es: Madrid
Madrid – May 07
Well, having said before that not enough people visit Madrid; I seem to have been heard – unfortunately. The yobs have well and truly arrived; gangs of football shirt wearing louts marching the more popular streets and squares. I witnessed one gang verbally abusing a blind lottery ticket vendor; makes you proud to be English…
Despite this unwelcome invasion; Madrid remains a great place to spend a few days and whilst there is lots to do it”s also a great place to and just enjoy the ambiance.
This is not a guide, but rather a postcard; if you went a guide book, I recommend the publication by Footprint; which is physically small but packed with useful information.
So; what should you see and why? Here”s a quick look at the key sights, areas and venues:
The Prado: Not that big when compared to other major European galleries, but a fantastic and manageable collection. Key sights are the Velazquezs and the Goyas – especially the ”black” collection (which I think are the best), but also be sure to see the El Bosco on the ground floor; this looks like a Roger Dean album cover, but is actually 500 years old.
The Reina Sofia: Superb collection of Spanish modern art, centre piece of the collection is Picasso”s Guernica, the preparatory sketches are interesting too.
Thyssen Bornemisza: Third gallery in the triangle, go if you have time.
El Retiro: Largest park in Madrid and one of my favourites anywhere, I love the mix of formality and wildness – also contains the world”s only statue to the devil, El Angel Caido.
Ornamental lake in the middle and lots of Cafes dotted around. Very good place to escape the summer heat.
The Royal Palace: Open to the public and worth a look if you have time. The square to the side (Plaza del Oriente) has a good cafe for lunch: Cafe del Oriente, where you can while away a good few hours.
Plaza Mayor: go and have a look, very spectacular setting but a complete tourist trap – do not eat here.
If you exit from one of the western arches you can find El Botin – the oldest restaurant in the world – its sort of under the square, a good time to visit is late lunch on Sunday – as the crowds arrive in the area from the Rastro market – Cava Baja (a street just around the corner) is another good spot for Sunday afternoons (weekend nights as well).
Also to the west of Plaza Major is the newly restored Mercado de San Miguel, the building dates from 1916 and now operates as a gourmet market.
Sol and the shopping streets: The area between Puerto del Sol and Gran Via is the main shopping area – but there are shops on all the streets coming off Sol.
East and west of Sol (Calle Mayor and Carrer de San Jeronimo) are branches of Museo de Jamon – not a museum but a ham shop of spectacular proportions, there are other branches all over town but these two have dining rooms upstairs where you can get a 3 course lunch with wine for about €8. Both restaurants are open until about midnight, after which a sandwich at the downstairs bar is available until about 2.00 am
Whilst the Sol area is busy there are lots of other areas to shop; upmarket shops are to be found in the Salamanca area (north of Retiro) and more funky shops can be found in Fuencarral and Hortaleza north of Gran Via. Check out the Mercado de Fuencarral at 45 Fuencarral – for clothes.
Salamanca restaurant to checkout – dASSA bASSA
Santa Ana and surrounds: this square and the surrounding streets are great for nightlife. Calle Echegaray in particular and be sure to try Cardomomo Salsa/ disco bar.
Several bars in the area have live music on selected nights – the jazz bar with a very non PC black and white minstrel logo is especially good – at the top of Huertas. The streets between Santa Ana and Sol are also lively after dark.
There are of course lots of places to eat in the area generally, but the square itself tends more to tapas style of food.
Just to the south of plaza Santa Ana there is a great deal of Flamenco activity – this is very popular in Madrid and you can see shows of high quality. I recommend Casa Patas, the show is about €30 including a drink and you can dine there before or after depending on show time – 9.00 pm or midnight.
Another Flamenco venue: Cafe de Chinitas
As Madrid is so late you could dine at ten get the midnight show and then on to Santa Ana for drinks or find a club.
Accommodation:
There are lots of very trendy places to stay in Madrid – often with prices to match… these are some of the more reasonable ones:
Palacio del Retiro – AC chain
Trains:
Spanish trains are very good value and efficient. I would recommend that you travel Preferente class on long journeys; as its like first class but cheaper; usually includes a meal and drinks in the price as well.You must have a reserved seat for the trains so book in advance – see Travel Resources Transport for links and reservations.
Days Out
‘The Strawberry Train’ runs from Atcocha to Aranjuez; Saturdays and Sundays from April to June.
This special service is steam train pulled and staff in period costume serve (of course) strawberry dishes… for which Aranjuez is famous.
Adult fares for the return day trip are just over €20 (2008), which is quite good value.