The Region of is a point of reference for tourists from all over the world. The region’s people, culture and cuisine as well as the enter- tainment it offers all types of visitors make it stand out on the map as a unique destination with a great capacity for adapting to the tastes of each individual. To the delight of art lovers, large museums such as the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía transform our region into an enor- mous art gallery equal to that found in other large cities such as New York, London and Paris. The dance, theatre and music that fill its venues combine to form a large stage eager for spectators. History is present in all of its streets. The more monumental Madrid with the Royal , Plaza de Oriente and Park is described in all the travel guides. Our region also houses World Heritage Sites, historical gems that tourists must visit: the Monastery and Site of , the Cultural Landscape and the University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares. The visitor can also enjoy the comfort of outstanding hotels and restaurants that offer both tradition and modernity as well as excellent pro- ducts and services. All of this makes the Region of Madrid an open, dynamic and wel- coming space that is waiting to be discovered.

—Antonio Beteta Barreda, Councillor of Economy and Finance, Region of Madrid Contents

2

Culture 5

Dining 10

Shopping 18

By Night 23

Living 29

Routes 34

2 Cultural Calendar 44 A Cultural Bazaar

by Fernando R. Lafuente

The New York Times recently stated, “Ma- culture drid is a city for strollers.” Yes, Madrid is a city that is very strollable or paseandera (Ramón Gómez de la Serna) and one of its greatest incentives is its cultural life. The streets of Madrid are impregnated with an invisible patina of culture that oozes out of every corner and, al- most in silence, reveals a secret. In the theatrical setting of Madrid’s 4 taverns and plazas, Lope de Vega’s characters pass by the innermost 5 desires of the erratic names created by the brilliant imagination of Benito Pérez Galdós or the hustlers intertwined in the dark nooks and crannies created by Pío Baroja. A stroll through Madrid is a perpet- ual orgy of pictorial sensations —the Velázquez sky as seen from Las Vistillas, the landscapes touched with melancholy of ’s tapestries, all the romanticism wrapped in the cellophane of trag- edy by chronicler Mariano José de Larra in the streets near the Plaza de Oriente and the Teatro Real. Without a doubt, Madrid is a city for strollers; it is a city for all those who follow the endless thread of an echo, of a voice, of a line indicating a tragic and happy, gay and trusting geography. The Madrid of chisperos and manolos, the traditional characters shown in Goya’s paintings, and of the Cava Baja, which still remains intact after four centuries of serving wine, songs and dreams that have now been buried by the sands of time. The stroll through the nineteenth-century Retiro Park with its recollections of the blossoming young girls who used to read Espronceda there or who witnessed the spectacle of the first hot air balloon lifting off from the Parterre into the clear blue sky. The city’s architecture as it shines along the Paseo del Prado and enhances the museum’s enormous mansion. The Madrid of Luis García Berlanga’s unforgettable films, which offer an exact, concise portrait of cold far-off times that only films could turn into a place of dreams, and the Madrid shot by Pedro Almodóvar, a unique blend of intense modernity and eternal figures. Everything in Madrid reminds us of a culture lived in the street, free of pomp- osity and affectation. To stroll through this Madrid with such great cultural resonances is to cross a street and change eras, literary styles or schools of painting. And yet the journey is not tiring; it makes you ask for more. To turn a corner and raise the curtain on the old theatrical courtyards that are now found close to the Plaza 6 de Santa Ana within that labyrinthine of curiosities called 7 the Las Letras district. Today Madrid is the bazaar of cultures it has always been, at least since the sixteenth century. Once again it is the cultural breakwater for all of .

— Fernando R. Lafuente is the director of ABCD las Artes y las Letras, the cultural supplement of the ABC newspaper

Opposite: Museo Nacional de Arte Reina Sofía Previous page: San Francisco el Grande MUSEUMS&ART Theatrical by Manuel Spaces Borja-Villel by Nuria Espert

MANUEL’S SPOTS NURIA’S SPOTS Prado Museum Teatro María Guerrero Ruiz de Alarcón, 23. Tamayo y Baus, 4. 91 330 28 00 91 310 15 00 Thyssen-Bornemisza Teatro Español Museum Paseo del Prado, 8. Príncipe, 25. 91 360 14 84 91 369 01 51 Matadero Madrid Museo Nacional Centro Paseo de , 14. de Arte Reina Sofía 91 252 52 53 Santa Isabel, 52. Los Teatros del Canal 91 774 10 00 Cea Bermúdez, 1. Royal Botanical Garden 91 308 99 99 Plaza Murillo, 2. 91 420 30 17 OTHER La Casa Encendida SUGGESTIONS Ronda , 2. Real Coliseo de Carlos III 902 43 03 22 Floridablanca, 20, S. Lorenzo de El Escorial. My Recommendation for someone visit- OTHER 91 890 45 44 ing Madrid combines three great mu- SUGGESTIONS Sala Cuarta Pared C. de Arte Dos de Mayo Ercilla, 17. 91 517 23 17 seums due to their historical importance Avda. Constitución, 23-25, Teatro Lara I Like the Teatro María Guerrero be- and collections: the Prado Museum, the Móstoles. 91 276 02 13 Corredera Baja cause it’s cosy and holds very dear memories Círculo de Bellas Artes de San Pablo, 25. 8 Thysen-Bormemisza Museum and the Alcalá, 42. 91 360 54 00 91 522 61 66 for me after having been its director for two 9 Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Descalzas Reales Teatro Pradillo years. I can never forget the Teatro Español Pl. de las Descalzas Pradillo, 12. Sofía. The distinctive feature they offer is Reales, 3. 91 521 27 79 91 416 90 11 either, where I made my debut in Madrid that within a ten-minute walking distance, Monastery of San Teatro Real at the age of 19 in a small role in Diálogo de Lorenzo de El Escorial Plaza Isabel II, s/n. you can make a tour that I believe is unique San Lorenzo de El Escorial. 91 516 06 60 Carmelitas, directed by José Tamayo. I often worldwide, providing a complete view of 91 890 59 02 go to Matadero Madrid due to its enor- Royal Palace art from the 14th through the 21st centuries. Bailén, s/n. 91 454 88 00 mous capacity for transformation and because even its walls generate I would also like to add the Royal Botanical a fascinating ambiance. And to conclude, Los Teatros del Canal: Garden and La Casa Encendida cultural centre, which are good Madrid urgently needed two more theatres and a great architect points at which to end this tour. —Manuel Borja-Villel is the director of (Juan Navarro Baldeweg) to design them. —Nuria Espert is one of the the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia most renowned actresses in Spanish theatre today Homegrown Fusion

