MADRID TRAVEL GUIDE
Madrid Travel Guide - Bustling and cosmopolitan, by day Madrid is Spain’s cultural and administrative capital housing the Government, Spanish Parliament and the Royal family. By night the city is transformed and celebrates the end of its working day in style as the whole population comes out to play until the dawn trickles over the horizon. Located in the heart of the Iberian peninsula, Madrid
may not have historical roots to rival Rome - the
city was selected from rural obscurity to become the capital
only in the second half of the 16th century - but it more
than makes up for any historical shortcomings with its astounding
art collections and museums with the most famous being the
Prado.
The north of the city is dominated by skyscrapers and modern
high-tech buildings that bustle with the people who are endeavouring
to carry out the Prime Minister’s promise that Madrid
will become a “world power in the millennium”.
To the west lies the Casa de Campo, a beautiful
and wild landscape and to the south, far away from the glittering
Madrid Hotels and restaurants, are the poorer areas filled with a
myriad of different nationalities.
The city is easy to navigate with its beautiful avenues,
lovely 19th century districts and Baroque and neoclassical
structures, such as the Plaza Mayor (Main Square) and the
Palacio Real (Royal Palace). Alternatively,
wile away an afternoon in the labyrinthine 17th century and
stopping to sip cool drinks at the tabernas - typically Spanish
bars that are often delightfully decorated.
If you an art buff or just mildly interested in the aesthetic,
then make sure you check out the city’s art galleries
and museums. The artist Goya came from the
city and many of his works, along with Titian, Bosch and Rubens,
can be seen hanging on the walls while the Museo De America
houses fine examples of Mayan and Colombian artefacts.
Outside Madrid there are plenty of places
to explore in the surrounding countryside. Why not travel
to Toledo - one of the most beautiful and legendary cities
in Spain - with its maze of winding streets, hidden squares,
ancient fort and spectacular views courtesy of its hilltop
location. Or you might want to visit El Escorial, Philip II’s
vast palace and monastery that contains 16 courtyards, over
2,500 windows and 86 staircases. The mausoleum has become
the resting place of most Spanish monarchs since Charles V
and the sheer size and power of the building is astonishing.
After darkness falls Madrid’s Legendary Nightlife
unfolds. People of all ages, fuelled by an afternoon siesta
if they’re lucky, come out to eat, drink and dance at
the city’s 4000 bars. Some say the city has the best
nightlife in Europe, perhaps encouraged by the belief that
the night is still young at 3.30am! Be prepared to eat late
and add half and hour to each phase of the normal Spanish
day to appreciate the night’s attractions.
This is a place where you are never lonely, with passion
oozing from every stone and a joie de vivre reigns that draws
you back to Madrid time and again.
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