Advantages: Splendid architecture and surrounding nature Disadvantages: destinations are scattered and hard to reach by public transport
...who plan a trip to Madrid like to combine it with some excursions in the surrounding area. Nearby Toledo and Salamanca, for example, are places that most of us may have heard of, if only from an Ernest Hemingway novel or from Cervantes' famous account of Don Quixote de La Mancha. But this wouldn't be worth an FTC review, had I not some more exclusive places to tell you about.
On the third day at the latest, every first time visitor to Madrid will ... ...very popular day trips for Madrid tourists:
1. To the cities of Salamanca and Avila in the province of Castilia Leon, 70 and 100 miles west of Madrid respectively.
2. To the city of Toledo in the province of Castilia - La Mancha, 50 miles south of Madrid.
BUT: while all these places are beautiful and worth a visit, they are also flocked by tourists from March to October. Thus I have chosen a slightly different itinerary, maybe not completely off ...
From_The_Continent 26.04.2001 (28.04.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Madrid (Spain)
Advantages: Plenty to see, (and eat!) Disadvantages: Some knowledge of Spanish a distinct advantage.
...pedal. I wonder whether all Madrid taxi drivers are so short sighted that they have to drive close to the car in front just so they can see it. One plus point – they seem to be cheap for a big city’s cabs, and don’t need tipping. WHERE WE STAYED
Our hotel, which was a 4-star, was situated just off the Gran Vía, and was called Hotel Mayorazgo. It was neither brand spanking new, nor decrepit, being decorated with an eclectic mixture of stained glass ... ...at least some Spanish in Madrid is a distinct advantage compared to “Las Costas”. It’s not that the city isn’t geared for tourism, but please remember, but that it’s also a working business centre, not a holiday resort.
SUNDAY MORNING
One of the sights earmarked the previous day, was the Atocha RENFE terminus station – not an obvious tourist magnet, you might think, but combined with the fact that we’d have to use the Métro to get there, that was ...
BNibbles 07.10.2002 (09.10.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Madrid (Spain)
Advantages: great bars and restaurants, wonderful for shopping Disadvantages: Some areas are a bit run down, gets unbearably hot at the height of summer
Driving from the airport into Madrid you’ll notice numerous high-rise flats, looking somewhat squalid and not particularly appealing. Don’t let them put you off. The closer you get to the city centre, the better it gets. Although Spain’s capital may not have the ambience and attraction as it’s main rival (and I’m not just talking football here) Barcelona, Madrid has it’s own unique personality.
But first of all the basics. Accommodation is plentiful, ... ...ensure this stops.
Getting around Madrid is easy, walking is the best way of doing this since the city centre is so compact. If you are feeling particularly lazy or tired then Madrid has a n efficient metro system, although it isn’t that expensive.
The city is awash with restaurants, and there are plenty of options - I even found a curry house on one visit. Veggie food is also easy to find and there are several good restaurants, my personal favourite ...
reh106 14.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Madrid (Spain)
Advantages: It's a wonderful city Disadvantages: None!
...I've been living in Madrid my whole life. In fact, I'm Spanish, and I'm just studying abroad for a year (currently living in St. Andrews), so I think I can speak from my own experience about this wonderful city.
Madrid is the capital of Spain, so many people from other parts of Spain usually go to live there. That makes of Madrid a city with a great mixture of cultures and a huge diversity of styles. When one visits Madrid for the first time, one ... ...the most interesting thing about Madrid is the night. If you have seen any film by Pedro Almodovar, you'll see what he means by "movida madrileña". Madrid is full of discos, pubs and bars. You can go to a disco at 8pm and go back to your house at 4pm the following day, or, if you have enough energy, stay 24 hours or more dancing like crazy. There are also lots of music styles, so you'll just have to look for what you want. You can find places where ...
lalechesoyyo 07.02.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Madrid (Spain)
Advantages: Lively, great for culture, food, shopping Disadvantages: Extremes of temperatures, can be noisy all night
Madrid is one of those cities, like Brasilia or Islamabad, which were invented for political reasons, rather than springing up organically because it had a natural harbour, or was on a confluence of rivers, or a fertile plain. It shouldn't really exist, perched as it is deep in the dusty interior of Spain, intolerably hot at the height of summer, and often bitterly cold in winter. It's the artificial capital of a maritime nation, a seafood loving ... ...soul sapping Francoist interregnum, Madrid is a thrilling city to visit, with something for everyone (except beach lovers, obviously).
