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Discover Madrid Travel guides created with real tips from over 2 million travelers. Madrid is the capital of Spain and the country’s political, financial and cultural heart. It’s city in a perpetual state of renewal, where baroque palaces sit side by side with cutting-edge arts centers and historic tapas bars share the corner with trendy gastropubs. It’s classy in its architecture yet boisterous in its nightlife, traditional in its atmosphere yet forward-thinking its in cultural calendar. Madrid is a city that’s to be enjoyed with all five senses and, as you’ll soon find out, is also one that knows how to give visitors a warm welcome. “Madrid is "e ci# of li$rature.” Francisco Umbral. By European standards, Madrid is a modern city, with roots rarely dating back farther than the 17th century. Still, the narrow streets and plazas of the Madrid de Las Austrias district are enough to keep even the most enthusiastic history hounds busy for days. The Plaza del Oriente is the heart of historic Madrid and houses the Almudena Cathedral, the Opera and the Royal Palace, one of the largest on the continent. The nearby Plaza Mayor and the old-school La Latina neighborhood round out the historic center and are full of historic churches and street names that recall the days when the area was a Moorish settlement. Crossing the Puerta del Sol, the Barrio de las Letras offers a glimpse into Madrid’s considerable literary history while the Paseo de Recoletos provides an architectural feast with iconic buildings like the Cibeles Palace or the Puerta de Alcalá. Madrid’s cultural scene is centered around its museum district: the Golden Triangle of Art. This stretch of the Paseo del Prado is home to the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums whose collections span the entire history of Spanish art, from Velázquez and Goya to Picasso and Salvador Dalí. While these world-famous institutions merit a place on any art-lover’s to-do list, Madrid locals are more likely to spend their time at the city’s contemporary arts centers. The Caixa Forum, Centro Conde Duque and the Fundación Mapfre offer world-class traveling exhibits throughout the year, while the Matadero, the city’s historic slaughterhouse-cum-cultural-center, hosts concerts, events, and markets seven days a week. More than sightseeing, what most defines Madrid is its thriving restaurant scene and nightlife. Eating and drinking into the early hours is a national pastime in Spain, and nowhere does it better than the capital. If you want to take a crash-course in Spanish cuisine, head to the Mercado de San Miguel and hop from stall to stall sampling everything from Galician-style octopus to hand-cut slices of jamón iberico. Or try a tapas crawl along Cava Baja, a lively street in La Latina that’s home to many of the city’s most storied culinary institutions. To get a taste of Spain’s boundary-pushing modern cuisine, head to Platea, Yakitoro or the Michelin-starred BiBo Dani García. Of course, no trip to Madrid is complete without tucking into its most classic dish: cocido madrileño. Taberna La Bola, just a few steps from the Royal Palace, has been serving this local delicacy for over 150 years. For evening drinks, try one of the city’s trendy rooftop bars like the Azotea del Círculo de Bellas Artes or ME Madrid Reina Victoria, or enjoy a gin and tonic (forget sangria, this is Spain’s real national drink) at Del Diego, Macera Taller Bar or Salmon Guru. For a more raucous time, head to the retro rock bars of Malasaña or go for an all-nighter at Joy Eslava, Teatro Barceló or Fortuny Restaurant Club, three of the capital’s most iconic nightclubs. Madrid is also Spain’s shopping capital and it’s not unusual to find people from neighboring regions spending the entire weekend shopping until they drop in the city center. Gran Vía, Calle Arenal and the Puerta del Sol are downtown’s most popular shopping areas and home to big international brands like Primark, Apple and H&M, as well as Spain’s leading department store, El Corte Inglés. Nearby Calle Fuencarral offers a more stylish alternative while the adjacent Malasaña and Chueca neighborhoods are lined with hip boutiques selling everything from retro furnishing to limited-edition sneakers. For a more upscale experience, head to Calle Serrano, nicknamed the ‘Golden Mile’ for its concentration of luxury designer brands, or make a day trip the Las Rozas Village luxury outlet to stock up items on Burburry, Coach or Jimmy Choo at unbeatable prices. Madrid may be a densely urban city, but it’s also one of Europe’s greenest capitals and