|
Madrid - The Plaza Mayor
The Plaza Mayor remains one of Madrid's chief tourist attractions. Though called by many names over the centuries and subject to several fires, it retains its allure. The reasons are not hard to find. While not an architectural work of art, the plaza is one of the best places in Madrid to relax and watch the blend of citizen and visitor.
Over the centuries the plaza has hosted bullfights, political battles, festivals and more than one beheading. Today, the most likely site for a tourist lazily munching on a sandwich and enjoying the sunshine. The surrounding shops offer a good reason for a pleasant stroll and for the truly curious, you can visit the baker's guild.
Continue reading Madrid - Shopping In Madrid
While perhaps not as well known for it as London or New York, Madrid has dozens of excellent places to shop. Whether you're looking for a valuable antique or just a simple gift for someone back home, Madrid has much to offer. You may be looking for exclusive shops - of which there are many, or you may want a flea market atmosphere. Madrid has it all.
Tourists can spend time in the hippie quarter in Lavapies or head north to Gran Via, Madrid's premier shopping street. Even at night the shopping in Madrid never stops. The impromptu stalls around Plaza Mayor are always staffed with someone ready to make a deal. Many are just tourist traps, so beware how you bargain. There's no point in coming all the way to Madrid just to get junk you could buy anywhere.
Continue reading Madrid - Retiro Park
While Parque del Buen Retiro (at about 300 acres) is much smaller than New York's Central Park (840 acres) it is nonetheless magnificent. Filled with beautiful sculpture and monuments, a peaceful lake and host to a variety of events, it is rightfully one of Madrid's premier attractions.
The park grounds were once the province of a royal palace of Phillip IV. Evidence of that remains in the form of the CasĂłn Del Buen Retiro and the Museo del EjĂŠrcito. The remaining buildings were decimated largely by the Napoleonic wars around the beginning of the 19th century.
Continue reading Madrid - Queen Sofia Art Center
Located at Calle Santa Isabel 52, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is just the ticket for fans of Picasso, Miro, Solana and other notable Spanish artists.
A relatively young museum, established in 1991, the Queen Sofia contains hundreds of works by dozens of artists, including the famed Guernica by Picasso. As a result it is now ranked among the most important collections in modern art in Europe.
Continue reading Madrid - Puerta del Sol
Spanish for 'Gate of the Sun', Puerta del Sol is one of Madrid's most popular tourist destinations. At its center lies the paving slab just outside the Casa de Correos that marks the spot from which radiates the six main highways traversing Spain. It is a good point from which to begin to explore this delightful part of the city.
The gates were once the entrance to Madrid. Like many medieval towns it was surrounded in the 15th century by a protective wall. Through the gate passed traders and visitors from all over the known world. It gradually grew to an important meeting place for important merchants and politicians.
Continue reading Madrid - Palacio Real
Second only to Versailles in size and splendor, the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) in Madrid is an architectural marvel and a treasure trove. Nearly three thousand rooms, with 240 balconies and over forty staircases, this magnificent work is one of Madrid's major tourist attractions .
Even though less than 10% of the room is open to the public, there is still far more than a visitor could see in a single day. Everywhere the eye looks can be seen fine rococo decoration, lush tapestries, bejeweled clocks, delicate porcelain and thousands of other precious objects.
Continue reading Madrid - Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
The name may be a challenge for English speakers, but Madrid's newest art museum is very easy to love for individuals of any nationality. Drawn from the possessions collected over generations of a wealthy family, the contents form one of the greatest gatherings of paintings in the world.
The museum got its beginning when the Spanish government offered to purchase that collection in 1993 for $350 million and converted the late 18th century Villahermosa Palace into the present site to house it. The family, overflowing with paintings in a Swiss villa near Lugano, Switzerland, took the offer and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza was the result. The museum renovation added another $45 million to the total price.
Continue reading Madrid - Museo del Prado
One of the most visited tourist spots in Madrid, the Prado Museum is home to over 7,000 paintings. Though the emphasis is heavily on the three most famous Spanish masters - Goya, VelĂĄzquez and El Greco - there are major and minor masterpieces from dozens of other artists.
Surrounded by beautiful botanical gardens, visitors have the opportunity to spend hours enjoying this early 19th century site and its contents. The museum was completed in 1819 and the bulk of the early collection was drawn from paintings gathered by Spanish nobility.
Continue reading Madrid - Convent of the Royal Barefoot Sisters
Barefoot nuns might sound like the premise for a comedy skit, but rest assured these sisters are no joke. The Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales is both a functioning convent and a treasure trove of art.
Founded by the daughter of Charles V in 1559 as a retreat for noblewomen, the nunnery has maintained its commitment to its religious principles for centuries. Tours of the grounds and artifacts housed there began in the last few decades.
Continue reading Madrid - City of Art and Life
Madrid has a long and complex history. Center of power of a monarchy that for centuries ruled half the world, it is now one of the major tourist spots of Europe. Once ground zero of the Spanish Inquisition it is now best known for its zestful nightclubs, outstanding shopping centers and life-celebrating art.
Any trip to Madrid will reward the visitor with first-rate bullfights or soccer, shopping third in Europe only to London and Paris, art museums that are second to none and parks as good as those in New York's Manhattan. In short, be prepared to spend some time here.
Continue reading Madrid - Biblioteca Nacional
Going to a library isn't most tourists idea of a good time. But if you visit Madrid and don't stop in to the Biblioteca Nacional for at least an hour you'll be missing out on one of the city's finest attractions.
The facade alone is worth spending time viewing. Neoclassical, and an excellent version it is, the building is near the Plaza de ColĂłn. There are three entrance archways and the best way to view the building is to walk straight forward then look up. The scale is impressive.
Continue reading Madrid - Basilica de San Francisco El Grande
The church of San Francisco is one of Madrid's most important buildings and offers a fascinating tour. With a dome larger than that of St. Paul's Cathedral it is an architectural marvel. Filled with paintings and sculpture, it is also an art lover's treat.
Located in an older part of Madrid, the church has an imposing edifice in three sections with neo-classical facades. Inside, visitors can see the imposing 108 foot (33m) dome and the barrel vaulted ceiling. Covered in a dazzling array of frescoes and with extraordinary stained-glass windows, the basilica is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Europe.
Continue reading
|
My booking
