Madrid is the capital city of Spain. It covers of about 3 million population, however it is only 17% of these people who were appointed as immigrants and the rest are Spaniards. The people living in Madrid are best described as very friendly and accommodating.
Tourists from the other country are very welcome in the city. Spaniards make sure that all their visitors will be satisfied from the services and tourism they boasted. Madrid is famous not only because of its incredible panoramic sceneries and historical places, but also because of their museums as well. In fact it became one of the landmarks of the city since it is here that antiques and the history of the city prevailed. Below are some lists of the must see museums in Madrid.
Sorolla Museum—this is previously the house of the famous Joaquin Sorolla Bastida. The house is the sanctuary of the various collections of paintings and sculpture that was owned by Sorolla. The incredible collections of paintings and sculptures will surely surprised every tourist who will visit here.
Archaeological Museum—this museum houses some masterpieces emerging since the 19th century. One of the highlights here includes the Dama de Elche which shows off the captivating bust of a woman since the 4th century BC.
Palacio Real—appointed as the city’s Royal Palace. If you want to see captivating royal armory, painting galleries, throne room, historic apothecary and more Palacio Real is perfect for you. This palace is not just a place for royalties but it is also a place that explains tourists some royal histories of Madrid.
Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando—this academy is a must see museum in Madrid that features thousands of collections of paintings, sculptures and drawings. This is one of the rushing museums in Madrid all year round.
Madrid is one of the most famous cities in Spain. This is because the city is covered with various captivating scenery. What tourists can expect in Madrid is their prestigious restaurants which serve the best dishes; also their disco pubs, clubs, monuments and more.
Speaking about the city’s monuments, Madrid as well is one of the appointed cities in Spain that features unique monuments since the past centuries that visitors should not miss to visit.
Casa de la Panaderia—this monument is found in Plaza Mayor. This monument of Madrid is designated as one of the best example of the city’s common baroque style. This is also known as the monastery of the 17th century.
Plaza de Oriente—another must see monument in Madrid. This monument in Madrid is nestling at the Royal Palace which known designed during the period of Joseph Bonaparte.
Fountain of Cibeles—this captivating fountain can be found at the Paseo del Prado. There are many tourists being persuaded with this fountain because of its unique design. It was the famous Ventura Rodriguez who designed this masterpiece which now became one of the most attractive monuments in Madrid and even designated as one of the landmarks of the city.
Palacio Real—known as the city’s Royal Palace; Palacio Real is one of the most striking monuments in Madrid. It is also one of the most captivating examples of both classical Italian baroque style of design. There are many things that you should discover about this monuments which will unwrapped its history way back its previous time.
Plaza Mayor—another landmarks of Madrid is the famous Plaza Mayor. It was said to be Philip III who built this fascinating monuments to add beauty to his kingdom. Previously, during the 17th century this famous part of Madrid is the common place where theater performances are held as well as bullfights and a meeting place of the Gremios, which is known as the federation of the craftsmen. Recently, Playa Mayor is famous as the meeting place of everybody of both locales and foreign.
It is your first time to step on a Spanish land… and it is Madrid. Are you thinking now on what gadgets to bring in your visit? Is it possible to use a domestic phone from home? Are there any accessible internet cafes near your booked accommodation? Can you bring your i-phone with you?
Have you ever asked these questions? Then you have the making of a wise and great tech savvy traveler.
If you wanted to contact home while you are in Madrid or you wanted to be contacted by friends or business associate while away, you don’t have to worry no more for phone cards are available as you arrive in Madrid. You can even rent a cell phone in Madrid while you are in the city. And yes, you can bring n your own domestic phone though yu have to buy a phone card as you arrive in Madrid.
You can even receive call from your lap top computer via skype or yahoo messenger if you brought your lap top computer with you. Internet Connections are available in your hotel.
For frequent travelers, Cheap International calls from Madrid are offered. You don’t have to pay monthly dues to continue to use it in Madrid. Just use it when needed. Surf the internet for more information about this service.