by José Carlos Capel

DINING Madrid is a great gastronomic showcase. Its cuisine is a reflection of the region’s spirit. It is open, plural and capable of accepting everything foreign as its own. The newest trends and most deeply rooted traditions coexist herein: dishes of local origin and those resulting from the most cutting-edge mixtures. Its shop win- dows display products from nearby orchards beside those that have 10 arrived from the far corners of the earth. All Spanish regional cui- 11 sines are represented in the capital’s establishments. Together with cocido (chickpea stew), callos (tripe) and bartolillos (custard pastries) —examples from the region’s own recipe book— you can also taste a good Galician octopus, a Basque-style steak or the best seafood. Next to the traditional bars offering tapas, designer gastrobars have sprung up where prestigious chefs prepare quality tapas to order: fried potato cubes with a spicy sauce, blood pudding sandwiches or fried squid. It is no wonder that under these circumstances and driven by globalisation, fusion cuisine is now right at home in Madrid. In recent decades unusual gastronomic phenomena have occurred that opened new paths for culinary expression. We are speaking of Abraham García’s protofusion in Viridiana during the 1980s, Alberto Chicote’s Mediterranean-Oriental cooking in Nodo, the Japanese-Spanish style sushi made by Ricard Sanz in Kabuki, Jaime Renedo’s hybrid Asian-Spanish-Peruvian dishes in Asiana and the radical avant-garde fusion offered by Muñoz in DiverXo. They are all examples of the enormous culinary vitality of a hyperactive metropolis in which everything makes sense. 12 13 — José Carlos Capel, the gastronomic critic for the El País newspaper, is one of the most distinguished members of his profession in Spain

Above: Las Vistillas; opposite: San Manuel and San Benito Church Previous page: Downward view of the Cuatro Torres

RESTAURANTS TAPAS by Rafael Ansón by Sergi Arola

RAFAEL’S SPOTS SERGI’S SPOTS Príncipe de Viana El Viajero Manuel de Falla, 5. Plaza de la Cebada, 11. 91 457 15 49 91 366 90 64 El Bodegón Santa Bárbara Pinar, 15. 91 562 88 44 Plaza de Santa Bárbara, 8; Zalacaín Alcalá, 149; José Castán Álvarez de Baena, 4. Tobeñas, 1; Padilla, 4. 91 561 48 40 91 319 04 49 Horcher La Cruz Blanca Alfonso XII, 6. 91 522 07 31 , 118; Prado, La Terraza del Casino 25; Mayor, 68, and other One of My is Príncipe de Viana, Alcalá, 15. 91 532 12 75 locations. 91 319 99 08 the direct heir to the Oyarbide family’s Taberna Matritum OTHER Cava Alta, 17. 91 365 82 37 great tradition. It is always a safe bet due to SUGGESTIONS Mercado de San Miguel. its flawless treatment of products from the Casa José Plaza de San Miguel, s/n. Many Places in Madrid offer great tapas. Ctra. Andalucía, 17, 91 542 49 36 Basque Country and Navarra. In El Bodegón, Aranjuez. 91 891 14 88 On Sunday mornings, you must go to the the staff led by José Machado, with splen- Kabuki OTHER terrace at El Viajero: exceptional! I partic- Av. Presidente SUGGESTIONS did advice from Hilario Arbelaitz, always Carmona, 2. 91 417 64 15. Almendro 13 ularly like the retro decoration and boiled offers its best. And we can’t overlook Zalacaín, La Bola Almendro, 13. 91 365 42 52 prawns of the Cervecerías Santa Bárbara. Bola, 5. 91 547 69 30 Casa Labra 14 the first restaurant responsible for the revo- La Broche Tetuán, 12. 91 531 00 81 Other bars that are real favourites of mine 15 lution that Spanish cuisine has experienced Miguel Ángel, 29. Cervecería Alemana include La Cruz Blanca for an important 91 399 34 37 Plaza Santa Ana, 6. from the 1980s onward. With a tradition Sacha 91 429 70 33 reason: they are the best in the world at dating back to the post-war era and a clas- Juan Hurtado El Pesca Ave. Conde drawing beer. I never leave the Taberna de Mendoza, 11. de las Almenas, 6, Torrelo- sic menu, Horcher remains the most bour- 91 345 59 52 dones. 91 859 24 86. Matritum without trying their tomato geois and brilliant place to eat in the city Las Bóvedas. bread and potatoes with cheese. Finally, Madrid, 2, Torrejón de and for me, taken as a whole, it continues unexcelled. Finally, La Ardoz. 91 675 39 00 don’t miss a new space that will soon be Terraza del Casino is one of Madrid’s most beautiful restaurants known as one of Madrid’s best places for where Paco Roncero, based on the “Ferran Adrià style”, has made tapas: the Mercado de San Miguel, which among other treats serves his own way and established an impeccable cuisine. —Rafael Ansón delicious oysters. —Sergi Arola is a chef whose restaurant was the first in is the president of the Spanish Royal Academy of Gastronomy Spain to receive two Michelin stars at one time 16 17 Madrid’s Skin

