Madrid

Spain’s capital, the city of Madrid, with its cosmopolitan air and its growing amount of tourists who visit it the whole year round, still is the open city it has always been and its well known night life has not lost any of its vitality.

This modern air harmoniously contrasts with its important old quarters and its cultural traditions. In addition to being home to one of the world’s greatest art galleries, the range of museums and monuments on offer in the Madrid region goes much further than the well-known and deservedly admired galleries located in the “Paseo del Arte” (Art Walk). This route is unique in the world, and takes visitors on a path through paintings and sculptures, architecture and nature, in one of Madrid’s most emblematic areas: the Paseo del Prado. The route can easily be done on foot, and leads to three major art galleries in succession: the Prado Museum, the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofía Museum and Art Centre. The broad and varied range of art on offer in the region includes everything from prehistoric rock paintings through to the most avant-garde works of modern art. Madrid’s importance as the site of the Royal Court since the 16th century also means that visitors can discover the Royal Sites located in such beautiful settings as Aranjuez and San Lorenzo de El Escorial. A stay in Madrid would not be complete without a visit to symbols such as the Puerta de Alcalá (the Alcalá Arch) or the Cibeles Fountain. Its great transportation network makes getting around to any place you wish easy and quick, adding to this the best and most exclusive hotel accommodation network. Tradition and vanguard live together harmoniously, welcoming a dynamic and modern society.

Wine and gastronomy

Madrid gathers the culinary art from all around the country and there is no regional cuisine that is not expertly represented in this city. Madrid has included these contributions in its gastronomy and also those which have come from afar, originating a great variety of dishes with the Madrilenians stamp. One of Madrid’s main attractions is its great number of bars and taverns where you are able to relax after a busy day, enjoying a glass of wine or a beer accompanied by a tasty ‘tapa’. Any area in Madrid has these bars offering tapas, but there are some neighbourhoods whose bars and taverns are known for their tapas with a Madrid flavour. Tourists and Madrileños usually choose the Cava Baja and Latina as their favourite destinations to eat tapas. Besides tapas, specialties of each bar and larger side-dishes to share may be ordered. Around the Santa Ana Square, the Paseo del Prado, Fuencarral Street, the multicultural neighbourhood of Lavapiés, or the elegant neighbourhood of Salamanca, you can find many people in the bars at around 11 a.m. (“la hora del aperitivo” or “the snack hour”).

See our gourmet wine-themed tapas tour Madrid or our Full day wine tour from Madrid to La Ribera del Duero

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