MADRID
Area: Cities
Country: Spain


Location:
Roughly in the centre of the Iberian peninsula. 10 miles SW of Barajas airport.

Telephone code from UK:
34

Website:
http://www.spaintour.com/madrid1.htm

Position:
Sitting high on Spain's central "meseta" with mountains to the N, arid plains to the S.

Description:
Europe's second highest capital at 2,100 feet with extremes of weather. It became the seat of government under Philip II and for the past 500 years has benefited from Spain's centralist traditions, becoming one of Europe's most monumental capitals. Since the early 1970s the city has undergone the massive changes brought on by the overwhelming effect of the automobile, unbridled construction, industrial suburbs, vertical housing and an ever-more cosmopolitan population. The Madrid of today is a thoroughly modern European capital, and perhaps the one best adapted to having fun. Shopping is expensive here, and eating out can be too, but the lively streets of the town offer round-the-clock entertainment for visitors given to bar hopping and people watching. Foremost among the cultural attractions are the Reina Sofia Art Centre in an 18th century palace near Atocha station and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in the Villahermoso Palace, a short walk from the Prado Museum, the first stop for lovers of painting and sculpture. For visitors seeking a pleasant and easily digestible introduction to the city's history and architecture, the City Museum, to the N of the centre, has audio-visual shows and displays tracing Madrid's history from prehistoric times to the present.

Suitability:
Madrid is an obligatory stop on any European traveller's itinerary. It is Spain's capital city, the largest in the country, the cultural, social and sports leader.

Accommodation:
Accommodation ranges from the humblest of pensions in the old city centre to some of Europe's premier luxury hotels.

Shopping:
In this city of some four million people, virtually everything is available, but most of it is markedly more expensive than in the UK. Tourists will probably be most interested in Spanish exotica of which Madrid offers generous samples from all over the kingdom; handicrafts, leatherwork, handmade guitars, ceramics, foodstuffs, wine and spirits and if anyone wants to buy a bullfighter's suit of lights, that, too! The big "Rastro" flea market which takes place daily but is best on Sundays, is a bargain-seeker's delight.

Entertainments:
Daytime: museums galore and, of course, the Prado Museum, one of Europe's most important. Just a walk through the streets of old Madrid is a formidable "museum" visit. Nightlife: lively and varied, from neighbourhood jazz clubs to flamenco shows, to nightclubs, discos and original-language cinemas. No shortage of musical events year round, from classical concerts and "zarzuela" (Spanish operetta) to rock and pop concerts.

Eating:
An excellent selection of national and international restaurants in all price categories. Visitors from the UK will miss their stellar selection of Indian and other Eastern cuisines, but apart from that there are plenty from which to choose, including some of the best seafood in Spain.

Public-transport:
Buses, cheap taxis and an underground (the "Metro") which is safe, cheap and efficient when compared to others in Europe.

Local-excursions:
Philip II's 16th century monastery/palace/art collection, El Escorial, in the Sierra de Guadarrama, 26 miles NW of Madrid. Also nearby is the "Valle de los Caidos", (Valley of the Fallen), a giant mausoleum carved out of the mountain by political prisoners after the Spanish Civil War. The city of Toledo (44 miles), with its monuments and paintings by El Greco (full day); Segovia (51 miles) with its Roman aqueduct and renowned restaurants for roast lamb and suckling pig; also nearby is the "Versailles"-style summer palace of La Granja with its wonderful gardens and fountains (full day). The medieval walled city of Avila is a bit further away (62 miles, full day), the entire city is a national monument and the beef here is undisputedly the best in Spain. Aranjuez (29 miles), the royal summer residence to eat the renowned local strawberries and asparagus in spring. Warner Bros Movieworld theme park (15 miles, full day)