by Joana Bonet

It is a hurried, hyperrealistic scene. The city, which has grown amidst disorder, is now being blended in the global Thermomix, SHOPPING and its identity and the traditionally arro- others that could well be located in New York’s Village, such as those gant nature still shown by some of its big in the Chueca district. Airs of Le Marais have been imported to shots are becoming increasingly liquefied. Fortuny Street and the arty shops of the Salesas. You define yourself Hypermodernity has arrived and the capital’s human hierarchy has when shopping to the point that a shopping trip could be interpreted altered to such an extent that the ladies of the district, just as dreams can. Buying something and getting it right is a great clad in mink and pashmina, and the bad-tempered doormen are bit of news as well as a delightful frivolity. Endorphins are generated steadily being diminished as Herzog & de Meuron’s vertical gar- when you feel your body fit within the fabric, in proportion and with 18 den continues to grow. The aroma of Ortega y Gasset Street is no no need for alterations, or when you caress an object in the way sand 19 longer limited to that of priceless cognac; its fragrances now include slips through your fingers. Fruit shops, violins and art deco furniture. those of Aveda Spas and Alvaro Palacios wine. Double-parked chau- And in the horizon, Las Vistillas, where reminiscences of the House ffeurs load their Audis with bags from Hermès and Chanel just as on of Austria lead the city’s contours ever closer to its borders until they Madison Avenue, while Colombian manicurists cut cuticles with bend just as if a precipice were in wait, creating for one instant the forensic precision after having displaced the Maricarmens of yes- illusion that an ocean may be hiding behind. The no-ocean of Madrid. terday. Poor Dior! Still holding on are the old hat shops of Infantas Street and — Joana Bonet is the director of Marie Claire Spain magazine the antique dealers in the Rastro, that repository capable of turning charming old things into culture. There are some small islands of shops in Madrid that recall Paris, like the Jorge Juan cul-de-sac, and Above: Victory Arch statues; previous spread: Cascorro Square FASHION SHOPPING by Agatha Ruiz by Martina Klein de la Prada

AGATHA’S SPOTS MARTINA’S SPOTS Retiro Park Hazel Alfonso XII, s/n Claudio Coello, 21. Sorolla Museum 91 576 07 26 General Martínez L’Habilleur Campos, 37. 91 310 15 84 Plaza de Chueca, 8. Vinçon 91 531 32 22 Castelló, 18. 91 577 66 66 Cines Ideal Vitra Doctor Cortezo, 6. Marqués de Villamejor, 5. 91 369 10 53 91 426 45 60 Los Rotos Pandelujo Huertas, 74. 91 429 33 52 Jorge Juan, 20. Campo del Moro Park 91 436 11 00 Paseo Virgen del Puerto, s/n OTHER SUGGESTIONS OTHER Agatha Ruiz de la Prada SUGGESTIONS Serrano, 27. 91 781 10 74 El Transformista Clothing Museum Mira el Río Baja, 18. Av. , 2. 91 366 46 80 91 550 47 00 Fuencarral Market I Adore Hazel because it’s like playing Corachán y Delgado Fuencarral, 45. dolls with shoes. Another shop I often vis- Barco, 42. 91 523 03 64 91 521 41 52 20 Nature and Art are the main inspirations Fuencarral Market Gold Gourmet it is L’Habilleur, a place to find tasteful 21 for my clothing designs. That’s why for me Fuencarral, 45. 91 521 41 52 Ortega y Gasset, 85-87. urban clothing and achieve a new image Sportivo/ Mini 91 402 03 63 the places in Madrid most closely related to Conde Duque, 20. Isolée without dressing like everyone else. Since fashion are the Retiro Park and the Sorolla 91 542 56 61 / Infantas, 19; Claudio shopping isn’t everything in life, you’ll Limón, 24. Coello, 55. 902 87 61 36 Museum. I am also inspired and challenged 91 548 08 35 Rastro Flea Market also frequently find me watching a film by shops such as Vinçon and Vitra, which Btw. Plaza de Cascorro with the original soundtrack at the Cines and Plaza del Campillo offer the latest innovations in design furniture and objects. I strongly del Mundo Nuevo Ideal or, particularly on weekends, eating recommend stopping by Pandelujo, which used to be a bakery and is some delicious “broken” eggs in pita bread now a restaurant with spectacular decoration where you always eat at Los Rotos. Finally, if I have time and it’s a sunny day, I take a well thanks to a great chef, my friend Alberto Chicote. — Agatha Ruiz walk through the Campo del Moro Park. —Martina Klein is a top de la Prada is one of the most international Spanish fashion designers model who participates in the world’s most important fashion shows A Good Billiard Game

