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Madrid Maps & Attractions Guide
Madrid maps & Attractions - Things to do
in Madrid
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Madrid
Attractions - Things to do
1. The Prado
Paseo del Prado
museoprado.mcu.es |
What is it? Madrid's world-famous attraction is the
213-year-old Prado Museum, one of the world's greatest art
galleries, with more than 7,000 paintings that include masterpieces
by Fra Angelico, Botticelli, El Bosco, Titian, Rembrandt and
Velazquez. The museum began as a Royal collection, which succeeding
dynasties have added to. The collection naturally focuses on the
Spanish masters, particularly Goya, whose exhibited works follow
the development of his painting from the sun-soaked early scenes of
joyful festivities to the grim madness characterising his 'black
period'. The Prado has few equals - whether you are an art lover or
not.
Hours of Operation: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 8pm
Phone:91 330 2800 |
2. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Villahermosa Palace, Paseo del Prado 8
www.museothyssen.org |
What is it? The second gallery in Madrid's 'golden
triangle' of art museums is the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, housing
the former private collection of the Thyssen family, which was
bought by the city to enrich its fund of art treasures. The
collection, in the restored 18th century Palacio de Villahermosa
near the Prado, contains more than 800 paintings, sculptures,
carvings and tapestries, ranging from primitive Flemish works to
contemporary pieces. Among the highlights are works by Renoir,
Durer and Van Eyck. The collection includes some major American
works as well.
Hours of Operation: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 7pm
Phone:91 369 0151 |
3. Reina Sofia National Art Centre Museum
Calle Santa Isabel 52
www.museoreinasofia.es |
What is it? The third of Madrid's famed art galleries,
the Reina Sofia, is dedicated to 20th century Spanish art, having
been designed to give Spain a museum to equal France's Pompidou
Centre and London's Tate Gallery. The museum was opened by Queen
Sofia in 1986, and is housed in the former Hospital de San Carlos
at Calle Santa Isabel 52. The artworks displayed here include those
of Juan Gris, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso. The star
attraction of the museum is Picasso's controversial
Guernica, depicting the Nazi bombing of the
Basque town in 1937 in support of Franco's cause in the Spanish
Civil War. Until 1980 this painting hung in New York's Museum of
Modern Art.
Hours of Operation: Monday to Saturday 10am and 9pm, and on Sundays
between 10am and 2.30pm. Closed on Tuesdays
Phone:91 774 1000 |
4. Royal Palace
Calle Bailén
www.patrimonionacional.es |
What is it? The massive bright-white Royal Palace
(Palacio Real) on the Plaza de Oriente in Madrid dates from 1734,
when the 3,000-roomed royal residence was commissioned by Philip V.
It was last called 'home' by the royal family in 1931 - the present
king, Juan Carlos, lives in the more subdued Zarzuela Palace
outside Madrid. Most of the rooms are now open to the public, and
others are used for state business. English tours are run
regularly, lasting about two hours, taking visitors to the
reception room and state apartments, the impressive armoury and the
royal pharmacy. The grandiose state apartments are filled with art
treasures, antiques and opulent Roccoco décor that could even rival
Versailles.
Hours of Operation: Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 5pm, and Sunday 9am to
2pm (October to March); Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm, Sunday 9am
to 3pm (April to September)
Phone:91 454 8800 |
5. Plaza Mayor
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What is it? Madrid's famous central arcaded square dates
from 1619; it was built by Philip III whose statue still stands in
the centre of the cobbled expanse. In medieval times the Plaza de
Arrabal, as it was then known, was the venue for numerous public
spectacles, ranging from knights' tournaments and festivals to the
burning of heretics at the stake. Today it remains a public
gathering place, but the majority of people who congregate in the
sidewalk cafes to sip sangria on summer nights are tourists,
enjoying impromptu music performances and watching the passing
parade.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
6. Goya's Tomb
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What is it? The Panteon de Goya is situated in the
Glorieta de San Antonio de la Florida and is known as Goya's
Sistine Chapel. The artist decorated the dome and cupola of the
little chapel with a fresco depicting the miracles of St Anthony,
with the use of sponges, a project that took six weeks to complete.
