Going to Madrid any suggestions on what to do?

Question

Going to Madrid any suggestions on what to do?

Answer 1

Check out the big 3 art museums (Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen -- the first two are the best).  Check out the big El Corte Ingles department store in the Plaza del Sol and other stores in the area.   Hang out in the Plaza Mayor, which is beautiful (and is the background of my avatar!).  If you can, see a Real Madrid game at the Bernabeu stadium -- a great sport experience.  Shop at the Rastro on Sunday mornings -- it's an open-air flea market -- just watch your wallet!  Relax in the Parque de Retiro, especially by the Crystal Palace.  Eat all the Spanish food you can -- skip McDonald's and Starbucks and go to local cafes and restaurants.  For side trips, go to Avila, Segovia, Toledo or El Escorial by the Cercanias train -- it's a nice clean ride.  I lived in Alcala de Henares for a semester in college and it had a great atmosphere and a beautiful main plaza -- it's about 30 minutes from the Atocha Renfe station in Madrid.  Enjoy Madrid -- it's a great city!

Answer 2

Have a "racion de jamon serrano" with manchego cheese and some beer on Museo del Jamon.

Eat a cochonillo at El Botin, oldest restaurant in the world (near Plaza Mayor)

Visit Toledo.

Answer 3

Some of my husbands family live in Madrid, I've been there often...

There are so many things worth seeing you could stay for months and not visit everything...

If you like museums...You have

MUSEO DEL PRADO

MUSEO THYSSEN

MUSEO REINA SOFÍA (modern art)

All within walking distance of each other...

There is a smaller museum dedicated to the painter Sorolla

A Military museum and a Natural Sciences Museum, and another contemporary art museum.

Near the Prado (just next to it) you have the Botanical Gardens

And El Parque del Retiro, with its lake  is just behind El Prado...

Then you have the Palacio Real and the Almudena Cathedral (where the crown prince was married 2 years ago)

The Plaza Mayor (if you go on a sunday morning there is a street market with philatelists and others collectors items), there are small restaurants all around the plaza and on the lower level on the streets surrounding, great places for typical spanish food...

On the Gran Via you have the chic shops, and at Callao there is a big department store called "El Corte Inglés", great for shopping. This is within walking distance to the City Hall building in La Puerta del Sol. And the little side streets in this area are interesting with lots of nice shops too.

If your spanish is good there are plenty of theaters with excellent shows.

Then there is the zoo, and you have a Warner Bros. Theme park just on the outskirts of the city.

(Watch your purse (wallet) and mobile phone, there are a lot of eastern european immigrants that have decided that Madrid is a great place to earn a living by purse-snatching. It's not really dangerous, but be careful anyway...)

Then you have nearby towns worth seeing...There is a beautiful palace in Aranjuez, the palace of San Lorenzo del Escorial,  the whole of Toledo is magnificent, Segovia with the aqueduct.  And many more.

Enjoy your visit...Madrid is one of the loveliest cities in Europe!

Answer 4

town of Avila is interesting, not far from Madrid, see description below :

Answer 5

Have some sangria...the best wine.