by Lourdes Garzón

Years ago, Almodóvar beat me at billiards, BY NIGH T BY although not by very much; it was pure luck with the black ball in a corner. Not that we were friends; we were playing together by chance one Saturday night at a “loser pays” match in Yastá. Yastá was the bar that had the best billiard table in the Chueca district (the Templo del Gato will have to forgive me) and that was all there was to it. You put 22 your name on a list and you played against the winner of the pre- 23 vious game. I usually ended up playing with Carlos the punky, who never missed a ball and only let pretty girls beat him. To be honest, on Sunday morning, whether or not the girl still seemed pretty to him, he always invited her to potato omelette at La Bobia followed by a stroll through the Rastro flea market. Carlos was a gentleman. For a time I lived next to the Las bullring and I took a friend of mine, a French woman who was visiting, to have dinner at Las Puyas, a restaurant that had the good sense to keep oxtail and torrijas (Spain’s version of French toast) on their menu all year long. Neither of us liked bullfights, but that didn’t matter, because what we liked then, and still do, was to tour the taverns along Toreros Avenue and compete at the bar with the men who had just been in row 7 at the bullring for a tomato and tuna salad or potatoes with Iberian ham. After eating a good ham, even Gregorian chant makes perfect sense. Last week I had dinner in the terrace. Now it’s the Retiro’s turn to forgive me, but Fuente del Berro is Madrid’s loveliest park. I regularly have a beer on the terrace there with a leftist singer-songwriter, a former conservative politician, a TV news commentator and a journalist or two. As they say here, each to his own and God watching over everyone. Sometimes a peacock passes by and we throw bread to it, and sometimes, and that’s the good thing about Madrid, I still have a terrible yearning to play a good billiard game. As for the potato omelette: I’ll invite.

— Lourdes Garzón is the director of Vanity Fair Spain magazine

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Opposite: Calle Alcalá at the corner of Avenida de Felipe II Previous page: Gran Vía Hotels NIGHT Spots by Bimba Bosé by Marta Sánchez

BIMBA’S SPOTS MARTA’S SPOTS The Westin Palace Terraza Atenas Plaza de las , 7. , 35 (at the corner 91 360 80 00 of Cuesta de la Vega). Hotel Orfila 91 765 12 06 Orfila, 6. 91 702 77 70 Sala Costello Hotel Wellington Caballero de Gracia, 10. Velázquez, 8. 91 522 18 15 91 575 44 00 Chicote Museum Gran Vía, 12. The Westin Palace Madrid is my ideal OTHER 91 532 67 37 SUGGESTIONS Cock hotel with its traditional design, brunch- Hotel Antiguo Reina, 16. 91 532 28 26 buffet on Sundays and smoking lounges. It Convento de OTHER offers some fantastic croissants that you can Monjas, s/n, Boadilla SUGGESTIONS The Best Choice in summer is the Terraza dunk in your cappuccino while listening del Monte. 91 632 22 20 Del Diego Atenas, an oasis surrounded by gardens Hotel de las Letras Reina, 12. 91 523 31 06 to arias sung under the dome. If I had to Gran Vía, 11. El with a view of the cathedral. It’s a very stay in a hotel in Madrid, I would choose 91 523 79 80 Jardines, 3. 91 532 64 90 “cool” venue with a mixture of fascinating, Hotel Petit Palace Joy Eslava the Hotel Orfila for its beds, classic English La Posada del Peine Arenal, 11. chic people. The Sala Costello reminds me decoration and particularly its natural light. Postas, 17. 91 523 81 51 91 366 37 33 of the bars that existed during the 1970s Hotel Silken La Vía Láctea 26 It has a great terrace and restaurant with a Puerta de América Velarde, 18. 91 446 75 81 “Movida” cultural movement where the 27 stained-glass window and I really like its Avenida de América, 41. Sala Cool unexpected usually happened. It offers a 91 744 54 00 Isabel la Católica, 6. location, right in the middle of everything. Hotel Urban 91 733 35 05 fine selection of music and clientele. The I also would not hesitate to recommend Carrera de Chicote Museum is a great nocturnal treat. San Jerónimo, 34. the Hotel Wellington for its Japanese res- 91 787 77 70 Just think, you can have a drink in the same place that stars like taurant, the Kabuki Wellington. If you get Ava Gardner did (quite frequently by the way). And, above all, it there early, you’ll find the best sushi selection ever. The hotel’s doesn’t seem like a museum! Behind it is Cock, which could really charm also includes the area in which it is located, right next to the be a museum. Decadent yet elegant, which is the perfect combina- Retiro Park: a bit decadent but very close to Madrid’s best stores: tion, it is backed by a long history of drinks well served. Don’t miss EKS, Ekseption, Davidelfin, Gallery,etc. —Bimba Bosé is an interna- their cocktails. —Marta Sánchez was the voice of the legendary Olé Olé tional model and the lead singer of the The Cabriolets rock band group in the 1980s and is one of Spain’s best soloists today Madrid’s Treasure

