Madrid - what are the top 5 things to see?

Question

Madrid - what are the top 5 things to see?

Answer 1

madrid is awesome ! theres really good museums if u like arts, to meet spanish ppl go to the plaza mayor like in the evening its always a lot of fun and u meet ppl really lovely , to relax the park del retiro is pretty, well and for the rest just lets see when ull be there ,just enjoy the city , the spanish ppl with their culture , ah and yeah don't cross te road when ure not allowed ,if u dont wanna die ,its pretty crazy how they get mad cause of it sometimes

Answer 2

JJ: there are 3 turist bus lines leaving from Puerta del Sol. They bring you to the most important places, where you can hop on/hop off. I suggest to take those to get a first impression and the dicide where to go.

Besides, contact on arrival the turist office. They will you give more than enough informations.

The rey uses the palace only for official things. Otherwise it is a kind of a museum. The royal family never lived there! The royal family lives in a villa called Zarzuela.

Answer 3

There are SO many things to see and do in Madrid that you're likely to have difficulty completing your list on a short traveller's schedule. Luckily, most highlights are concentrated into a relatively small area between Retiro Park and the Royal Palace, the King's infrequent residence.

http://www.andalucia.com/madrid/tosee.ht...

Answer 4

check out spain4 .co.uk

Answer 5

Natali,

Has King Juan Carlos EVER used the Palacio Real as residence?  I was told that currently it's only used officially for things like state dinners, and I know he used to have an office there, but was told he never uses that anymore either.   I thought he had never actually used it as a residence, but maybe before Franco died.

In answer to the original question:  

I agrees settling on a top five is difficult, but, off the top of my head, well, the Palacio Real is a good start.

Can't miss the Prado, it's the second most important Art museum in the World.   And if you're into art, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía are not to be missed.

The Retiro Park is full of neat little corners and sculptures-fountains, etc.  It´s a great place to rub elbows with the natives on Sunday afternoons.

And speaking of Sundays, the Rastro flea market, not far and to the south of the Plaza Mayor, site of bullfights, autos da fe and executions in days gone by.  Nowadays, the Plaza Mayor is home to restaurants and shops mostly oriented towards tourists.  Also on Sundays, a stamp/coin market is held in the Plaza.

On the downhill side of the Plaza Mayor is a sort of tapas row, a street of little ancient restaurants.  One of them, Casa Botín, claims to be the oldest restaurant in the world, but I found a bar/restaurant in Sevilla that predates it by about 50 years, and has been owned by the same family since its founding, whereas Casa Botín was recently bought by some young couple.  If you continue down, (I think) Calle Toledo, you´ll find the Plaza de la Puera Cerrada, a tiny little plazuela, and there, you´ll find the Restaurante del Rey del Pimiento, which is owned by my friend´s parents, and, ok, shameless plug, but it´s a cute little local place where the people are great, and the food is great, and it´s like REAL Spain.

Also, you´ll want to walk up Gran Vía from the Palacio de las Comunicaciones, the old post office, and the Plaza de los Cíbeles (cool fountain), towards Puerta del Sol, the geographic center of Spain,  there´s a little plaque there, showing km marker 0.  At one end is a confitería called La Mallorqueña.  They have the greatest sweets and pastries.  Have something yummy for me!