Profile of Madrid
Madrid is a young capital city, for Europe. The seat of government was only moved to Madrid in
1561 under Phillip II, from Toledo, and until that point it had only been a provincial centre.
The Moors fortified the city and then the Christians took it back under Alfonso VI in 1083.
From that point on, the city was influenced by the Bourbons, the Hapsburgs and the Italians.
From the time it became the capitol of a united Spain, the city grew rapidly, and plenty of
churches, palaces, and royal monasteries were built. Today, Madrid is a lovely, sophisticated
city with an aristocratic air and a completely enjoyable city to visit for any length of time.
The first impression one has of Madrid is its understated elegance. There are wide tree-lined
boulevards, a multitude of beautiful parks, ostentatious fountains and marble statues, but
then you find perfectly charming, unpretentious cafes on nearly every corner. There are
places of splendid beauty, like the Plaza de Oriente, which contains the Royal Palace and
the Opera House; the fabulously relaxing Retiro gardens; the art nouveau inspired neighborhood
of Alonso Martinez, the Tapas Quarter of La Latina and the cosmopolitan Gran Via boulevard
(built in the early 1900's and inspired by New York's Broadway.
Nightlife is legendary in Madrid, and the city is home to a multitude of wine bars, and Tapas
Bars, charming vaulted restaurants, elegant top end dining, and bar after bar after bar.
The discos stay open until dawn and around 6AM, party goers in the historic downtown area,
congregate around the "Chocolaterias" to have their cups of pure hot chocolate and "Churros"
before going home.
Shopping is great in Madrid, with a variety of neighborhoods and styles of "Compras" to choose from.
The Puerta del Sol is the shopping nucleus of the city, with tourist trap shops selling kitsch
castanets, key chain bulls and Flamenco dolls; but you can find some wonderful authentic shops
amidst the tat. You'll find random shops selling cigars, or old books, wines and artisan cheeses,
and some shops only selling gentlemen's hats. Young trendy shoppers should head to the
Chueca-Tribunal area for hip, alternative shops. Fuencarral Street in particular, is a beacon for
"Fashionistas." For chic shopping, head to Serrano and Velasquez streets, and to the "Golden Mile"
street of Jose Ortega y Gasset. Here you will find swish Italian shops, top Spanish boutiques,
fabulous wine shops (Lavinia is a wine lover's paradise) and posh delis
The following list of highlights includes our favorite spots in Madrid, for those who love fine
wines, diverse cuisine, art and architecture.
Gastronomy and Wine
The culinary traditions native to Madrid are designed for extremely hot summers and bitterly
cold winters. Cocido is a typical winter dish and is basically a slow cooked stew made with
garbanzos, chorizo sausages, black pudding, potatoes and carrots. By no means elegant fare, on a
cold winter's night in Madrid, it goes down a treat. Gazpacho, while typically from the south of
Spain, can be found on nearly every Madrid restaurant in summer. It's a cold, tomato and pepper
soup, heavy on the garlic and Olive Oil, and the perfect remedy for a stifling hot afternoon.
The cuisine you find in Madrid's Tapas Bars represent nationwide Spanish cuisine, including
Basque, Catalan, Andalusian, Galician, Mallorcan and Castillian, just to begin. Typical Tapas
include: Pimientos Rellenos de Bacalao (Roast red peppers stuffed with cod and bchamel sauce),
Gambas a la Plancha (Grilled, unpeeled prawns), Jamon Serrano or Jamon de Bellota (the latter
being the superior of the two and the best ham you can ever hope to taste in your life, made
with acorn-fed pigs), Patatas Bravas (common all over Spain, they are potatoes fried in olive
oil and doused with a spicy sauce made of peppers, paprika and chilli) and Albondigas (meatballs
made with veal and onions, served with a piquant sauce).
Wine is, surprisingly, made right in Madrid's city limits. The main wine villages are Navalcarnero,
which hosts such wineries as Bodegas Francisco Casas and Bodegas Ricardo Benito and Villarejo de
Salvanes, whose Vinos Jeromin winery makes the "Puerta del Sol" wine (made of 100% Cabernet
Sauvignon, even more surprising). On the wine lists of your average Madrid restaurant, you'll
find top red wines from Ribera Del Duero, La Rioja and ordinary table wines from La Mancha and
Valdepenas; and classy whites from Galicia (Rias Baixas) and Rueda.