by Yolanda Sacristán

Ours is a story of love and hate. Ours is a story of passion, the passion I feel for Madrid, L IVING the city that I am in love with and that makes me suffer. No matter how hard I try, however, I cannot walk through Madrid and raise my eyes from the ground. While I walk, I always end up missing the faces of its warm people and the beauty of our most emblematic buildings in exchange for a fixed image: that of interminable paving stones of various shapes and colours that usually have no rhyme or reason, never meet any 28 known aesthetic standard and, to make things worse, are never 29 placed comme il faut. Step by step, I have to skirt around the danger- ous holes, corners, projections, irregularities, slots, fissures, ruts, nicks, cracks and gaps that with no prior warning appear at the most inopportune moments, turning my stroll into an obstacle race. And this is a double nuisance when, as in my case, you are walking on high heels. Madrid is not a city for heels, but I continue deter- mined to enjoy it from the height marked by the 12 cm I have now become accustomed to. If things continue this way, I can envision myself crossing the barefoot holding my sandals in one hand yet never losing my composure, which during the current financial crisis would actually be fine: just think of how many sea- sons the same pair would last! It may seem that I don’t like my city. Nothing could be further from the truth. Madrid fascinates me. Madrid excites me and —as I’ve known since I was a child— Madrid hides a treasure. One that can’t be found under the ground as it might seem at first sight. It’s a treasure that can’t be located with bulldozers or cranes; there is no map, no pirate lies in wait and it is not hidden in a trunk. The treasure of Madrid is in this chaos that is so familiar to me, in the characteristic confusion of its streets, in its noise and buildings, so different one from the other, and in its time schedule. What a slow-moving, lazy city; what a bad awakening it has full of news, rushing around and coffee. And yet what a lot of magic! Is it the light? Is it the shiny days? Yes, our story began there, but what I really fell in love with were its nights. How many surprises are hidden in Madrid! The city that holds me captive.

— Yolanda Sacristán is the director of Vogue Spain magazine

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Opposite: Royal Botanical Garden Previous page: Escuelas Pías ATMOSPHERE MADRID’S by Alaska SKY by Elena Ochoa Foster

ALASKA’S SPOTS ELENA’S SPOTS Parque del Oeste Las Vistillas Paseo Pintor Rosales, s/n Gabriel Miró, 7 Plaza de Oriente Hotel Urban Royal Palace Carrera de San Jerónimo, Bailén, s/n. 91 454 88 00 34. 91 787 77 70 Plaza de España Hotel Me Madrid To Feel the Life of the City and get to Torre de Madrid Plaza de Santa Ana, 14. In My Opinion, Las Vistillas has tradition- Plaza de España, 18 91 701 60 00 know the real Madrid, I would invite vis- Gran Vía Hotel de Las Letras ally offered the best views of the sky over itors to tour the centre on foot, forgetting Gran Vía and Gran Vía, 11. 91 523 79 80 Madrid, although I don’t know whether it Callao Subway Stations any other transportation. I would begin (or Malasaña district Círculo de Bellas Artes appeals to me more for the spectacular sun- end, because sunsets are spectacular there) Tribunal and Bilbao Alcalá, 42. 91 360 54 00 sets in the west or for the excellent potato Subway Stations in the Parque del Oeste and continue on to Chueca district OTHER omelette and salad that you can eat there. the Plaza de Oriente and the Royal Palace. Chueca Subway Station SUGGESTIONS Other more modern skyscapes are seen on Zara El Atazar Dam Next, I would stroll through the Plaza de Infantas, 5. 91 532 20 74 Sierra Norte de Madrid the terrace of the Hotel Urban. Whether you España, where my building, the Moncloa Lighthouse have dinner there or just a drink, you deci- other Ave. Arco de la Victoria, Torre de Madrid, is located. Walking along suggestions s/n. 91 544 81 04 de when to end the evening, not the rules. the Gran Vía, you can discover what used Station Plaza de The same thing happens on the terrace of the Plaza del Emperador Port of 32 to be an entertaining, cosmopolitan capi- Carlos V, s/n. Temple of Debod Hotel Me Madrid. The air lounge in the Hotel 33 tal with its large cinemas, cabarets and all 91 506 68 46 Paseo Pintor Rosales, s/n. de Las Letras is a delightful spot. It is small Paseo del Prado 91 366 74 15 the rest. Unfortunately, this Madrid is now Plaza Mayor and still not well known with an excellent disappearing... From there, from traditional view and the Gran Vía at your feet. There is also nothing better Retiro Park Madrid, I would go on to tour the neigh- Alfonso XII, s/n. than seeing the sky through the treetops over the terraces on the bourhoods behind the Gran Vía, where by Paseo de la Castellana on any night or afternoon or on Sunday morn- day and by night you can experience today’s city. The Malasaña and ings while you have a cup of coffee and read the papers. Finally, I have Chueca districts offer many bars, restaurants (such as Zara, which listened to some unforgettable jazz concerts under Madrid’s summer offers fantastic Cuban cuisine) and shops where you can lose yourself sky at the time-honoured terrace of the Círculo de Bellas Artes. and enjoy the city to the full. —Alaska has been at the top of Spain’s pop —Elena Ochoa Foster is the founder of Ivory Press, a publishing house that music hit parade since the beginning of the 1980s produces exquisite art books 34 the Convent you totwo marvellous convents: a delightful stroll introduces Madrid of theAustrias, where the midst of what iscalledthe and visitedPlaza Mayor. It is in close tothemuch better known secluded Plaza delaVilla, very of medieval Madrid inthe You canstill feel thepresence monarchies since Carlos III (1764). witnessed Spain’s governing tion, but also because it has just because ofcollec itsart most important monuments, not Palace is one of the region’s Muslim watchtower). TheRoyal you canseeaneleventh-century there (in the plaza’s car park, archaeological remains are found of theregion’s most interesting in thePlaza deOriente Some historical Madrid thantobegin become acquainted with there isnobetterway to Route 1 H istorical Madrid of theDescalzas - city, thePuerta Next, returnof totheheart the which has a 33 meter diameter. Goya’sdome, the frescoes and Francisco de see el Grandeto the Basilicaof SanFrancisco Encarnación. Be sure to visit Reales and theConvent of the which del Sol,which Make astop tovisititsexhibi- by theCírculo deBellasArtes. of the twentieth century, adorned Madrid during the first decades along theGran Vía happens inthecity. To walk system and for everything that is Kilometre Zero in Spain’s road San Buenaventura, 1.91365 3800 Basilica of SanFrancisco elGrande Pl. delaE Convent of theEncarnación Pl. delasDescalzas R Convent of theDescalzas Reales Royal Palace Bailén,s/n. 914548800 ncarnación, 1.914548803 eales, 3.91521 27 79 is to imagine is toimagine sameblock. Museum, whichare onthe Library through history intheNational a good way to end this stroll main arteries. There we will find today form one of the city’s with mansions and gardens and nineteenth century were filled which inthesecondhalfof the andtheCastellana, most characteristic avenues: again to reach two of Madrid’s We pass through Cibeles is located inthePrado Museum. painting collections in the world avenue where one of the best is an elegant, garden-filled of Madrid, thePaseo delPrado de laCibeles, anotheremblem of inthePlaza Carlos III.Starting at the orders Alcalá, aMadrid iconbuiltby roof. Nearby de isthePuerta tions andgo uptotheter-race Serrano, 13.91577 79 12 Archaeological Museum 20-22. 9158078 00 National Library Paseo deR R Prado Museum Alcalá, 913605400 42. Círculo deBellasArtes uiz deAlarcón, 23.91330 2800 and theArchaeological ecoletos,

