Madrid, Spain has always been a "must see" on the European tour circuit for obvious reasons and not just because it is the capital of Spain and its largest city. The architecture and culture are well known, put these alongside a great nightlife and you can see why that short breaks have expanded hugely in recent years in conjunction with the growth of budget flights from many countries.
The famous museums of Madrid are high on any tourist's itinerary, with the most popular The Prado (National Museum), Thyssen Bornemisza (Art), and Reina Sofia (Art) top of everybody's list of the fifty or so scattered throughout the city. It would seem that there is a museum dedicated to just about everything and not just the usual, art, science and history galleries you would normally see.
No visit to Madrid would be complete without a tour of the huge Royal Palace and ancient armoury. Strolling round the city is a real pleasure as you take in the beautiful architecture, statues, fountains and the lively plazas. Although the pace of life here is certainly faster than provincial Spain, there is still time to sit outside a pavement cafe or bar, with a drink, tapas or meal and watch the world go by.
You should choose the time of year that you visit with care as the weather can vary to extremes, with very hot summers and sometimes extremely cold winters. The heat is stifling in august and most of the population seems to have the right idea and leave Madrid for their vacation and holiday homes on the coast.
There is, as you would expect a copious choice of hotels and accommodation to be found in Madrid, this ranges from one star (or even unrated) budget hotels and bed and breakfasts through to top quality five star luxury hotels. Self catering establishments are rarer but can be found. You should certainly be able to locate something to suit your own pocket from one of the many specialist hotel websites available online nowadays. You would be wise to check more than one of these, as prices of the same hotel can sometimes be heavily discounted by different operators.
Restaurants abound throughout Madrid of every type imaginable, but you should remember that the Spanish dine far later than we are used to in northern Europe and the UK. Correspondingly evening entertainment starts much later as well, with some bars and discos not starting to get busy until after midnight and running through the night to the early hours. - 16492
The famous museums of Madrid are high on any tourist's itinerary, with the most popular The Prado (National Museum), Thyssen Bornemisza (Art), and Reina Sofia (Art) top of everybody's list of the fifty or so scattered throughout the city. It would seem that there is a museum dedicated to just about everything and not just the usual, art, science and history galleries you would normally see.
No visit to Madrid would be complete without a tour of the huge Royal Palace and ancient armoury. Strolling round the city is a real pleasure as you take in the beautiful architecture, statues, fountains and the lively plazas. Although the pace of life here is certainly faster than provincial Spain, there is still time to sit outside a pavement cafe or bar, with a drink, tapas or meal and watch the world go by.
You should choose the time of year that you visit with care as the weather can vary to extremes, with very hot summers and sometimes extremely cold winters. The heat is stifling in august and most of the population seems to have the right idea and leave Madrid for their vacation and holiday homes on the coast.
There is, as you would expect a copious choice of hotels and accommodation to be found in Madrid, this ranges from one star (or even unrated) budget hotels and bed and breakfasts through to top quality five star luxury hotels. Self catering establishments are rarer but can be found. You should certainly be able to locate something to suit your own pocket from one of the many specialist hotel websites available online nowadays. You would be wise to check more than one of these, as prices of the same hotel can sometimes be heavily discounted by different operators.
Restaurants abound throughout Madrid of every type imaginable, but you should remember that the Spanish dine far later than we are used to in northern Europe and the UK. Correspondingly evening entertainment starts much later as well, with some bars and discos not starting to get busy until after midnight and running through the night to the early hours. - 16492
