Tourist Information about Madrid
Madrid, Spain's capital, is a cosmopolitan city. Its position as a centre for economics, finance, administration and services combines the most modern infrastructure with an important cultural and artistic heritage, the legacy of centuries of fascinating history.
Madrid is strategically located at the geographical centre of the Iberian peninsular, 646 metres above sea level. Its old town is exemplary among major European cities, and blends harmoniously with the most modern and convenient of urban infrastructure. Madrid offers a broad range of accommodation and services along with the most advanced audiovisual and communication technology. All this, combined with the momentum of a society that is dynamic and open, and at the same time warm and welcoming, has turned this metropolis into one of the western world's great capitals.
The Madrid area has been settled since the Lower Paleolithic age, but it was not until 1561 that King Philip II made it the capital of his mighty empire. The historic old town, also known as "Madrid de las Austrias" (referring to the Hapsburg empire) is a living example of the city's 16th and 17th century heyday, as is its impressive Plaza Mayor (square), which was opened in 1620 and remains one of Spain's most popular and typical spots.
Near to the Plaza Mayor is the so-called "aristocratic centre" of Madrid, home to the stunning Royal Palace, a 17th century monument that combines Baroque and Classical styles. Next to the palace you can find the Plaza de Oriente (square), the Opera House and the modern Almudena Cathedral, consecrated in 1993 by Pope John Paul II. This ensemble of monuments is completed by the Puerta del Sol, a square flanked by select shops, and the "Paseo del Arte", so called for its unique museums, palaces and gardens, not forgetting the unmistakable Bank of Spain building, the Palacio de las Telecomunicaciones (currently home to the Spanish Post Office) and the Cibeles and Neptuno fountains.
Art and culture are central to Madrid life. The city has 73 museums that cover all fields of human knowledge. Of these, the most important are the Prado Museum, one of the world's greatest art galleries, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum with more than 800 paintings, sculptures and tapestries that go from the earliest Dutch masters to the most avantguard trends, and the Reina Sofía National Art Centre, which is dedicated to Spanish contemporary art, with works by Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí and Juan Gris among others.
Visitors and residents alike can enjoy the sun, go for walks, go rowing or feed the squirrels in Madrid's large, impeccable parks and gardens. The Retiro Park, once playground of Spanish Monarchs, the Casa de Campo and the Juan Carlos I Park among others make Madrid one of Europe's greenest capitals. Madrid is also one of Europe's most attractive business centres. Its international airport receives more than one thousand flights weekly from all over the world and it has two main conference centres, as well as the modern Campo de las Naciones exhibition centre and a capacity to hold more than 80,000 people in other varied conference and meeting facilities. If there is one thing, however, that characterizes Madrid, it is the deep, contagious passion for life reflected in its friendly, welcoming people. Madrid boasts concerts, exhibitions, ballets, select theatre productions, and the latest cinematographic releases. You can sample a wide variety of the finest Spanish and international cuisine or be enchanted by its bars and taverns. These are just some of Madrid's leisure alternatives, alongside tempting shopping in the most traditional establishments and world-famous outlets stocking the finest international brands. Madrid's happening nightlife is another major attraction. Its pubs, bars, discos and flamenco clubs have a tremendous atmosphere, while by day there are traditional verbenas (open-air dances), popular festivals or the San Isidro bullfighting festival - rated as the world's most important.
Madrid is exceptionally well equipped for trade fairs, conferences, and exhibitions, with two convention centres, and two trade fair complexes. Equipped with the most modern service facilities, the city's capacity and high standards attract more than five million professionals each year, who attend a variety of events.
Lavish palaces and castles mingle with modern buildings in Madrid, giving rise to a varied selection of venues for holding conferences, meetings, and all kinds of receptions. Here, each event will find a suitable venue, depending on the particular atmosphere it requires.
All this makes of Madrid a rising travel destination, one of the world's favourites for holding business conferences and conventions. Fully aware of this, the city's range of accommodation is constantly growing and improving.
Madrid's hotels are of exceptional quality, and the city has more than sixty-five thousand beds, half of which are in four and five star hotels. The premises, way above the European average, combine comfort with outstandingly professional, friendly, and personalised service.
The accommodation, geared to conference, incentive, business, and cultural travel, is equipped with all the facilities necessary for holding meetings.
Almost the whole of Spanish cuisine is present in the tapas of Madrid.