35 ROUTES Pablo Ruiz Picasso, s/n Terminal 4 Airport El Ruedo Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, 3-73 M-12 ring road New Architecture Puerta de Europa Plaza de Castilla, s/n Mirador and Celosía Buildings Escuelas Pías de San Fernando Tribulete, 14 Princesa de Éboli, 13-21 Route 2 Joaquín Leguina Regional Library and CaixaForum Regional Archive Ramírez de Prado, 3 Paseo del Prado, 36. 91 330 73 00 Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Cuatro Torres Business Area Sofía Santa Isabel, 52. 91 774 10 00 Paseo de la Castellana, 259

a chronological tour of the building into the lovely head- studio and the Spanish architect centre, a building that plays at buildings that have changed quarters of the UNED distance Blanca Lleó made brilliant floating in the air and planting the face of the city over the last university. Worthy of special note use of their ingenuity in two vertical gardens, the happy idea twenty years should begin at the are its library and roof terrace. public housing projects in the of the Herzog & De Meuron Torre Picasso, the tallest build- Another interesting resurrection Sanchinarro district, the Mirador studio. The most recent chapter ing in Madrid at the time of its is that of the old El Águila beer and Celosia Buildings, which in new Madrid architecture is inauguration (1988). A milestone factory, which Luis Mansilla have now formed the district’s the Cuatro Torres Business in public housing construction and Emilio Tuñón turned into a image. It is worthwhile seeing Area, which has Spain’s tallest in Spain, popularly known as perfect fusion of industrial them as well as the CaixaForum (its “ceiling” is the El Ruedo (The Bullring) due to archaeology and the future. headquarters located in the city 250-metre Torre Caja Madrid) its shape, is located next to the Today it houses the Joaquín and has definitively changed M-30 ring road. It is an immense Leguina Regional Library and Madrid’s profile. apartment complex designed by the Regional Archive. The Museo Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza, Nacional Centro de Arte Reina 36 which continues to impress us Sofía enlarged its facilities 60% 37 today. An even more character- thanks to the extension planned istic image is that of the Puerta by Jean Nouvel, an original de Europa (Gate to Europe) symbiosis with the former con- also known as the “KIO Towers” struction by Francesco Sabatini. with their angle of 15º from the Further from the centre but just vertical. More discreet but with as crowded, the new terminal in an equally satisfactory result was the Barajas Airport is the ideal the remodelling of the former port of entry for those who wish Escuelas Pías de San Fernando, to become acquainted with the which transformed a ruined new Madrid. The Dutch MVRDV Royal Palace of Manuel Alonso, s/n, El Pardo. 91 376 15 00 Plaza de Parejas, s/n, Aranjuez. 91 891 07 40 Day Trips University of Alcalá de Henares. Cole- Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial gio Mayor de San Ildefonso Juan de Borbón y Battenberg s/n, Route 3 Plaza de , s/n. 91 885 40 00 San Lorenzo de El Escorial. 91 890 59 02 Museo Casa Natal Miguel de Cervantes Mayor, 48, Alcalá de Henares. 91 889 96 54

