Any Last Minute Thoughts on Madrid?
 

Tomorrow we're heading to Madrid for a very quick visit; 5 days-4 nights. We have never been and plan to stay in the city for the trip (most likely no outside city excursions). I know we will find plenty to see and do during our brief visit. I have obsessed over transportation to and from the airport, restaurants, jazz clubs, etc. Does anyone have any last minute comments on Madrid for me to further "obsess" on? I enjoy different, small museums and sights, walking, parks, etc. Thanks.

I hear you! A lot of people will SAY how much they hate it as compared to Barcelona (I personally like both cities for different reasons) but I think you'll enjoy some of the "grand" boulevards and even though you like "small" museums do NOT, under any circumstances, skip the Prado and perhaps the Thyssen.

Do you enjoy eating your evening meal LATE...as in after 9 PM? If so, get ready for some wonderful experiences and be aware that the Metro which is a VERY good way to get around can get "mobbed" around 8 PM because a lot of folks are heading out.

I suspect you'll also enjoy the Retiro park which was founded in 1631 as well as the others and IMO the royal palace is certainly worth a look.

There is, IMO, PLENTY to do in that city and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Have a great trip.

eurocheapo.com/madrid great budget tour food tips with a map

If you like "the other white meat" some of the best is here...

The restaurant Botín is located just off Madrid’s Plaza Mayor in calle Cuchilleros (knife makers street). Botín is written of in Hemingway’s ‘The Sun Also Rises’ and was one of his favourite restaurants, hence its popularity amongst tourists. The Guinness Book of records lists it as the oldest restaurant in the world (1725, the building dates from 1590) and it is said that the painter Goya actually worked as a dishwasher here. The restaurant is renowned for its suckling pig and roasted lamb and serves typical Castilian food. It has 4 floors and the woodfire oven is said to be the original from the 18th century. Prices are not cheap but it’s not every day that you eat at the oldest restaurant in the world.

Address: c/Cuchilleros, 17-19

We loved the week we spent in Madrid, there is so much to see and do. If you do change your mind about leaving the city El Escorial is a short train ride away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Escorial

Back in Madrid, two of our favorite outdoor activities on a beautiful day, Parque de Retiro and Real Jardin Botanico.

Enjoy a great trip!

Weather is coldish (because of the north wind) and a bit rainy. Today we woke up to thick fog, but it seems that it will be overcast and not so cold. Plan to wear layers, scarfs are your friends, remember ;)

Ah, and the Jazz Festival began last week :
http://www.esmadrid.com/festivaljazz/
http://www.esmadrid.com/festivaljazz...011-madrid.pdf
I like El Junco, BarCo and Cafe Central ...

Bye, Cova

Thanks for all the replies. I will definitely dress in layers. Where I live in Massachusetts we just experienced a freak early fall snowstorm and were without power for 7 days in the cold. Anything would seem warm right about now. I see it to be in the low 60's during the day, partly cloudy; 40's at night. Is that correct?

I will definitely look into all suggestions and would love more.

I love Madrid and have posted these suggestions several times. Been three times during the past two years.

Have breakfast or lunch at Café del Círculo de Bellas Artes in down town Calle Alcalá, 42. One of the city's most emblematic cafés. Grab a window table and watch Madrid life on bustling Calle Alcalá. Take the lift up to the roof topp terrace (the azotea) for the most spectacular views of the city. http://www.esmadrid.com/en/cargarApl...ntificador=179

Watch the sunset over the Guadarrama mountains from the terrace at El Ventorrillo in the Vistillas park. Great pollo al ajillo, some say the best in town. Map, video and some pictures: http://11870.com/pro/restaurante-ventorrillo

Have lunch or some tapas at Casa Granada, on the 6th floor of an apartment building just off Plaza Tirso de Molina. Hard to find and a great terrace. http://www.tripfilms.com/Travel_Vide...ada-Video.html

Café Central, just off bustling Plaza Santa Ana, is a fabulous jazz venue with live performances from the best artists every night at 10. Entrance 115Good food also. Populart, a little further down the street, is also a great place.

Experience world class flamenco at one of the best tablaos. Madrid is arguably the flamenco capital of the world. Although the art form comes from the South (Andalucía), everybody has to conquer Madrid to get to the top. On their way there, or as an opportunity to try out new things and get an up close audience, many of them work the top tablaos. I recommend Casa Patas and Cardamomo, both close to Plaza Santa Ana.
http://www.casapatas.com/
http://www.cardamomo.es/

Asturian Casa Mingo for the best grilled chicken and cider: http://www.casamingo.es/
Watch the video, and you're sold:
http://11870.com/pro/casa-mingo/videos/bc313f19

Txirimiri in Calle del Humilladero, 6 gives you an idea of why the Basque kitchen is considered among the best in the world. In the midst of one of the best tapas/restaurant districts in town, in and around Calle Cava Baja in La Latina.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...ri-Madrid.html

I never leave Madrid without having had the squid in its own ink and the famous cod at Casa Revuelta, also in the same district.
http://11870.com/pro/casa-revuelta

You should also try the excellent salmorejo, a somewhat thicker variant of the tomato/vegetable soup gazpacho, in Según Emma just behind the newly reopened gourmet-oriented San Miguel food market. http://11870.com/pro/segun-emma
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ma-Madrid.html

First class dining at El Mentidero de la Villa:
http://www.mentiderodelavilla.es/
http://11870.com/pro/el-mentidero-la-villa

The Reina Sofia contemporary art museum. The second floor with Picasso, Dalí, lots of other painitings, posters, films, photos etc., dealing with a couple of the greatest civilizational breakdowns of the 20th century, the Spanish Civil War and WWII, completely blew my mind off a couple of years ago.

The Rastro flea market on Sunday, just as much about having some tapas and a vermout as about shopping: http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/el-rastro.html

This site is great about Madrid. http://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.do

We were there last January and fell in love with the city. We are from New York and found Madrid much warner than back home at that season. Your guess sounds about right to me.

I have many eating tips in my report and will be happy to offer any last minute advice. Just ask.



http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...k-in-spain.cfm

If you're looking for a worthwhile small museum in Madrid, I highly recommend Museo Sorolla, the former home of the exceptional 20th century painter Joaquin Sorolla. I first saw his work when it was paired with Sargent's paintings in an exhibition in Paris, and I knew if I ever got to Madrid again I'd want to see more. Among his paintings, he did exquisite portraits of his wife. You'll also enjoy his lovely, self-designed garden with statuary. In terms of size, crowds, and tranquility, it's on the other end of the spectrum from the Prado. It's located on a noisy main thoroughfare, but once you're inside, you forget that.

http://museosorolla.mcu.es

Ask and you shall receive!! Again, thank you for all the wonderful information. I am printing everything up and will try to do as much as possible. The ideas are all great. I like to see what other people have enjoyed on trips and have always gotten good advice from fodorites.

BOOKMARK

CaixaForum, the "new kid on the "museums block" Paseo de Prado. Entrance is free all the time.
Currently they have a Delacroix paintings exhibition and one on Mexican/ mesoamerican art & crafts.
This exhibition center is small compared to the Prado or Reina Sofia.

The Palacio Real would be on my list, too.

A walk through Retiro park is very nice, indeed, especially when you get further south than just that (more formally designed) area close to Retiro metro station. You can walk all the way to Atocha, and the further south you get, the more it looks like woodlands far away from any city.
The Crystal and Velázquez palaces in the park usually house special exhibitions by the Reina Sofia museum. And entrance is usually free.

temperature will be 10-18º, more likely around 15º. As long as it doesn´t rain, it will be OK.

The rooftop in the Circulo de Bellas Artes is only open in summer. I am not sure anymore about Txirimiri and Txakolina, the basque tapas places in La Latina. They used to be good, but they seem to have been going down lately ... I find that La Camarilla, also in Cava Baja, is more consistent. Good wine list, too.

A very good area for tapas is Calle Ibiza, on the other side of the Retiro Park. You must go to Arzabal and La Castela
http://www.arzabal.com/
http://www.lacastela.com/
either for tapas or for lunch/dinner.

I won´t recommend you Tenconten, in Ayala, around the corner from Embassy, because you have to book at least 6 weeks in advance, but it is lovely and the food is great.
http://www.tenconten.es/

Totally agree with wanderful about the Sorolla museum. It is a must.

Bye, Cova

BTW, that exchange between the Prado and the Hermitage (with its rather paltry THREE MILLION art works) is now underway...

Great! I will reprint all of this and bring it with me.

Take a walk through elegant Serrano -Salamanca district just north of Retiro.

Very different than. the central area around Sol. :
.upscale shops, leafy streets, galleries,smartly dressed
men and women....my. favorite spot in Madrid.
.

I'll try to hit up all of the different areas.

Suggested strolls through central Madrid
http://g.co/maps/9wqun

Go to the Mercado San Miguel and get you some fried Marcona almonds. A gourmet treat, and 90% of Marcona almonds (WAY better than other almonds) are grown in Spain. They ain't cheap (yield is low), but they're good.