Hello fellow travelers! One of my favorite cities in the world is Madrid. It’s the capital of Spain, one of my favorite countries. The city is also the second largest in the European Union, falling behind Berlin in Germany. Here is what to do around the area!
Royal Palace of Madrid
The Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family. However, it is now only used for state ceremonies. Measuring at 135,000 square meters and containing 3,418 rooms, it is the largest royal palace in Europe.
View of the Royal Palace from the ground and a view of the palace from Parque de la Montana.
Edificio Espana
The Edificio Espana (Spain Building) is the 8th tallest building in Madrid. It houses two stores (the flagship Zara store and a Stradivarius), and a hotel called the Hotel Riu Plaza Espana, which has 585 rooms, a rooftop bar, and a rooftop pool. Hotel Riu Plaza Espana was where I stayed when I went to the city. The rooftop bar is on the 26th floor, and provides a beautiful view of Madrid’s skyline.
The Edificio Espana from the Plaza de Espana.
Madrid’s skyline and the streets below. The rooftop bar has a few portions where the floor is completely made of glass, giving an interesting perspective.
Gran Via
Madrid’s Gran Via (Great Way) is one of the city’s most important shopping areas and boasts a large amount of hotels. It used to contain large movie theaters as well, but those have been replaced with more shopping centers. The Gran Via stretches from the Plaza de Espana in the center of the city to the Calle de Alcala near the Plaza de Cibeles. The street runs for about 1.3 kilometers (0.81 miles).
Some of the buildings on the Gran Via. The Edificio Vitalicio is now an apartment building.
The Palace of Linares, which sits at the Plaza de Cibeles.
The Cybele Palace, which also sits in the Plaza de Cibeles. The palace used to serve as the city’s main post office as well as their telegraph and telephone headquarters. Now it serves as the headquarters for Madrid’s City Council.
A butcher shop I passed by, featuring Iberian ham.
El Reloj de Harry y Sally
El Reloj de Harry y Sally (the clock of Harry and Sally) is a small little tavern tucked away in the streets of Madrid. Despite its small size, it has really good food. I had tomatos and anchovies on bread, ox cheek with potato bits, rice pudding, and sweet vermouth.
Puerta del Sol
The Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) is another public square in Madrid. Puerta del Sol is unique in that it is the radial center of the circle of roads that cross the entire country.
Plaza Mayor
The Plaza Mayor is the major public square in the heart of Madrid. Once the center of Old Madrid, the square now houses residential apartments and many restaurants. The Casa de la Panederia is a municipal and cultural building located in the square.
A statue of Phillip III.
Los Galayos
Los Galayos is a restaurant located in Madrid’s Plaza Mayor. Founded in 1894, it is one of Madrid’s oldest restaurants. I had some salad, bread, Spanish omelette, chorizo, suckling pig, and mille-feuille with some fruit wine.
Museo del Prado
The Museo del Prado is the main Spanish national art museum and houses artwork from famous artists such as Francisco Goya, El Greco, and more. Photography is not allowed in the main exhibition halls, but the entrance and lobby has some artwork to be photographed.
Have you ever been to Madrid before?
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