Madrid in a Day.

by | Oct 11, 2013

Madrid in a day is not possible!

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_separator color=”black” border_width=”10″][vc_custom_heading text=”Madrid”][vc_separator color=”black” border_width=”2″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”sidebar-page”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

Madrid in a day is not possible! Unfortunately two nights and one day is all I got in the beautiful city which certainly wasn’t enough time to do everything. Madrid does have a Plaza Mayor,but the centre and busiest place is Puerta del sol, a square with streets going off in various directions all leading somewhere exciting, like the main shopping district, the cathedral and palace and the national theatre.  photo IMG_0759_zps6e3b8d98.jpg But beware there are lots of people walking around in costumes looking to take tourists money, but can also offer you a cheesy photo.  photo DSCF4467_zps210609ae.jpg  photo DSCF4428_zpsec064d5e.jpg Also just ignore the prostitutes that line the streets, even in the middle of the day.

I did see the Cathedral and Palace, which are conveniently side by side. The Cathedral:  photo DSCF4448_zpsd58c08b5.jpg The Palace:  photo DSCF4440_zps1669e46b.jpg Looking through some gates on the side of the Palace:  photo DSCF4445_zps273b1377.jpg An interesting fact about these two buildings is that it was decreed that the palace must be the most beautiful building in all of Madrid so therefore all other buildings had to be “ugly”. So the Cathedrals facade that is not facing the palace is actually nicer than the one facing it because the palace could not see it. It costs money to go into the Palace but I believe it is free to go into the Cathedral. I unfortunately did neither.

There are a lot of museums and art galleries in Madrid, I had time to go to one of them and went to the Prado Museum,  photo DSCF4481_zps5f9c5795.jpg Free entry between 6 and 8 but be prepared to line up to get inside. An amazing collection of paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints from around the world, and really interesting exhibitions as well. When I was there they had an exhibition of Japanese Prints. Definitely worth a visit.

There are so many restaurants and tapas bars throughout Madrid, I went to Taberna del Marciano which was down an ally near the Puerta del Sol. We had tapas for entree and chicken for main, it was really nice perhaps a little too much food! and of course Sangria for drinks.  photo IMG_0760_zps74be9b14.jpg They eat at about 8.30/9pm and go out clubbing at 1 or even 2am which very late compared to what I’m used to, so that is something that you will need to adjust to.

I stayed in UHostel on Calle de Sagasta, it was actually one of the best hostels I have stayed in: everyone gets a power point (very important), the bed was comfy, it was clean. Breakfast is not included and is fairly basic and it is a little way out from most tourist attractions but still walkable.

There is so much more to do In Madrid like museums, art galleries, visit the football stadium, actually go into the Palace and Cathedral, the Parque del Retiro (Gardens) is apparently beautiful and a great place to relax and explore. I need to go back!

Subscribe to the latest edition now by clicking here.

 

If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on World Travel Magazine, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.

And if you liked this story, subscribe to our bi-monthly World Travel Magazine, a handpicked selection of editorial features and stories from Global Destinations, Inspire Me, Insider, Style File, Wellness & Travel, City Travel, Suite Life, At Leisure, Short Breaks and much more.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Tags :

Social Media

Newsletter

WORLD TRAVEL EXPERIENCE APP

Related Articles

Share This