years of local demand has left it with an array of parks and gardens perfect for escaping the city’s hustle and bustle. Retiro Park is the city’s most famous urban escape and its shady meadows are a popular Sunday hang-out for tourists and locals alike. A more recent addition is Madrid Río, a sprawling park along the Manzanares River that has quickly become the city’s go-to park for jogging, cycling and roller-skating. Its refreshing fountains also offer the closest thing the Spanish capital has to a beach. Finally, the Spanish capital has no shortage of family-friendly attractions to entertain even the smallest of travelers. The National Museum of Natural Sciences and the National Archaeological Museum offer interesting collections ranging from dinosaur bones to Egyptian mummies while the city zoo and the Faunia animal park are ideal for getting up close with some of Mother Nature’s most amazing species. In Casa del Campo, you'll find the Parque de Atracciones, Madrid's most popular theme park, while further afield the Parque Warner offers exhilarating roller-coasters and the chance to meet all of your favorite cartoon characters. For bigger kids (and adults), don't miss the chance to catch a Real Madrid match at the world- famous Santiago Bernabeú Stadium. And that's just the start. The possibilities of the Spanish capital are endless and, as any local will tell you, it's a city that needs to be lived, not just visited. For the next days, Madrid will be your home. We welcome you with open arms! LOCAL TIME PEAK SEASON GMT+2 Autumn POPULATION SIZE 3,223,334 605 km² GETTING AROUND HOLIDAYS Metro May Bus Local Train Taxi 43 37 18 44 38 27 29 32 20 28 48 28 33 52 50 51 27 49 22 10 26 16 17 15 1 9 31 13 41 8 36 21 24 14 7 19 34 1 23 6 3 46 35 11 42 30 4 12 5 40 39 47 25 Things to do in Madrid 2 La Puerta del Sol 1 Gran Vía 5 Museo Nacional Reina Sofía 3 Parque del Retiro 4 Prado Museum 6 Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum 7 Royal Palace of Madrid 8 Royal Theater 9 Plaza de Oriente 10 Templo de Debod Things to do in Madrid | Pg. 04 11 Almudena Cathedral 12 Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid 15 Plaza de Callao 13 La Puerta de Alcalá 14 Cibeles Palace 18 Santiago Bernabéu Stadium 16 Plaza de España de Madrid 17 Plaza de Cibeles 19 Fountain of Neptune 20 Wanda Metropolitano Stadium Things to do in Madrid | Pg. 05 22 Plaza de Colón 21 Plaza Mayor 25 Matadero Madrid 23 Plaza de Santa Ana 24 Azotea del Círculo de Bellas Artes 26 The National Archaeological Museum 27 National Museum of Natural Sciences 28 Sorolla Museum 29 Museum of the Americas 30 Lope de Vega House Museum Things to do in Madrid | Pg. 06 31 Edificio Metrópolis 32 Faro de La Moncloa 35 Sala La Riviera 33 Las Ventas Bullring 34 Palacio de Gaviria 38 Quinta de los Molinos Park 36 Plaza de la Villa 37 Capricho Park 39 Cerro del Tío Pío Park 40 Madrid Río Things to do in Madrid | Pg. 07 42 Jardín del Príncipe de Anglona 41 Sabatini Gardens 45 Parque Warner 43 Circuito del Jarama 44 Real Madrid Museum 46 Parque de Atracciones de Madrid 47 Planetario Madrid - Imax 48 ABC Serrano Shopping Center 49 Loewe 52 Louis Vuitton Things to do in Madrid | Pg. 08 1 Gran Vía Excellent Widely considered one of the most beautiful and important avenues in all of Europe. It's a Streets Category symbol of Madrid's modern economic might as well as its traditional elegance and all down its sidewalks you'll find lovely turn-of-the-century buildings, restaurants, historic cinemas, Calle Gran Vía, Madrid Address José Ramón musicals and, of course, lots of shopping. Sorribas Pozo 2 La Puerta del Sol One of the most iconic places in all of Madrid and full of life day and night. Most people come for the excellent shopping along Calle Preciados but it's also a popular meeting spot Squares for locals going to the bars and restaurants in downtown. On a more curious note, it's also Category city's kilometer zero from which they calculate the distances to the rest of the Spanish cities. Plaza de la Puerta del Sol, Madrid Guanche Address 3 Parque del Retiro Unbeatable location in the heart of the city and an ideal escape from all the concrete and cars. It's a park with its own personality and one of my favorite places to go for a walk, have Outdoors a picnic, read or watch the leaves change in autumn. Category Plaza de la Independencia, 7, 28001 Madrid Ignacio Address Izquierdo 4 Prado Museum Excellent Located in the heart of the Paseo del Prado, surrounded by tree-lined avenues, historic Museums Category monuments and many of the most iconic spots in the city.

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