Excellent seafood; Iberian ham and sausages; assorted pickles; native dishes such as prawns in batter, Madrid-style tripe, or snails; smoked meats and fish; excellent cheese; cocktail stick snacks and casseroles; and all kinds of local wines make Madrid the tapas capital of Spain.
Madrid has an abundance of open spaces with varied landscape, from the Madrid Sierra, a gorgeous mountain range filled with beauty spots, where winter sports and mountaineering can be practised, to the fertile plains of Aranjuez and La Mancha landscape, surrounding Alcalá de Henares.
Golf, sailing, windsurfing, horse riding, balloon rides, and hiking are a few of the sporting options for the visitor. The people of Madrid love to take care of the numerous parks and urban gardens that the city has, which are of great historic importance, as is the case of the Gardens of the Aranjuez Royal Residence, the El Retiro Park in Madrid, and the Casa de Campo. Some others are more recent, like the Juan Carlos I Park, and the Tierno Galván Park. All of them are beautiful green spaces, distributed throughout the different districts of the city.
Madrid offers a wide artistic range, influenced by the many styles that have marked the city through the centuries.
From the ruins of the ancient Arab wall, to small Gothic-style churches, and early Renaissance constructions, Madrid's development is a showcase for a variety of artistic periods. Madrid owes its name to the Arabic Magerit or "mother of the waters", which was the name given to the fortress in the bank of the Manzanares River, built by the Omayyad from Cordoba, Muhammad (823-886). Although it grew under Arab rule for two hundred years, little is left of the Arab presence: only some ruins of the wall are preserved, and a tower, which was later turned into a bellower. With the coming of the Austrias in the 16th century and the height of their splendour in the 17th century, the great monuments of Madrid began to emerge in the area that is nowadays referred to as the Madrid de los Austrias, one of the most famous areas of the city where, in addition to the Plaza Mayor, there are many outstanding spots, churches, and convents, full of art and atmosphere. The austere façades of the Baroque style contrast with the lavish interiors of the palaces.
The 18th century left its Neoclassical mark on the splendid Royal Palace complex, the Sabatini Gardens and Campo del Moro, located in the city centre. The church of San Francisco El Grande, the fountains of Paseo del Prado, the Toledo Bridge, the Prado Museum, and Puerta de Alcalá are also good examples of this splendid style.
The most avant-garde and modern Madrid is located in the area of newer districts, mainly along its two main arteries: Gran Vía and Paseo de la Castellana. Gran Vía, whose construction began at the beginning of the 20th century, is nowadays a nerve centre of shops, leisure establishments, and hotels. Paseo de La Castellana, a magnificent avenue that crosses the city from north to south, has some of the most elegant hotels in the capital, as well as the offices of many firms that have opted for modern, avant-garde buildings. As important as the architectural legacy of Madrid is, however, the city's artistic wealth is found in its art galleries. The well-known Paseo del Arte is made up of three remarkable museums, situated very close to one another: the Prado Museum, the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, and the Queen Sofía National Art Centre Museum. The Prado Museum is considered by many experts to be the best art gallery of the world, as it has the most complete and impressive collection of sixteenth, seventeenth, and twentieth century art, with the best works from the Italian, Flemish and Spanish schools. It is in the Prado Museum where artists of the stature of Hieronymus Bosch, Rubens, Goya, Velázquez, Murillo, Fra Angélico, Botticelli, Titian, Rafael, Watteau, Tintorretto, El Greco, Ribera, Zurbarán, and very many others, can be admired, along with a magnificent collection of classical sculptures. The Prado Museum offers private guided tours to groups outside normal hours, providing an unforgettable encounter with art.
The Thyssen Bornemisza Museum keeps a private collection, finally donated to the capital in 1993, that has been classified as the most important for having the widest variety of periods and styles, from primitive 13th century paintings to the avant-garde movements of the 20th century. Dürer, Tintoretto, Degas, Kandinsky, Goya, Cezanne, Matisse, Dalí, Miró, Picasso, and Renoir, are just a few of the artists whose work forms part of this collection.
The Paseo del Arte ends at the Queen Sofía National Art Centre Museum, very famous for having Picasso's Guernika in its collection, and for its collection of contemporary paintings, mainly Spanish ones.
