The city of Madrid
As the historically and culturally rich capital of Spain, and the third most-populous metropolis in Europe (after Paris and London), Madrid is a popular tourist destination. The symbol of the city is a bear nuzzling a strawberry tree (madroño). Madrid is characterized by intense cultural and artistic activity and a very lively nightlife. The city is full of great monuments, like the Royal Palace, the Plaza Mayor, and some of the most important museums in Europe, as El Prado, Reina Sofia or Thyssen Museums, featuring major masterpieces of European art, and of course, the main collections of the Spanish Master painters Velázquez, Goya, Ribera, and Picasso.
Madrid has several gardens and forestal parks (El Retiro, Casa de Campo, El Pardo, Royal Botanic Garden, Parque Quinta de los Molinos) and there are regular cultural activities (theatre, dance, opera, concerts, etc.), big flea markets (El Rastro), and other cultural activities going on (http://www.esmadrid.com/en).
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Interesting places
- Royal Palace (Free from Monday to Thursday, from 4 pm to 6 pm)
- Mayor’s Square
- Puerta del sol
- San Miguel Market
- Puerta de Alcalá and Retiro Park
- Quinta de Los Molinos
Paseo del Arte
- El Prado (Free from Monday to Saturday, 6 pm to 8 pm, and Sundays and holidays from 5 pm to 7 pm)
- Reina Sofia (Free from Monday to Saturday from 7 pm to 9 pm and Sunday from 1.30 pm to 7 pm)
- Thyssen (Free each Monday from 12 am to 4 pm)
- Real Jardín Botánico: http://www.rjb.csic.es/jardinbotanico/jardin/
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Public Transportation: Metro, Bus
The metro works from 6 am to 2 am. The buses work normally from 6 am to 11.30 pm.
Metro: https://www.metromadrid.es/en
Bus: https://www.emtmadrid.es/Index.aspx?lang=en-GB
More information:
You can find more information about cinemas, theaters, exhibitions in:
http://www.esmadrid.com/en
