Madrid for Art Lovers 4 Days Itinerary
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
T R I P D E S I G N MADRID FOR ART LOVERS 4 DAYS ITINERARY “Everything you can imagine is real.” - Pablo Picasso I M P R E S S I O N I S T S , 1 P R I V A T E C O L L E C T I O N S & T A P A S Y A D Meet your private guide/art historian in the reception of your hotel & take a short walk to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. Its 1000 work collection houses works from the 13th century to the present day with great examples in styles ranging from Renaissance to Pop Art. The collection was assembled by the Thyssen-Bornemisza family & installed in the Villahermosa Palace in 1922. The numerous highlights include works by Titian, Goya, Zubaran, Van Gogh, Picasso and Freud. After the visit, continue your exploration of Madrid with an artisans walk through the smaller streets tucked away from the main squares. Some treasured visits await you; a visit to Madrid’s legendary cape maker (Picasso is buried in one such cape), to the workshop of an authentic Spanish guitar maker, and a visit to a local artist’s private studio. The route takes you through contrasting examples of Madrid’s architecture of medieval to Mudejar to Art Deco. Lunch at one of our favourite Madrileño restaurants serving excellent local produce served with paired wines in a busy central restaurant where style and quality are on par. Your private driver will then take you & your guide to visit the Sorolla Museum: the former home and studio belonging to Spain’s greatest luminist, to the ‘John Singer Sergeant of Spain’ set in a its Moorish Gardens influenced by the Alhambra’s Generalife gardens in Granada. The Spanish impressionist’s collection of his works & furniture is just as he left it on his death in 1923. A private late afternoon visit to the Museo Cerralbo: the classical style palace, decorated with Neo-Baroque & Rococo elements, was designed with a dual purpose, as a home & a museum, headquarters of the works of art collected by the Marquis of Cerralbo & his children, the Marquises of Villa-Huerta, during their many trips in Spain & Europe. A rare opportunity to glimpse aristocratic life of the late 19th century Madrid. To finish the day, it’s time to enjoy a tapas walk with your guide to understand the dynamic & culture of tapas Madrileño style. Much more than an offering of small plates, tapas is a whole culture, each bar with its specialities & atmosphere. Learn what to order & how to order it along eith how become professional tapas bar hoppers by the end of the evening. G R E A T M A D R I D 2 C O L L E C T I O N S W I T H W O R L D E X P E R T , & L U N C H W I T H F A S H I O N & Y I N T E R I O R D E S I G N E R A D A privately guided visit to the Prado: spend all morning on a highlights tour of the Prado focusing on Velazquez, Titian, & Goya. You will enjoy the museum an hour before it opens to the general public, with just a selected number of groups inside. After it opens at 10am, you can continue your tour at leisure. Visit the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía: Spain’s great museum of 20th-century art, for Picasso’s Guernica with the leading world expert on Picasso, flown in especially for your tour. Lunch with one of Spain’s most recognised Interior Designers in his home with a private chef preparing the meal. Lunchtime discussions about Madrid’s fashion & interior design scene, as well as the divulging of the best places for purchases in the city. Visit the Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida: a Neoclassical chapel decorated with astounding frescoes by Goya & housing the artist's tomb. The southern of the two small chapels is one of the few places to see Goya's work in its original setting. In the evening, visit an established flamenco tablao to see this great Spanish art in an authentic setting. A guide will accompany you to explain everything about flamenco, what to look for & how the art form has become what it is today. T O L E D O W I T H 3 P A L A T I A L L U N C H Y A D Your guide and private driver will both meet you at the hotel. Drive out into the hills of Castilla-La Mancha for the day exploring the beautiful & historic city of Toledo. The Romans built a fortress here, Visigoths made it their capital & in the Middle Ages the city was a melting pot of Christian, Muslim & Jewish cultures. The city boasts a fabulous cathedral and museum, & was home to the great painter El Greco. Lunch in the Moorish style garden patio of an 18th-century palatial home whose wall is also the old Arabic city wall of Toledo. Visit the Monastery de San Juan de Los Reyes: The monastery was commissioned as a burial place for catholic monarchs in the 15th century & is a wonderful example of the fusion of cultures & architectural styles of the city: Gothic-Flemish-Spanish style with a mudéjar ceiling. After a relaxing drive back to the capital & a rest, dinner will be at the now world-famous, avant-garde, 3-Michelin-star restaurant DiverXo, by chef Dabiz Muñoz. 4 R O Y A L M A D R I D Y A D Depart with your private guide for a visit to the Royal Palace, built by Felipe V, the first of the Bourbon Kings. With its arresting, baroque beauty, highlights would include the Royal Apartments & opulent Throne Room. Further sites include the striking Plaza de la Armerina Courtyard & armoury. If weather permits, a stroll around the surrounding gardens. Continuing the royal theme, lunch will be at the Botín, the oldest restaurant in the world. Before lunch, have a private tour of the 4 story restaurant, from its medieval tunnels to the lunch tables where European royals & Hollywood royalty have dined. Afternoon at leisure. Optional early evening appointment at one of the leading spas in Madrid. Deeply relaxing treatments, massages, &/or jacuzzi circuits. Time to raise a glass to Madrid from the most spectacular hotel rooftop & take in its 360-degree view with sunset casting its glow over this stunning city. Dinner close to the hotel at a landmark for all madrileños, a bustling café, & restaurant dating back to 1887, where old-world charm & its playful modern twist, contributes to the sheer vibrancy of this classic meeting place. Dine classic, delicious, freshly- prepared dishes on marble- topped tables before heading upstairs for some live jazz to end the evening. Next morning, depart by private transfer for Madrid airport. .