The importance of these three great galleries has unfairly eclipsed the richness and variety of the other museums of Madrid. If the traveller has the time, he or she can choose from dozens of options. Some of these include art galleries, such as the Royal Academy of San Fernando; municipal museums; and specialised museums such as the Romantic Museum, the Railway Museum, the Navy Museum, the Army Museum, the Museum of America, the National Archaeological Museum, the National Museum of Natural Sciences, etc.
Madrid also has an assortment of palaces and monuments making up one of the most important heritages in the history of the western world. Patrimonio Nacional (National Heritage) is the institution in charge of safeguarding State property which is at the service and disposal of the King, as well as managing the convents and monasteries founded by monarchs throughout history. With a tremendous wealth of art, the establishment of this collection of buildings has for centuries been the moving force of Spanish culture. The properties, open to the public, include the Madrid Royal Palace, the Pantheon of Important Men, the Monastery of Las Descalzas Reales, the Royal Monastery of La Encarnación, the El Pardo Royal Palace, the Aranjuez Royal Palace, the Royal Monastery of El Escorial, the Prince's Cottage at El Escorial, the Infante's Cottage at El Escorial, and the Benedictine Abbey of Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos.
Madrid is synonymous with vitality, living night and day with passionate joyCultural activities are always available and they cover a wide range of events and performances.
The city is at the European forefront of fields like theatre, dance, film, painting, sculpture, etc. This frantic activity takes place in more than thirty theatres, one hundred cinemas, fifty live-music venues, and dozens of galleries and exhibition halls throughout the city. In addition, there is a permanent season of classical music, opera, and zarzuela (a type of Spanish operetta) at the Auditorio Nacional, the Teatro Real and the Teatro de la Zarzuela.
But there is room for many more leisure activities in Madrid. There is gambling at the Casino Gran Madrid, located in Torrelodones; the Planetarium, located in the Tierno Galván Park, is a great choice for a day of science and the Cosmo Caixa Museum, in Alcobendas, will not disappoint. Bullfighting should not be forgotten, especially at the famous Plaza de las Ventas in Madrid, at Valdemoro, and at the Plaza Mayor de Chinchón. There is also flamenco, sports, cafeterias and a myriad of great places to visit.
Madrid also has an Amusement Park, with more than forty rides, in addition to restaurants and shops. Next to the Amusement Park, which is at Casa de Campo, the visitor will find the Zoo-Aquarium of Madrid, home to the zoo, the aviarium, the aquarium and the dolphinarium. In the most intensely hot months, a visit to the Aquópolis, the water park located in Villanueva de la Cañada and San Fernando de Henares, is a very popular alternative.
The region also offers great leisure centres, easily accessible by car, with multi-screen cinemas and places such as Diversia, Planet Ocio, and Kinépolis.
But, when talking about Madrid, it is impossible not to mention its vibrant nightlife. At two, three, four or five in the morning the bustle continues regardless of the day of the week, although the activity becomes more intense over the weekend. The live-music venues, bars, cafeterias, pubs, nightclubs, mega-discos, and the terraces of restaurants and cafés stay open till very late at night. Once they close, there is always an "after-hours" nightclub, where the dancing continues into the next day. And to round off the night, a traditional "chocolate con churros" (fritters with hot chocolate) to get ready for bed.
Four new recreational centres complete the great range of leisure activities in Madrid, giving the city the title of European leisure centre. The Autonomous government of Madrid has promoted the creation of these centres that offer a unique selection of activities, day and night.
Two of them are already open to the public:Faunia, a theme park in touch with nature, and Warner Bros. Madrid, one of the most spectacular theme parks in the world, which was opened recently. The third is the Madrid Xanadú Park, which opens in the spring of 2003, and is located in Arroyomolinos, 23 kilometres away from Madrid. It is quite an original complex, that combines shopping and leisure and has the longest covered ice rink in Europe. This is the future site of a shopping mall with department stores, speciality stores, and the boutiques of twenty world-famous brands. The centre's main sporting facility is the covered ice rink, open all year round, that covers 17,000 square metres, distributed along different slopes for skiing and snowboarding, plus a small Andean-style village. Other planned sporting areas are tennis courts, bowling alleys, skateboarding courses, bicycle trails, gyms, etc. The leisure area will also include virtual reality rooms, nightclubs, restaurants, theme bars, etc.
Lastly, in 2004 a new huge entertainment and gambling complex will be opened in Aranjuez. It will be the biggest recreational centre of Madrid and will house the second biggest casino in the region, along with many other sporting and cultural facilities, shops, and restaurants.
