheric city, short on famous monuments but rich in cultural sights. Pride of place belongs to the city’s three superb art museums. The Prado has one of the most remarkable art collections in the world, with works by major Spanish and European masters from the Renaissance onwards.
The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is devoted to 20th-century Spanish art with representative works by Miró, Dalí, Juan Gris, and above all by the Cubists, including Picasso. The most famous work on show is his masterpiece from the Civil War period, Guernica. The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza is one of the most important private collections of western painting in the world, with more than 800 paintings from the Italian Renaissance to the 20th-century avant garde.
Mapa de España
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.
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.
La Cibeles, Madrid
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.
Plaza Mayor - 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.
Puerta de Alcala, Madrid
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.
2011 © Copyright AGC, inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Politic