Highlights
The Prado Museum
Built in the late 1700's under Charles III (Carlos Tercero) The wonderful Prado Museum
houses one of the world's greatest art collections including: Velazquez, Goya, Bosch, Tiziano, Rubens,
Brueghel, Fra Angelico, El Greco, Zurbaran, Botticelli and Caravaggio. It is ridiculously
goof value to enter (less than 5 euros), and you can spend the day without even seeing one
tenth of the tremendous collection. Famous paintings include "Las Meninas" and "The Triumph of
Bacchus" by Velazquez, "The Clothed and Nude Maja", "The Third of May, 1808" and "The Wine
Harvest" by Goya, and "The Garden of Delights" and "The Adoration of the Magi" by Hieronymous
Bosch.
The Reina Sofia Museum
Most famous for its Picasso and Salvador Dali collection, the Reina Sofia also has the added urban
myth of being haunted. The building which houses Madrid's (and one of Spain's) best collections of
20th century art, was built in the late 1700's as well and used to be a hospital. It's said that
those who visit the museums in the evenings, see mysterious shadows dancing around the central
cloister and hear voices down the halls. The museum has a superb collection of modern artists
such as Pablo Picasso (whose most famous painting ever, "Guernica" can be seen here), Salvador
Dali, Joan Miro, Eduardo Chillida, and Juan Gris.
The Puerta del Sol
17th century square, which is the tourist hub of Madrid. Called "the Gateway of the Sun", this
square is actually said to be located in the exact center of Spain. The square is Madrid's most
popular meeting place. "El oso", the bronze bear statue, climbing up Madrid's symbol- the
strawberry tree-, is prime meeting point. There are plenty of delightful monuments in La
Puerta del Sol, including the building that used to be Madrid's post office back in the
1760's, the clock tower, the huge Tio Pepe Sherry sign, and a statue of Charles III right
in the middle. This is where the New Year's Eve festivities are centered around.
La Cava Baja- 17th century "Tapas Alley" and "Tapa Hopping"
La Cava Baja is one of the most charming, historic streets in Madrid and it also happens to be
gastronomic heaven. Tapas (small portions of traditional or creative dishes) are served standing
up or sitting down at the side-by-side, tiny, cozy, tiled restaurants on the Cava Baja. Some of
the Tapas bars have sublime wine lists, the best one probably being "Tempranillo" which has a 15
foot ceiling, stacked to the top with wine bottles and a list featuring hundreds of vintage
Spanish wines at ridiculous prices. The way to have Tapas in the Cava Baja is either by booking
a table in the back of one of the brick vaulted dining rooms or by "Tapa Hopping" (going to
various locales having dishes and glasses of wine in each). Excellent Tapas Bars include:
Casa Lucio, Tempranillo, Casa Victor, La Cava de Yllan, and La Chata.
The Royal Palace
The palace was built on the site of the old "Alcazar" of the Hapsburg Rulers, which on Christmas of
1734 was destroyed by a fire. The royal residence took 26 years to be rebuilt, enough time for
two Bourbon monarchs to come and go! It's a splendid building covering almost 400,000 square
feet, surrounded by manicured gardens. The rooms contain frescoes painted by Masters, walls
covered with red velvet and lined with silver, tapestries from the Royal Factory of Tapestries,
bronze "rococo" sculptures, in addition to dazzling collections of Chinese ceramics and Roman busts.
The Royal Palace is located in the most beautiful square in Madrid, the Plaza de Oriente. Facing
the palace, across the plaza is the Royal Opera House.
Malasaña Quarter
This charming Madrid neighborhood is not frequented by the majority of the tourists who visit
Madrid, and what a pity. The streets are lined with 3 story, colourful buildings with wrought
iron art nouveau balconies, covered in flowers. There are quaint cafes, small welcoming restaurants,
original shops and pretty squares like the Plaza Dos de Mayo (The 2nd of May square, which was
where an uprising against the French took place in 1808). A fantastic café, Pepe Botella (named
after Napoleon's brother, who had the reputation of being quite the boozer) is located right on the
square, and is full of old photographs, strange bottles, etc.
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