Internet Cafes also dotted the city centre. Madrid Internet Cafés are located in Cardenal Cisneros, Castello, Metro Plaza Santo Domingo, Fuencarral, Santa Feliciana, Muro, Metro Gran, Ponzano, Pintor Rosales, Rosario Street and San Bernardo 81.
If you are bringing with you an electrically sensitive gizmo better bring a transformer to use with your gizmos. Better yet ask the hotel attendant of any transformer before plugging or using electricity in the city. Madrid’s electrical power frequency is 220V 50 Hz.
Madrid is equipped with the latest gizmos that you can use. What gizmos are available in Madrid?
Visiting Madrid indeed brings prestige to travelers who did so. One can just choose what ever vehicle is most convenient to travel when ever you are just near the countries that bordered it. Enter and visit Madrid by a plane, car or train. Indeed we got choices. Choose one that is more convenient.
It is no wonder why the latest fad is going on vacation to Madrid. With its many assets as a tourist destination Madrid welcomes all with lots of activities and a rich tourist destination.
Get a glimpse of Gran Via, Palacio de Cristal, Retiro to mention a few and more.
Most countries who are not bordering Spain can fly into the country. Barajas International Airport is nearby in the city of Madrid. In fact it is only a 20 minute ride coming from Madrid. Metro line eight Taxis is linked to Madrid City with only 25 euros as your fare coming from the airport. The airport is indeed also connected with the buses, train even car rentals besides the taxis. Bus rides are connected from the airport to the city centre.
Madrid is not only the capital city of Spain but also the centre of the rail network of the country. Trips to Barcelona to the French coast and the rest of European countries are frequent and fast.
One can ride a direct train to Portugal from Madrid. And a train is also available to Lisbon from Irun via Madrid. And a train is also available from Paris, France via Barcelona to Madrid.
Railway service in Spain is the fastest and the most superior in Europe. No doubt Madrid as the railway centre has the fastest and most efficient railway service.
Bus services in Madrid can also be worthy of mention. It has exceptional coverage all over the city and interconnected with the railway station and airport.
If a car is in great use in the city of Madrid then you don’t have to worry about it for parking lots are available. Though it is best to tour the city with a driver who knew the city!
Madrid being one of the tourists attractions, there are also the best bars where you can go and meet other tourists and also expatriates in this city. The best bars that tourists can go to while in Madrid are the Viva Madrid, Stop Madrid, Finnegans, Gonzalez and Finbar and many more.
In the Viva Madrid, this is just in the corner of the bar, Los Gabrieles, another local and tourists favorite when it comes to bars. Viva Madrid has a wide choice of good Spanish wines and also the Cruzcampo beer and tapas and their canapés. The ambience of the bar is of French, it’s like one of the bars in Paris and you can also see on the walls having Parisian cafes. Stop Madrid however has a wide choices of Spanish beers and also famous for their tapas, raciones and the mountain ham, the jamon serrano. The ambience of the bar is of like the 1020s and this bar is being flocked by tourists as well as the locals. This is located at Hortelaza 11. If you want to go to a more foreign-like pub, you can check out Finnegan’s, this is at Plaza de las Salesas, this is an Anglo-Irish pub, where you can see football matches being shown regularly on their TV and they serve Guinness Beers and Murphy’s Red, they also have the hamburgers, and cheese sandwiches. Gonzalez is somehow the typical Spanish bar yet it is famous for its delicious tapas and also for international wines. Finbar is also one of the Irish pubs where you can see around Madrid, you can find it at the Marques de Urquijo. This is also where the Madrid Emerald Supporters Club meets and they also serve here sandwiches, Irish beers and wines. They also celebrate here the St. Patrick’s Day.