just 14 km from the capital you currently acts as a residence for sumes to have one of the world’s Escorial, where Felipe II wanted findEl Pardo, a former hunting foreign heads of state on their most beautiful squares. Its total to represent the sober grandeur estate designed for royal enter- official visits to Spain. Noble and irregularity seems to narrate the of his reign. At first sight you are tainment and today a free space learned is the city of Alcalá de town’s history. Aranjuez offers us amazed by its dimensions, which at the service of those who look Henares, whose University was its precious Royal Palace, which never lose their proportion or for a perfect union between founded in 1508 by Cardinal competes in beauty with the elegance. Three hundred rooms, nature and culture. These 13,000 Cisneros. Be sure to visit the famous gardens that surround it. fifteen cloisters, sixteen court- hectares offer interesting flora Colegio Mayor de San Felipe II, Fernando VI and Carlos yards, two thousand six hundred and fauna (including species in Ildefonso, the University’s III participated in its construction windows... Everything here is extinction such as the former headquarters, and even though what is most eye- overwhelming. The basilica, eagle) and a Royal of course the house where catching today is the ornamenta- the library, the of the Palace built by Miguel de Cervantes, Alcalá’s tion that the eighteenth century Austrias and the Bourbons, the Carlos I, which most universal resident, was left there, very present in spots Royal Pantheon and the Painting born. In turn, Chinchón pre- such as the Room and Museum are essential stops. 38 the Mirror Room. The gardens, And from this monumentality, 39 which have their own soundtrack on to the simplic-ity of one of in the very popular Aranjuez the most beautiful towns in the Concert by Joaquín Rodrigo, Region, de Arriba. Its provide visitors with a pleasant stone and slate houses and the stroll that transports them amidst beauty of the natural landscape the Italian fountains and cen- surrounding them ensure a tenary trees to the time of the delightful walk. It is a town with Austrias. A mandatory visit for a legend; they say it had its own all lovers of art and history is the king until the eighteenth century. Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Beech Forest Cable Car Visits: Resource Centre. 91 869 70 58 Paseo del Pintor Rosales, s/n. 91 541 11 18 Green Madrid Information Centre Quinta del Molino Park 91 852 22 13 Alcalá and Avenida 25 de septiembre Route 4 Retiro Park Alfonso XII, s/n Parque del Capricho Temple of Debod Paseo Paseo Pintor Rosales s/n. 91 366 74 15

the region of madrid has has an Information Centre for Debod was a gift from Egypt example of an Enlightenment many spaces for nature lovers. organising their visit. And if in to Spain for its collaboration in recreational park that should We can begin in the north, in addition to breathing pure air saving various temples when the be visited in spring (its almond the foothills of the they also want to ski, there is Aswan Dam was built. A great trees in bloom are spectacular) mountains, where we find the nothing better than the Port deal larger (1,700 hectares), the and the Parque del Capricho, southernmost beech forest in of Navacerrada (1,858 metres). Casa de Campo Park ensures an oasis of romanticism that also Europe: the Montejo de la Sierra Those in search of landscapes the city’s fresh air: the best thing has a stream, a dance hall and forest, where oak trees also that are not quite as specta- is to see it from the air in the the city’s greatest concentration abound. Moving a little more to cular but equally beautiful and Teleférico (cable car). Finally, of lilacs. the southwest, we arrive at the interesting go to the Lagoon of two less crowded parks are the peaks, glaciar circus and lagoons San Juan, on the left bank of the Quinta del Molino, a typical of Peñalara. Its grandeur lies not Tajuña River. only in its spectacular landscape And if you don’t want to leave or glacial remains: its wealth in the capital, Madrid also has 40 flora and fauna caused it to be outstanding natural spaces such 41 declared a Natural Park in 1990. as the Retiro Park. Built as a The Mountain recreational area for the royal Range is a classic recreational family in the times of Felipe destination for Madrid residents. IV, today it is a meeting point The Fuenfría Valley is located and leisure area for the citizens in its central zone with peaks of Madrid, particularly on that are more than 2,000 metres Sundays. There are many who high and abundant pine forests. are still surprised to discover Mountaineers and tourists an Egyptian monument in the usually stop in Cercedilla, which heart of the city. The Temple of 42 Route 5 Madrid withC very educational: asmallcity pioneering leisure park that is to doisgo toMicropolix, a strong emotions,thebest thing Park? If they get tired of such Amusement Park ortheWarner spending aday (or more) inthe what childdoesn’t dream of hildren from thefive continents canbe Aquarium over 6,000 animals In theZoochill tojungleheat. all over the world: from polar and experience ecosystems from den where they can learn about enormous zoo andbotanicalgar prefer nature, Faunia offers an and professions. For those who adults, carrying out “real” tasks where children canplay at being - dren by lookingat thesky inthe can always your entertain chil- still amuses andteaches.You eighteenth century that today an institution created inthe the Natural Sciences Museum, another more traditional option, ing temporary exhibitions, and the otherabubble) andinterest- planetariums (one is digital and rary, CosmoCaixa, withitstwo proposals: onethat iscontempo- science intheirfirst years? Two not have themfall inlove with reality of blindpeople. Andwhy they are introduced tothe the Museo Tifológico, where is found inthemuseums, such option for children’s leisure time arium and Aviary. Another good zones: Zoo, Aquarium, Dolphin- seen distributed among its four La C Museo Tifológico Casa deampo, s/n. 9023450 14 Zoo Aquarium Valdebernardo. 91301 62 35 Faunia Avda. delasC Sebastián delos R Micropolix JulioR San Martín delaVega. 9020241 00 Warner Park Carretera M-301, km15.5, E Parque deAtracciones-Amusement Park xtremadura R oruña, 18. 91589 4219 oad, N-V. 91463 2900 eyes. 91799 00 ey Pastor, 17, San omunidades, 28,

every day at theCirco Price. est canbeseen show onearth Finally, andinevitably, thegreat- Palaeolithic Era to the Visigoths. ancestors, from those inthe in time to learn about their Arqueopinto Park, willgo back stories. Those whovisitthe princess anddragon favourite for letting children relive their vation make site ittheperfect and excellent state of conser Manzanares elReal. Its beauty the Mendozas islocated in always shining. TheCastle of night andthestars are Planetarium, where it is always R Circo Price Parque Juan Arqueopinto Park Manzanares elR Castle of theMendozas Avda. delPlanetario, 16. 91467 3461 Planetarium José Gutiérrez 91411 Abascal,2. 1328 Natural Sciences Museum . 91484 52 00 CosmoCaixa. Pintor Velázquez, s/n, onda deAtocha, 35.91527 98 65 C arlos I, Pinto. 902 87 73 45 eal. 91853 0009

