Location
El Retiro
Location
El Retiro is also known as the Parque del Buen Retiro and it is a great location that you can spend a peaceful afternoon if you want to take a break from shopping and visiting other venues. The park became a public location close to the 1900s, until then being a domain of the Spanish crown, thus a private location.
Plaza Mayor
Location
Plaza Mayor is located in the heart of Madrid, being an open space that measures 129 meters in length and 94 meters in width. The beautifully decorated buildings surrounding the market give you the possibility to discover artistic elements of different eras, especially when you think that the square was built around 1600.
The middle of the square is dominated by a statue of King Philip III, while the most important building that you will find here is the “Bakery House” – this building now serves multiple functions, both cultural and administrative.
Gran Vía
Location
When you visit Madrid, you simply cannot miss Gran Via. The largest and probably one of the most important boulevards in Spain is filled with pieces of history and architecture that you will hardly find so exposed anywhere else. If you are interested in the early 20th century architecture, this is the place to be at.
Are you a shopaholic? Once again, here you will find a large diversity of stores that you will surely be interested in, on each side of the boulevard. A lot of hotels are also located here and you can book a room with one of them if you want to be close to the action.
El Rastro
Location
If you visit Madrid and you happen to be there on a Sunday, you cannot miss El Rastro, the most popular flea market of Spain. Whether you enjoy new products or others that have a bit of history behind, you will surely not come out empty-handed from here. Besides the open air market, there are also a lot of antique shops in the surrounding area that you can visit.
San Ginés
Location
When visiting Spain, you cannot miss an opportunity to taste some delicious churros, one of the traditional Spanish desserts. And the best churros in Madrid, you will find at San Gines. This is a chocolateria located in the central area of Madrid.
Tapas at La Latina
Location
La Latina is an authentic fragment of Madrid’s history, being the oldest area of the city. You can easily notice this as you start strolling around the narrow roads surrounded by buildings. Although most of the buildings are 19th century constructions, they are placed on sites of previously built buildings, so the design is somehow similar.
For tapas in Madrid, this is the place. There are a lot of private://best” places for tapas around the area, so most of the bets are fine, but you´ll find your own favorite when trying some plates. Most of the time you will be satisfied as the Spanish business owners are eager to serve a customer that will recommend them further.
Royal Palace
Location
A visit to Madrid is an excellent cultural experience and there are always new ways of enhancing this feeling. One of the best opportunities is to visit the Royal Palace, also known as Palacio Real. The construction of the palace spanned between 1734 and 1755 and it served as residence of several crowned figures of Spain, now being only used for state ceremonies.
The palace has 3,418 rooms and it is the largest European one taking into consideration its floor area. A lot of fine art is found in the palace, including paintings from Caravaggio and Goya.
Casa de Campo
Location
Casa de Campo is one of the Madrid areas that you can get lost into. This huge park spans over 1,700 hectares and due to its size, it was used in the past as a hunting estate of the royal family. Now, you can spend quality and peaceful time in hundreds of specific areas of the park.
An amusement park is located inside and if you want something different, you can visit the Madrid Zoo. If you visit the park, you will find a lot of Madrid citizens that spend time here, this being one of the favorite locations of locals that want to enjoy time with their families.
Puerta del Sol
Location
Puerta del Sol is one of the busiest areas of Madrid, being the Km 0 of the radial road network of the country. In some aspects, the place is similar to Times Square of New York, as the annual New Year’s Eve is televised from here since 1962. Here you can find the clock that marks the beginning of the year, when the traditional twelve grapes are eaten.
In the beginning, when Madrid was a walled city, Puerta del Sol was one of its gates, this happening around the 15th century. There are numerous monuments that you can visit here, including the bear and the Madrono Tree, which is Madrid’s heraldic symbol.
Bernabeu Stadium
Location
If you visit Madrid, you must acknowledge the football culture. Madrid is home to numerous football clubs, including the world famous Real Madrid. Their stadium, Santiago Bernabeu, is one of the largest in Europe.
The stadium was built in less than three years, being inaugurated in 1947. Since then, the venue has been expanded and renovated, now being able to be host for more than 81,000 guests. If you have the opportunity, we recommend to go and watch a football match of Real Madrid. The atmosphere will be something you will surely remember years from now on, given the passion of the Spanish people for football.
Mercado San Miguel
Location
Mercado San Miguel is a great place for tasting some of the most delicious Spanish cuisine dishes. You can reach Market of San Miguel by walking few minutes from Plaza Mayor.
There are 33 vendors in the market and you can easily find one that will serve the dish that you want. Steel tables are installed inside so you can sit and enjoy your meal. Although the market can become crowded sometimes, you can still find room to stay and to have a taste of the fine foods served here.