The word “tortillas” comes from the Spanish word “torta”, which means round cake. In Madrid’s most popular shopping hub and center of business exchange Barrio Salamanca, located just North of Madrid, is where you get to see and taste tortillas made even special as it is modified into 70 other variations. This is known as Tortilla Española, presumed to be the modern Tortillas fitted in taste for this new generation. Tortillas are eaten everyday in Spain, evidently a favorite craving of the Spanish locals. The mixture of tortilla includes white beans, onion and bacon. Alternatively, bacalao can also be used combined with onions and tomato sauce which makes a mouth watering pink omelet. Typically, the fusion of this extraordinary Spanish delicacy is more like local frittata, which is the Italian version of this Spanish dessert. A thin Tortilla is made more like a crepe that covers orange marmalade or an alternate of tart green apple. Other Tortillas are saturated with kirsch or rum. Another tempting equivalent of Tortilla is the Egg-free dessert with a flavored taste of chocolate. This makes it amazing to note as it is so sweet yet healthy to eat as it is also blended with fried milk. Spanish food and cuisine are no doubt uniquely superb and luscious. If you have no idea how this tastes like it is worthy to better save up and marked your 2009 calendar and go on a trip to Spain next year and never miss to get the savory taste of Tortillas. The popularity of this Spanish delicacy has influenced the United States as well. Americans blend their tortillas with just about anything from beans and meat to apples and brown sugar. Many prefer to eat their tortillas that way. Alternatively, one can combine this food with casseroles, hotdogs and sandwiches. In Mexico, their famous Tortilla is called Enchiladas, which consist of the tortilla being rolled, filled and afterwards cook. However Tortilla is made and cooked in many ways, it has been adopted by other countries because of its sumptuous taste, and cooked distinctively.
Presently, Tortilla is still made with the same elements. In fact many of them are now produced in factories because of their massive demand and they come in various flavors. Tortilla is also present in Tortilla chips (obviously), which you can easily get in grocery and convenient stores. If you have eaten this instant snack you can tell how it is shaped; cut into wedges and fried. Tortillas are a traditional snack and food of many people, no wonder why many restaurants have Tortillas in their menu.
Travel heals the weariness of the soul thus travel to Madrid heals not only the soul but also the psyche. Madrid with its many facets will never fail to amaze travelers. Its friendly and lenient tourist culture always surprise westerners. If boredom is your enemy soothes it in Madrid’s beautiful places.
Learn and get to know Madrid in www.allmadrid.com. One traveler can ask for no more in this website. Get to know Madrid well and plan a travel with this website.
Here are some of the beautiful places to consider when visiting Madrid.
Campo del Moro- This is located on the western part of the Royal Palace. A garden set to cure life’s monotony. A tested artistic and historical place in this side of the Royal Palace.
Museo Nacional Del Prado- It is assessed as one of the best by the masters of the art industry. It has a very comprehensive set of Spanish painting and a home of the works of Goya, Van Dyck, Velazquez, El Greco, Bosch and Rembrandt. Two museums to note as we visit Madrid are Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and Thyssen-bornemisza Museum.
Plaza Mayor- The center and heart plaza in Madrid. Plaza Mayor with its magnificence never fails to catch a writer’s imagination. Plazas in Madrid are worth every penny and time you have invested. Plazas like Plaza de Toros, Plaza de Espana, Plaza de la Independencia and Plaza de Cibeles also is worthy of our praises.
Royal Palace- A very important palace in Madrid. It is the certified residence of the King of Spain though His Excellency does not live there. It is made of stone for so that ‘fire’ could never destroy it again. As history told - the very location of the Royal Palace is the Old Alcazar that was destroyed on 1734 by fire.
El Rastro de Madrid- It is a very famous flea market. A very stingy place to do shopping and buy memorabilia of your stay in Madrid. It is every Sunday that traders meet to sell their trades.
Parque del Retiro- This place is considered as the “lungs of Madrid.” This park is beyond beautiful. Over flowing with monuments, sculpture and galleries.
Temple de Debod- The legacy of Egyptian culture in Spanish land. An Egyptian Temple in Madrid, Spain.