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43 ROUTES 44 C www.lanochedelosteatros.com Night of the Theaters Young People www.madrid.org/teatralia Dramatic ArtsFestival for Children and Teatralia. Region of Madrid March www.obrasocialcajamadrid.es Caja Madrid Flamenco Festival Carnival www.esmadrid.com Art Fair www.arco.ifema.es ARCO. International Contemporary www.madrid.org Sacred ArtFestival www.ifema.es Cibeles Fashion Week Interventions www.madridabierto.com Madrid Abierto. PublicArt February www.escenacontemporanea.com Dramatic ArtsFestival Escena Contemporánea. Alternative www.fitur.ifema.es Fitur. International Tourism Trade Fair www.madridfusion.net Gastronomy Summit Madrid Fusión. International www.musicadhoy.com Concerts Musicadhoy. Contemporary Music Parade www.esmadrid.com Christmas Festivities &Three Kings J anuary ultural C alendar tacion.html www.mcu.es/premios/ Cervantes Prize Award Ceremony www.lanochedeloslibros.com Night of theBooks Fair www.almoneda.ifema.es Almoneda. Antiques andArtGalleries Festival www.madrid.org/madridendanza Madrid enDanza. International Dance Tapas Fair www.munimadrid.es Book Fair www.ferialibromadrid.com www.casadecor.es Casa Decor Interior Design Show Festival www.culturaurbana.es Cultura Urbana. International HipHop www.esmadrid.com/sanisidro Festivities www.musicaantiguaaranjuez.net Aranjuez EarlyMusicFestival www.madrid-open.com Madrid Open.Masters Series Madrid www.madrid.org/sumaflamenca Flamenco Festival Suma Flamenca. Region of Madrid www.festimad.es Festimad 2MMusic Festival www.madrid.org/fiestasdel2demayo May Second Festivities www.documentamadrid.com International Festival Documentary Documentamadrid. Madrid www.renfe.es/trenfresa Aranjuez (Until November) The Strawberry Train. Madrid – May April

C ervantesPresen- www.getafedigital.com Theatre Festival FITEC. International Street www.animadrid.com of theAnimated Image Region of Madrid International Festival Animadrid. Pozuelo deAlarcón – www.metrorock.net Metrorock Festival www.ifema.es Cibeles Fashion Week www.esmadrid.com/lanocheenblanco The White Night www.aljibefolk.com/folkchinchon Music Festival Folkchinchón. Chinchón Folk September www.esmadrid.com de laPaloma Traditional Festivities San Cayetano, SanLorenzo andVirgen www.esmadrid.com/veranosdelavilla Veranos delaVilla SummerFestival A www.cogam.org Orgullo Gay -Gay Pride www.galapajazz.es Galapajazz. Jazz Festival www.esmadrid.com/veranosdelavilla Veranos delaVilla SummerFestival July www.pozueloescenica.com International Dramatic ArtsFestival Pozuelo Escénica. Pozuelo deAlarcón www.viajazz.com Viajazz. Villalba Jazz Festival www.clasicosenalcala.net Dramatic ArtsFestival Clásicos enAlcalá. Alcalá deHenares www.phe.es Photography andVisual Arts PHotoEspaña. International Festival of June ugust www.estampa.org Art Editions Fair International Print andContemporary www.expocomic.com Conference Expocomic. Madrid International Comic www.feriarte.ifema.es Feriarte. ArtandAntiques Fair www.semanacineexperimentalmadrid.com Madrid Experimental Cinema Week www.alcine.org Film Festival Alcine. Alcalá deHenares International www.madridimagen.com Madridimagen Film Festival www.esmadrid.com/festivaljazzmadrid Madrid Jazz Festival November www.lesgaicinemad.com Festival Lesbian, Gay andTranssexual Film LesGaiCineMad. Madrid International www.institutodelmediterraneo.es Dance andMusicFestival Madrid Sur. International Theatre, www.madrid.org/fo Autumn Festival www.ifema.es/ferias/liber/default.html Liber: International BookFair www.experimentaclub.com MusicFestivalmental Experimentaclub. International Experi- October www.sansilvestrevallecana.com Marathon San Silvestre Vallecana Popular www.tomaunica.com Toma Única. Super-8 ShortFilm Festival December

45 CULTURAL CALENDAR 46 47 www.turismomadrid.es

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Image Credits Pages 4, 7, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, 22, Page 27 © Agustín Catalán / 25, 28, 31 and cover © Fernando Manso Cover JupiterImages. Pages 2-3 (detail). Page 32 © Warner Music Diego Velázquez © Museo Nacional del Prado Page 33 © Rosa Muñoz / Page 8 © Joaquín Cortés Cover JupiterImages Pages 9, 14 © Cordon Press Pages 46-47 Photomontage: Page 15 © J. R. Aguirre/Cover JupiterImages La maja vestida / . Page 20 © Pedro Vikingo Franciso de Goya © Museo Nacional Page 21 © César Núñez del Prado Page 26 © Miquel Benítez / Illustrations (pages 34 to 43) Cover Images by Marta Botas