Madrid

Class of 82

Going to Madrid for the first time in March.

Looking for tips of on the must see sights and things to do for a first visit.

Looking to cram as much as possible in over the few day so all ideas are welcome.

Tigerandahalf

Just walk around the streets and admire the fabulous buildings. Have a coffee in various places. Take the metro. Visit the Bernabeu stadium (catch a game maybe - they even have heaters above your head to keep you warm). A lot of museums there too.

Have a look on tripadvisor for more detailed info.

Nigel Fairservice

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Just walk around the streets and admire the fabulous buildings. Have a coffee in various places. Take the metro. Visit the Bernabeu stadium (catch a game maybe - they even have heaters above your head to keep you warm). A lot of museums there too.

Have a look on tripadvisor for more detailed info.

I was there a few weeks ago and this is more or less what I did. I wandered around to different bookshops and drank lots of coffee. Went for tapas. Madrid is a great city to just walk around. I did the hop on hop off tour as well. I went to Almudena Cathedral and had a look at the royal palace..from the outside. Didn't really fancy queuing for ages to get in. Retiro park is lovely and a relaxing place to to spend some time. I spent a few hours just walking around it. There's some nice coffee spots there. The metro is extensive an very easy to use so don't be afraid of it. There seemed to be a lot of art galleries in Madrid. I didn't go to any, art isn't really my scene so can't comment as to how visitworthy the galleries are. I remember seeing signs around the place about a day trip to Toledo. I wish I had made the time to do it. It looked great.

Tigerandahalf

I did Toledo, ok but nothing special. It doesn't stand out in my mind now. I think it was the old ruling city of Spain before Madrid was built. There is an old cathedral that has a lot of history with paintings of the various bishops that ruled down through the centuries on the walls of one room.

Retiro park is a lovely spot to just sit and watch and maybe buy a coffee from one of the stands. I laughed when the African boys would flee with their watches and other stuff once a police car pulled down one of the avenues. All their gear laid out on a blanket that they rolled up in 5 seconds and ran.

Unshelved

Visit at least one of the Big Three art museums - Prado, Thyssen or the Reina Sofia. The Prado is the most impressive with its collections of Spanish Old Masters - you could spend days there. The Thyssen has an interesting collection of art through the ages (and also a good restaurant that did a delicious and cheap lunch the last time we were there). The Reina Sofia houses Picasso's Guernica which is amazing but I don't know much about modern art so the rest of the collections didn't inspire.

Toledo is a fantastic day trip - again especially if you are into art - El Grecos everywhere!

The area around Plaza de Santa Ana is a great spot for bars and restaurants (tapas and otherwise) - lots of fun going from one to the other. The rooftop bar in the Reina Victoria hotel is well worth checking out.

Be sure to finish off your night with hot chocolate and churros in the Chocolateria San Xines - https://chocolateriasangines.com/ - a Madrid institution.

Tabnabs

Row boats in Retiro Park are good fun.

Don't skip Plaza Mayor, but equally don't stop there for a coffee, beer, etc.

Buy pastries/cakes and coffee in this shop and eat them in the sunshine somewhere nearby
https://www.google.es/maps/place/La+Mallorquina/@40.4165595,-3.7046697,159m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0xd42287e69d15b8d:0x1501ee0d7d619ce7!8m2!3d40.416691!4d-3.7048092

Do El Rastro market on a Sunday morning and wander around the old medieval streets in the area.

Daz_

Tabnabs wrote: »

Row boats in Retiro Park are good fun.

Don't skip Plaza Mayor, but equally don't stop there for a coffee, beer, etc.

Buy pastries/cakes and coffee in this shop and eat them in the sunshine somewhere nearby
https://www.google.es/maps/place/La+Mallorquina/@40.4165595,-3.7046697,159m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0xd42287e69d15b8d:0x1501ee0d7d619ce7!8m2!3d40.416691!4d-3.7048092

Do El Rastro market on a Sunday morning and wander around the old medieval streets in the area.

Don’t do El Rastro if you don’t like large crowds of people crammed on a street !

Tabnabs

Daz_ wrote: »

Don’t do El Rastro if you don’t like large crowds of people crammed on a street !

Don't do any of the tourist places in Madrid if you don't like large crowds and people crammed. The art galleries, the squares, all busy with tourists. If there is a protest on, then any major street can be busy and crammed with people too.

Then there's the metro...

It's a large city, there will be lots of people in popular locations.

Daz_

Tabnabs wrote: »

Don't do any of the tourist places in Madrid if you don't like large crowds and people crammed. The art galleries, the squares, all busy with tourists. If there is a protest on, then any major street can be busy and crammed with people too.

Then there's the metro...

It's a large city, there will be lots of people in popular locations.

