MADRID

The region of Madrid is two different worlds. Rural Madrid features charming villages like Patones and Chinchón, and sights such as the majestic El Escorial of Phillip II, Alcalá de Henares, and Aranjuez, where the royal court once summered. Outdoor activities abound, from winter skiing in the high mountains to water sports in summer. The countryside around the city of Madrid is the escape valve, as it were, for the capital’s people, a place where they can relax and enjoy life at a slower pace.

The city of Madrid is relatively new, established by Phillip II in the sixteenth century at the geographic center of Spain. In fun-loving Madrid a cosmopolitan air reigns, and life is lived to the fullest. Street life is Madrid's trademark, be it in the evocative cobbled streets of Old Madrid or in the sleek new districts. “De Madrid al Cielo” (from Madrid to Heaven) is the city's well deserved self-congratulatory motto.

Restaurants are everywhere. Rustic inns serving traditional fare of suckling pig, roast baby lamb and cocido chickpea stew. Seafood restaurants, which receive the finest freshest fish and shellfish from Spain’s best fishing harbors. Or Madrid’s elegant world-class restaurants. The tapas tradition is alive and well in Madrid, and bar hopping is a wonderful way to revel in Madrid’s exuberant spirit while enjoying savory appetizers of every description.

The visitor will also want to put aside time to attend a performance of zarzuela, Madrid’s own light opera that has traveled the world, to peruse its large and lively department stores, and shop in the city’s elegant boutiques, where superb Spanish leather goods, high fashion clothes, Spanish crafts, such as ceramics, lace and embroidery, and exquisite gourmet food products can be found. Madrid’s five hundred year old Rastro flea market is another option. It is at its best Sunday mornings when vendors crowd the streets.

Madrid is a city meant for walking. Stroll through verdant, peaceful Retiro Park, admire the city’s monumental plazas and fountains, visit the Plaza Mayor – a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture – and Madrid’s opulent Royal Palace. You can of course spend several days just seeing Madrid’s extraordinary museums, among them the world renowned Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía.