We have the tickets, we are studying Spanish and next month we will spend 5 mights in Madrid. Please share suggestions and ideas.<BR>We enjoy art, history and people. This is our first trip to Spain.<BR>Thanks much.

Things in Madrid that I really enjoyed were the Prado Museum, Rialto Park- try to find the statue of the fallen angel, eating at Botin- oldest restaurant in the world, tapas and sangria in Plaza del Sol, and going to the bullfights on a sunday (not for everyone!!)<BR><BR>Ciao!

Beware of pickpockets!!

You will surely see the museums (thoughts below), but I really enjoyed the Royal Palace most.<BR><BR>A note: It appears that you don´t speak much Spanish. You´ll be fine, as people generally are at major attractions, but I would suggest taking a guide book with good descriptions of what you´re looking at. <BR><BR>In the art museums (Prado, Reina Sofia and Thessen) they were out of English pamphlets. I bought the ´´official´´ guides from the bookstore (in English) and had a much better time finding my way around. Do this first. You can also get a personally guided tour of the Prado for about 65 Euros -- if it´s worth it to you. Personally, my 8 Euro guide was tops, I thought.<BR><BR>At the Reina Sofia, skip the audio tour. It is HORRIBLE! There are only a few decriptions and they are so broad that they don´t really describe anything in particular., e.g. ´´Some crazy painters met in France at the turn of the century and did some good work.´´ Hyperbole, but you get the point. Again, buy the guide first. I´d say don´t miss this museum; Picasso´s masterpiece, Guernica, is here in it´s room-sized glory. Absolutely captivating.<BR><BR>I took the English tour at the Royal Palace but had a difficult time understanding the English that the (unbelievably nice) woman was speaking. I was thankful for the guide here, too.

You can also do day trips from Madrid; choices can be Toledo, Segovia/La Granja, and Escorial. They are all rich in history and art.

Wendy, can you tell me more about Botin? Where is it located and what do they serve...price range, etc.? We are going to Madrid and then to Andulucia in May. Thanks!

recommend the day trips to el escorial, toledo or segovia. also in madrid there is a hop on hop off tour bus that gives you a chance to see a lot of stuff fast before you do them in depth

The Prado museum is free Saturdays after 2pm and all day Sunday. I think it closes at 2pm on Sunday. It got pretty crowded by 11am Sunday. I found the Prado maze-like on my first visit. When I went back a second time it was much easier to negotiate all the rooms.<BR><BR>We stopped by Botin at about 8pm one night, but there was a 3 hour wait so reservations are a good idea. It was nice to have a drink in Plaza Major at night.

My favorite experience in Madrid was touring the Prado for 3 hours. There is nothing like standing in front of the Velasquez "Las Meninas" and becoming hypnotized. You can also view the great Goyas and the magnificient Reuben's "The Judgement of Paris." <BR><BR>I also enjoyed the Salmanca district very much because of its relaxed, elegant atmosphere. You will find many nice boutiques and restaruants in this area. <BR><BR>The Palacio Real is also worth touring, as mentioned above, and has beautiful grounds in which to take a stroll. <BR><BR>Also nice for strolling is the Parque de Retiro, although is quiet upsetting to see so many homeless Africans living under the bushes. You feel so sorry for them.<BR><BR>I like the Plaza Major because it reminds me of Piazza San Marco in Venice. It can be a little "touristy," but it is fun to be there on a warm summer evening beneath the stars or moon.<BR><BR>If you have some money and want to buy something nice, try Loewe for leather. It is very expensive, but it will last a lifetime. I bought a wallet there when I was 19 and I still use it 13 years later.<BR><BR>Have a wonderful time.

Becky-<BR>Botin - thik it may be Casa Botin - is reputed to be the oldest contiuously operating restaurant in Spain, perhaps in Europe. As you can imagne, it attracts lots of tourists. The menu is typical Spanish - lots of deliciously greasy meat/fish/cheese dishes, very few vegetables. The food is good, but not noticably better than lots of other places. The draw is its fame, I think. Madrid folks are on a different schedule - supper doesn't even begin until about 10 PM - so don't go late expecting the crowds to have dissipated.

Thanks for the great suggestions. We really appreciate it.

Casa Bot&iacute;n is not only the oldest restaurant in Spain but in the world. It's in the Guiness records because of that. Remember if you make a reservation that the sooner you can have dinner is 8:30-9:00 p.m but 9:30-10:00 p.m. is the time we usually have dinner out. Lunch is about 1:30-3:30 in the afternoon.<BR>Don't forget to visit the "Madrid de los Austrias", an area located south of Plaza Mayor". It's really charming.

Becky and others-<BR>Botin is located at Cuchilleros 17, near Plaza Mayor, Metro: Sol<BR>Tel. (+34) 913 664217 <BR>We made reservations a couple days in advance for 10 PM. The Spanish really do have a different schedule! We got done eating around midnight and the area was just getting hopping! Plaza Mayor is very lively at night!<BR><BR>Even thought it is filled with tourists I found the food to be excellent! Many locals had told us the same thing! If your not a meat eater this isn't the place though!<BR><BR>You can check out more at this website:<BR>http://www.gomadrid.com/rest/botin.html<BR><BR>There is a link to their menu on the site!

The Prado Museum was excellent. It also has (I believe) the largest collection of Bosch. Think of Bosch as a few hundred years before Dali.<BR><BR>I would seriously advise avoiding the Prado at the free times. First went when it was free. The lines outside and the crowds inside were awful. It was worth every penny for us to pay and go back later to really get a look at the art. <BR><BR>I'm by no means a vegetarian, but I wouldn't order the suckling pig at Botin. It is served whole and can be disconcerting for anyone who isn't used to butchering. Other than that it was delicious.

I don't want to duplicate the many great pieces of advice on this board. One thing though - you may want to arrange your schedule carefully, particularly if you're arriving on a Saturday. As people have said, you need to note the Prado's hours, also other museums, and much of Toledo are closed on Monday. BUT, hours change, so check them again. You might want a private tour of the Prado. It was well the $30.<BR>DO go to Toledo, but avoid a tour, unless you want to be deposited in remote tourist shops en route (allegedly bathroom, refreshment stops) and then be rushed through the charming town. (The buses to Toledo run all day.)<BR>Casa Botin - tourist trap yes, but good food and a must do. Deal with the pig. Best meal was at La Gamella, delicious. Make reservations at both.<BR>Enjoy!

I agree completely with 'j' above about Toledo and tours.<BR><BR>We wanted to take a train to Toledo, but the Amex travel agency computers were down. We went to the main train station to buy tickets. What I'd read about in Fodor's was exactly true. There are people working in the train station, but nothing seems to get done. The numbers don't tick over and we ended up leaving after an hour of getting nowhere.<BR><BR>We ended up getting backed into a corner, because we had to go the next day, and took a bus tour to Toledo. Mistake! Gift shop on the way down. A brisk 2.5 hour walk through Toledo, then another gift shop before the ride back to Madrid. We could have had a much nicer day there with lunch if we had trained or bused down.

An absolute must is a day trip to Toledo!!!! A great walled city with lots of charm and beauty. Madrid is a clasically beautiful city much like Paris. The people are very very nice. Have a great time!!