The rastro is particularly bad , it’s a total crush.
Busy with tourists is a different thing

Strumms

I’ve never felt Madrid overcrowded to be honest and it won’t be certainly in March. I’ve been there at the end of March as well as other more ‘peak’ times and didn’t find navigating the streets or public transport difficult. Not too difficult at all to get a restaurant table on spec while passing, a seat on public transport at off peak times certainly and comfortable to walk around on foot until you get tired. Thinking about heading back myself too around May.

xlogo

Anybody got recommendations on where to stay in Madrid? Looking for an area that would have bars or entertainment in the evening?

johnire

We stayed in the Ibis Styles Prado. Fantastic location and a really nice hotel. Would stay there again if going back to Madrid.

xlogo wrote: »

Anybody got recommendations on where to stay in Madrid? Looking for an area that would have bars or entertainment in the evening?

NIMAN

I've stayed in this place a few times over many years.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/es/francisco-i.html?aid=311076&label=hotel-93301-es-zfFGRInlJx%2AGwqFzFFlTVwS298664163542%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg%3Afi%3Atikwd-861406715%3Alp1007284%3Ali%3Adec%3Adm&sid=8b692419b3be5053d7d9c759f06b0d63&all_sr_blocks=9330102_199241824_0_2_0&checkin=2019-10-30&checkout=2019-10-31&dest_id=-390625&dest_type=city&group_adults=2&group_children=0&hapos=1&highlighted_blocks=9330102_199241824_0_2_0&hpos=1&no_rooms=1&sr_order=popularity&srepoch=1572185691&srpvid=a372642d1593006d&ucfs=1&from=searchresults&tpi_r=2#hotelTmpl

Its near Sol and the Plaza Mayor, so handy.

It used to be a lot cheaper but its has been refurbed and modernized over recent years and got slightly more expensive, but good spot.

Muahahaha

If you're a meat lover then seek out the Argentinan BBQ restaurants in Madrid of which there are several. Really good feed for about 12 euro in a couple near to Primark on Grand Via.

Aglomerado

I was in Madrid last month and visited Prado which wasn't too crowded then (it's huge and the only places you will see a huge crowd is at a particular Velasquez painting). I spent nearly 5 hours there!

On my first time in Madrid I did one of those open top bus tours which gave a nice overview of the city. This time I sort of knew where all the main sites were so I walked and took the metro.

I haven't visited Thyssen/ Reina Sofia but I will factor them in for my next visit.

Mercado de san Miguel near Plaza Mayor is a nice place for food and wine. Gets busy though so be prepared to stand for a bit.

The crypts under the cathedral are interesting (and still in use!)

vulchor

It depends upon your interests, but for me Madrid is a much underrated city that merits more time than many give it. Downtown Madrid is the Gran Via, which has many hotels, restaurants and stores. Most of the biggest attractions are all within a 2 km radius of each other. You can use Booking.com to screen hotels or apartments in this area (Madrid City Center). The most upscale area is the Barrio Salamanca (the safest barrio) and Calle Serrano is the 5th Avenue of Madrid. It is suggested to stay in Madrid for at least 4 days. One can do day trips to Toledo, Albacete and El Escorial. Albacete cannot be considered as a touristic place...unless you want to try local cuisine that it's splendid (and heavy). You can also get a taxi albacete, but for intercity travel that will cost you a lot. The architecture and style is amazing.
Must see places are the Royal Palace, Prado Museum, Thyssen Museum, Reina Sofia Museum, National Archaeological Museum, Sorolla Museum, Cerralbo Museum, Plaza Mayor, El Retiro Park, Basilica of San Francisco El Grande.

anne burnell

heading to malta in march any tips for things to see and do and any idea what the weather is like there then

NIMAN

anne burnell wrote: »

heading to malta in march any tips for things to see and do and any idea what the weather is like there then

Malta or Madrid?

anne burnell

Malta ...

Barna77

The queues for the palace are always endless, but there's a day a week that I believe admission is free. Same as El Escorial.
Try the Temple of Debod, a bit further up. An original Egyptian temple that was given to Spain by the Egyptian authorities as gratitude for helping saving the Abu Simbel temples. The views from there are stunning.

Toledo is just about 30 minutes away on the high speed train.

Malasaña north of Gran Vía, Latina and Cascorro south of Plaza Mayor are full of bars and good places for real tapas. Don't be put off by the looks of a bar. The scruffier the better the food.

And for the love of god don't ask for sangria. Drink vermouth, or "yayos" (vermouth, gin and soda water) at Casa Camacho in Malasaña. They'll make you feel warm and nice inside

Speaking of rooftop bars, the one in Círculo de Bellas Artes in Calle de Alcalá. Go for the sunset views.

Aglomerado wrote: »

Mercado de san Miguel near Plaza Mayor is a nice place for food and wine. Gets busy though so be prepared to stand for a bit.

The markets are awesome. I love San Antón