It's possible to stay cheaply in Madrid in one of the many hostales lurking in places like Fuencarral off the Gran Via. These are usually clean enough, often with private facilities, and much better than anything you could get in London for the price. They offer a glimpse of what it's really like to live in the Spanish ...
Yasmine 11.08.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Madrid (Spain)
Advantages: It's diferent Disadvantages: It's not in the UK
...to visit, you have the Madrid Wall, the Portas Del Sol (The doors of the Son) and the Segovia’s monument.
Museums are other of the interesting places to visit, like the city’s three “ex-líbris”, the Prado museum, the Thyssen Bornemisza museum and the National Centre of Art Reina Sofia museum.
Madrid is also known for its enormous quantity of parks and green spaces, which we can find them all over the place. We have the Buen ... ...in the right place because Madrid is considered The European Night Capital. The place busiest places are between Portas del Sol, Praça de Santa Ana and Calle Huertas, with numerous bars, beer shops and restaurants and of curse, the typical madrilène environment, that you will only understand if you are there.
To go for a walk or have fun, if you want to go with the family, this city is a perfect place …
But if you are a culture lover then, ...
leo290902 23.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Madrid (Spain)
Advantages: Good areas: Puerto Del Sol, Plaza Santa Ana Disadvantages: Bad areas: Chueca can be a bit dodgy at night
...Situated at the heart of Madrid and right next to a tube station, The Hotel Paris is a good (and not too expensive) option for those with a moderate budget, with clean, comfortable and air-conditioned double rooms costing about 48 pounds stirling for two a night, including breakfast.
Make sure you check out the streets towards the Plaza Santa Ana, including great bars such as the Alhambra and De Solero. If you are looking to save money, just keep ... ...The best way to enjoy Madrid is to do as the local Madrillenos do and sleep in the afternoons after lunch, this will give you the stamina to still be going when the fun really starts at about 11pm at night. This is the time when Madrillenos enjoy walking from bar to bar, eating and generally soaking up the atmosphere, and it is to be highly recommended.
Don't forget to check out the shopping at superstore El Corte Ingles, just off the Puerto Del ...
x_elf_x 29.09.2000
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Advantages: no expensive,alive city,delightfull city,people Disadvantages: maybe annarchical,traffic.
...my primitive english
Madrid is the first city in Spain(the second one is Barcelona).
There´s living there around the 4.500.000 natives(much of them are not madrilians because(like London i suppose)
there are a "mix "of people it,s a cosmopolitan cityin wich every stranger are wellcome.Much of them comes from South America(Spain is for these people the Modern Native country).Its situated just in the center of spain.Some interesting places too in ... ...de la castellana"near the Real Madrid stadium for example "the torres kio";they are inclined (like "torre de Pissa"in Italia)but the inclination is disposed jeje and modern.Unfourtenly one of this sky-scraper were totally in flames recently.,"la torre Windsor"(no vicitims uff).
There,s a street with abundance of cinemas:"la Gran Via" and also"calle fuencarral".
We can,t forget one the most famous and classic shop in spain always:"El corte inglés"(translate:the ...
kalimero 10.03.2005
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Advantages: a vibrant city that has to be lived in as well as seen Disadvantages: not as much to see as other places
...book told me that while Madrid wasn’t an old or particularly awe-inspiring city, its atmosphere - busy, buzzing, exciting - more than made up for it and I would heartily endorse this view. Madrid as a capital city isn't full of ancient buildings, wonderful architecture or beautiful views (though that isn't to say these aspects are non-existent, simply fewer in number that more traditional cities) and in certain areas could be considered downright ... ...to visit the surrounding area. Madrid is a relatively compact city and all the major sights can be accessed on foot. Well worth seeing if you want to absorb a little culture are the three art galleries as well as a number of ornate Roman Catholic Churches and the Royal Palace. The park takes up a vast space and is pleasant simply in its provision of greenery. ...
uptowngirl 14.08.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Madrid (Spain)
Advantages: The Madrilenos give the city a nice atmosphere. Disadvantages: Doesen´t have the big sights like Paris, London and Rome.