Spain with so many things to offer, there are also things that you can do that aren’t costly when you get to visit Madrid. As they say the best things in life are free and so are the best places in Madrid are free, no entrance fee or whatsoever, they are the Museo del Prado, Museo de Reina Sofia, Museo de Tifologico, Museo Taurino, Palacio Real and so on.
Museo del Prado, is the number one art museum not only in Madrid but all over Spain. This has houses the finest artworks if Spain. You can get inside for free and it is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from six in the afternoon to eight in the evening. This is officially the most popular tourist attraction in Spain.
Museo de Reina is famous to be having modern art galleries and you can see the works and masterpieces of the famous painters such as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. You can get inside for free in this museum during weekends other days than that there is a payment for your entrance.
Museo de Tifologico is a different museum; this is not the typical museum that we are used to. This museum is actually a blind museum that has lots of Braille and other feely and touchy exhibits that any one can enjoy. This was once maintained by the Spanish Blind Association and this is also a unique way to experience another kind of museum. This is open everyday and entrance fee is free.
Museo Taurino is the Bullfighting Museum, you can see in this museum the history of the Spaniards and their past time and in this museum you will find heads of the bulls and also matador costumes that have stained bloods. If you can’t see a bullfight live, better to visit this museum. It is always open and entrance is free.
Palacio Real is just minutes away from the Plaza Mayor and this is the royal residence and you can get here for free during Wednesdays.
Food is always essential in every travel. Knowing the food to expect in every city is a wise move for every traveler; visiting Madrid is no exception. Knowing what food makes the Madrilenos so healthy, friendly and passionate is one very wise and practical move for every traveler; so they know what to order and expect from the list of food in a menu and don’t end up ordering all the soup in the menu. So I have here a list of the most popular Madrid food you can expect in restaurants around the city.
Cocido Madrileño- It is one delicious stew made of meat, vegetable and herbs. The cooking of the stew requires patience and love of work for every ingredient added isw mixed in its appointed time to attain the perfect taste of Cocido Madrileño.
Rosquillas de ani- or anise-flavored doughnuts. This delicious pastry is made up from eggs, milk, butter, anisette, baking powder and flour. The dough from his mixture of ingredients is then shaped into rings and fried.
Tortilla de patatas- they call it the egg omellete or Spanish omellete with its special ingredients- fried potatoes. If French fries are your favorite then you will definitely adore tortilla de patatas. A favorite of the Spanish for picnics.
Sopa de Ajo- This Spanish soup used to be a peasant dish with its basic ingredients such as bread, garlic and water. Then in time addition of spices, poached egg, broth and ham made the soup much tastier.
Callos- One of Spanish traditional dishes. I could say that in this cuisine “don’t judge the taste by its look!” A very delicious Spanish dish made from veal trype, veal, pork fat, black puddings, ham, spiced sausages, parsley and flour to name a few.
Besugo al horno- this is referred to as Baked Bream with potatoes. This eaten usually in Christmas Eve. The best main course ever tasted.
Aside from the sights and the attractions in Madrid, this city is also home to have the finest pastries and it is a must-try whenever you can visit to this place. There are actually top five seasonal pastries in Madrid; you better know when your favorite pastry’s season is, so that it will be aplenty.
Spanish French Toast or also called as Torrijas. This is the same as the French toast that we know, although this sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar on top of the toast. This is sold during the Holy Week, which is like in the months of March and April.
Rosquillas de Anis or the anise flavored doughnuts. This is on the month of May during the feast day of San Isidro, the Fiestas de San Isidro.
Bunuelos de Vientos or the cream puffs. You can find this abundant during All Saints’ Day which is on November 1.
Huesos de Santos or also called as saints’ bones, this has various fillings that are sweet. This pastry has a religious culinary humor in it especially its shape. tHis is for the Day of the Dead which is in November 2.
Roscon de Reves. This is abundant during the holiday season, from December to January. This is filled with cream and is popular during the holiday season especially Christmas.
