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Guide to Madrid, Spain
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Madrid
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MadridSpains beautiful, busy, and compact capital city, Madrid, seems to emanate energy that no other European city can match. Stroll through the city centre and see it alive with tourists, locals, vendors, bicyclists, and maybe even a mime or two. Theres no doubt that youll grow quickly addicted to the fast-paced, yet richly seductive charms of Madrid. From the trendy clubs and the WIFI bistros, to the historic landmarks and the 9^th century remains of a city wall, Madrid is more than just an experience. It is life brought out in bold (Precaution: The attacks in Madrid on March 11, 2004, by the terror organization Al-Qaeda, left the city deeply shaken. However, the gloom that hovered over the city and its people has dissipated greatly and the city is thriving once again).
When to go:
Madrid is best experienced in the months of March, May, and October. Youll find the weather to be wonderful, the air to be fresh, and most important of all the tourist numbers to be low. The month of May, though not the busiest in terms of tourism, holds a great number of parties and festivities. Both the Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid and the Fiestas de San Isidro occur in May, when youll notice the city streets teeming with excitement around the clock.
Getting there and around:
Barajas Airport is one of the busiest in the world, and undoubtedly the busiest in Spain. Flights from just about everywhere in the world arrive here, and with a great number of travelers arriving on a continual basis, the airport must provide world-class services, and it does. Youll find everything youre looking for here, and though security forces are continually roaming the grounds and terminals and checking passengers, the lines are not as long as one would expect. Travel into the city is a breeze with the speedy metro connection that was put in place recently.
Stick with the citys metro system while youre traveling around the city. Its fast, clean, easy, and most of all, cheap. Taxis are always available if you cant get to a metro station. You can hire a car if youd like, but while the roads are meant to be driven on and traffic is quite minimal throughout the day, its best to leave the transportation up to the city.
Attractions:
The Moorish quarter of Madrid may not be the most exciting place in the city and may not be teeming with foot traffic, but it is one of the oldest districts in Madrid and youll be pleasantly surprised by the attractions the area is home to. In the Moorish quarter youll find part of the city wall that stood here since the 9^th century. If you travel to Madrid during summer, you can catch many outdoor theatre and musical performances here.
Visit Museo del Prado to see an incredibly vast collection of artwork - not only of Spanish origin, but international pieces as well. The Museo del Prado is housed in a building that was once a natural history museum, but converted to the museum of today in 1819. Youll find over 7000 works, with some by Velazquez, Goya, and da Ribera.
The Museo Municipal is meant as a history museum, and though it has some interesting displays, the organization and presentation of the museum is somewhat disorienting. However, you will find a great number of fascinating Iron and Bronze Age pieces, and a few rare trinkets from the Hapsburg and Bourbon periods.
Parque de Buen Retiro is the perfect place to spend a spring afternoon, or even the whole day. The park holds some of the most beautiful public gardens in Madrid, and the large (artificial) lake in the center of the park attracts many people; you can even hire a boat. Alfonso XIIs mausoleum is beside the lake, along with a beautiful Egyptian fountain complete with sphinx. Many people miss a cove of the park, but if you know where it is, the Rose Garden is a wonderful attraction visit.
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