...you don´t have many alternatives. Madrid gives you a taste of the real Spain free of all the tourist-ghettos. As Barcelona is the first choice of foreigners going on a city vacation to Spain, Madrid is the first choice of Spanish tourists. Beeing the capital, it contains a lot of important builidings, and walking around in the centre the most important sights will pop up within a relativly small radius. The historical centre is very limited, which ... ...I´ve been living in Madrid for the last year, and have been frequently visited from my friends and family in Norway. I usually show them the historical centre quite fast, and then either takes them outside the city to show them some more attractions or (if belonging to the young generation) take them out clubbing. My favourite attracions in Madrid are The Royal Palace, The Gran Via street and the Retiro Park. Outside the city, I can reccomend the ...
aarstad 13.10.2004
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...of Madrid.
First of all Madrid is the greenest city in Europe , people don´t know that but is true you´ll find historical parks like Retiro, Campo del moro, fuente del berro,el capricho parque del oeste and on the other hand you have new parks like Juan Carlos I close to the airport and huge parks like casa del campo.
A good itinerary to see part of the old Madrid starts at the royal palace, is a towering structure that has already 250 years of ... ...of the best buildings in Madrid you should take this street to alcala enjoing an european influence arquitecture and arriving to plaza cibeles where Real Madrid celebrates their victiries and you can stare at banco de españa on your right, palacio de comunicaciones is like a cathedral front of you and palacio de linares onyour left.
This is just a little itinerary around Madrid but is good enough for a quick view.
Well at this point you propably ...
dack 13.01.2003 (16.01.2003)
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Advantages: fantastic culture Disadvantages: very much a city
I went to Madrid last week and I really enjoyed it. Sol is the place to be, where all the shops (of which there are many), bars and clubs are.
A knowledge of the Spanish language is incredibly helpful as very little English is spoken there. However, i found the locals generally friendly.
I would really recommend the Reina Sofia (6 floors of amazing modern art), and Prado art gallery. Other places of interest are: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza(quite ... ...Everyone eats about 9pm and the legal drinking age is 16.
If you do go to Madrid i would advise a daytrip to a more historical city such as Toledo which has a castle. I hope this review has been helpful. It is purely my opinion. ...
shinyangel 18.02.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Madrid (Spain)
Advantages: beautiful, colourful, city scene, art galleries Disadvantages: litter - railways
Last year, i went to Madrid and thouhgt it was fantastic, Being the capital city of Spain it was sure to be buzzing with action and thats exactly what it was. My first impression of Madrid was "beatiful buildings"!! There are loads of tourist attractions in Madrid that include theme parks, museums and art galleries, palace's, and of course SHOPPING!!
The eating out is great, i reccomend a briliant restaraunt called VIP! Its very stylish and very ... ...My favourite part of touristy Madrid had to be the art galleries which in my opinion specalise in abstract. If you're a fan of this, you sure to be dazzled by the wonderful collection available.
The transport in Madrid is beyind excellent, its very sufficent and convienient as well as handy. It does get busy but by no means can it be compared to the tube (undergorund). I mentioned earlier theme parks which is handy to know when planning a family ...
sleepyhead123 25.11.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Madrid (Spain)
...most interesting old bars in Madrid head for the Plaza Santa Ana. On the square itself theres another Hemingway favorite Cervecia Allemana which gets pretty busy most nights. If you're looking for upmarket top of the range accomodation also on the square is Gran Hotel Reina Victoria which has a famous bullfighting bar inside complete with real bullfighters who sometimes stay there. Downscale there are several good hostals including Hostal Carreras ...
howaysali 09.08.2000
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Advantages: Rich culture, diverse, safe, pleasant, beautiful. Disadvantages: It can be extremely hot and dry in the summer.
...course - latin culture. Madrid is without a doubt one of the most interesting and beautiful cities in the world. With its long inclined avenues surrounded by parks, Madrid city centre hosts a diverse cultural scenario. From excellent museums (the Prado Museum) to state of the art planetariums you are invited to witness Spanish culture and technology at its best. Madrillenos (those born in Madrid) are a friendly people that are used to having foreigns ... ...simple words. Lifestyle in Madrid is totally different from anywhere else in Europe, you go to work at 9am, leave for lunch at 12pm and stay in for the "Siesta" which takes place between 1pm and 3pm (2pm in some cases). You then return to work where you stay until 7pm. As this is the right time to eat again, you go with your friends to your favourite Tasca to eat tapas and drink beer whilst chatting away or watching soccer on TV supporting Real Madrid. ...
Luso 10.08.2000
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