Mirrors have been placed in strategic places to provide better
glimpses of the art. The chapel also contains the artist's
tomb.
Hours of Operation: The chapel is open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 2pm, and
4pm to 8pm, and weekends 10am to 2pm
Phone:91 542 0722 |
7. Parque del Buen Retiro
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What is it? Madrid's lush central park, one of many green
spaces in the city, covers 350 acres (142 hectares) and was laid
out originally as the private garden of Philip IV. The vast park
features formal gardens, statuary, fountains, lakes, exhibition
halls, children's playgrounds and outdoor cafes. Visitors can
stroll among the trees, admire the rose garden, and take a boat
ride on the lake. At weekends the park comes alive with buskers,
clowns, fortune-tellers and sidewalk
painters.
Hours of Operation: Daily 6.30am to 10.30pm
Phone: |
8. Toledo
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What is it? The magnificent hilltop city of Toledo, about
43 miles (70km) southwest of Madrid, was immortalised by Spain's
renowned artistic genius El Greco in a cityscape that currently
hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The city has
changed little since El Greco captured it on canvas in 1597, with
its golden spires and Gothic buildings spreading across the Tagus
River Gorge, overlooking the plains of New Castille. The ancient
city was capital of Visigoth Spain in the 5th and 6th centuries,
and as time passed Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities have
all left their mark on the city's rich architectural heritage -
from the Moorish gate (Puerta de Bisagrai) to the Gothic convent of
San Juan de los Reyes. Pride of place is held by the El Greco's
'Burial of the Count of Orgaz' painted on the wall of the Santo
Tome. The town's attractions and main street are packed with
tourists throughout the summer, but it is easy to escape into one
of the enchanting side streets, which wind up and down the
hillside.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
9. Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Calle Juan de Borbón y Battemberg
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What is it? The huge granite rectangular edifice, topped
with four spiral towers, is a forbidding sight in the town of San
Lorenzo de El Escorial about 30 miles (50km) northwest of Madrid.
The monastery/church/palace complex was built by Philip II as a
memorial to his father, Charles V, and contains some of El Greco's
and Hieronymus Bosch's artworks. A vaulted library contains a
priceless collection of more than 60,000 ancient books. The
monastery itself houses a wealth of paintings and tapestries, and
the mausoleum beneath the church's altar serves as a burial place
for Spanish kings.
Hours of Operation: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm (closes at 5pm October
to March)
Phone:91 890 5903, or 91 890 5313 |
10. Segovia
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What is it? The ancient town of Segovia, lying on a slope
of the Guadarrama Mountains with the confluence of the Eresma and
Clamores Rivers below, is a delightful taste of the glorious past
of the area known as Castile in central Spain. Segovia is 54 miles
(91km) northwest of Madrid and is well worth visiting for its
reputation as being the most beautiful city in Spain, awarded a
place on the Unesco World Heritage list. The ancient Romans turned
the town into a military base, leaving behind Segovia's famous
aqueduct which begins nine miles from the city and until fairly
recently still supplied the town with water. The other main
attraction in Segovia is the fairytale Alcazar, a fortified citadel
perched on the edge of town that the Walt Disney castle is said to
be modelled on. The town overflows with Romanesque churches, 15th
century palaces, narrow streets and small fountain-splashed plazas
and is best explored on foot.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
11. Flamenco at Corral de la Moreria
Calle Moreria 17
www.corraldelamoreria.com |
What is it? Renowned as the oldest and most famous
tablao flamenco (flamenco show restaurant) in
the world, the show is also listed as one of Madrid's top ten
sights. The establishment draws kings and queens, international
presidents, film stars, and well-known artists and writers who come
to witness the nightly performances of top flamenco stars while
receiving excellent service and dining on exquisite meals prepared
by some of the best chefs in Madrid.
Hours of Operation: Open daily 8.30pm to 2am
Phone:91 365 8446, 365 1137 |
Madrid Holidays guide
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Transport -Madrid is easy to get around and is served
by an extensive network of buses, a modern and efficient metro, and
trains.
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