Never mind its restless history, the city is perhaps the liveliest in the world. It combines the sophistication of Paris with the raunchiness of Pattaya in Thailand. The cross is almost too hot to handle. So say tourists who visit Spain’s capital by the hordes every year. The city is almost like a well-bred girl who cannot quite hide her unbridled passions. This passion gets unleashed during bullfights especially, the most famous ones taking place in the Plaza las ventas Madrid built in 1931 and the Plaza Mayor de Madrid. At the latter you can also arrange to meet up with friends for a drink or simply stroll around taking in the beautiful sights.

If you are in Madrid, how can you remain immune to football? Craze for the game greets you everywhere you go, through posters and hoardings and so on. For die-hard aficionados a tour around the Santiago Bernabeu is a must. The massive stadium, the trophy room, the Presidential balcony et al leave you with a feeling bordering on humbleness.

Madrid is home to some of the world’s greatest museums and the triumvirate of must-sees are: Museo del Prado, the Queen Sofia Art Centre, and Thyssen Museum. The last-named hosts some 1,600 paintings from all over the world.

After a fill of football and culture (with bullfighting thrown in for good measure), you might want to ease off at a nice eatery. For traditional fare we recommend you try the Bogin where you get to buy a muy typico Spanish three-course meal for 40 euros. But if you want to combine gourmet pleasures with a viewing of some fantastic Flamenco the Corral de la Morería is the best bet.

Madrid is known as the city that never sleeps. Indeed its chief slogan, say a lot of Spaniards, is Mucha marcha or ‘always on the go’. During a typical pub crawl expect large doses of alcohol in ‘copas’ in which combos such as gin and tonic, lemon and rum, or coke and whisky abound. Also, don’t be surprised if you run into a couple of Irish pubs.

Some Madrid pubs have dance floors and remain pen till 6 or 7 in the morning.

If you wish to check into a bar in the open air, we recommend with earnestness that you try the rather upscale ‘terrazas’ where you can swig beers and drink copas till the wee hours.
Getting around the city is fairly easy thanks to the country’s ever-expanding rail network, efficiently-run buses plying extensive routes, and the relatively cheap cabs. In addition, there are car-hire agencies practically dotting the city.

So what are waiting for? Pack your bags for Madrid beckons!

About the Author:

Mike Greaves is a self-made entrepreneur, a well known travel consultant and internet marketer. Over the years he has traveled across the world and has numerous writings credited to his name in many renowned publications. His areas of writing include travel experiences including reviews of World Best Hotels , luxury spas and Luxury Resorts .

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Madrid: Sophisticated Profligate

In the city centre of Madrid you can eat a daily menu for 8 €, which is roughly £5 on most of restaurants around the Old Town. The famous tapas are actually quite widespread but Spaniards go primarely to two parallel streets called Cava Baja and Cava Alta, to enjoy a glass of wine or a beer with tapas (Spanish appetizer).

One of the ‘must stop’ restaurants is located in Calle Cuchilleros, known as Restaurante Botin, it is in fact the oldest in the world, and important celebrities, Hollywood stars, Presidents and Prime Ministers have been seen there. In fact this restaurant has been so successful that the owner, Emilio Botin, is now one of the richest people in Spain, and enjoys being the president of the Santander Bank apart.

Although Restaurante Botin does have the fame, it is not necessarily the best quality restaurant. Just a few minutes walking distance from Calle Cuchilleros there is a place called Casa Lucio, which has to be booked months in advance. The speciality of the house is called ‘Huevos estrellados’, which are simply chips with fried eggs on top. Once you try this dish you will surely become addicted to it. Casa Lucio has seen guests like Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher or George W. Bush. The rates are still really affordable.

If you want to experience the real Spain, go to any of the tapas bars called ‘Lizarran’, they are virtually on any district in Madrid. Lizarran is a franchise that offers drinks and a self service of tapas, you can take them from the display in the bar and you will be charged at the counter when you finished by the number of wooden sticks left on your dish. It is a common practice by people from Madrid trying to hide some sticks in order to get a few tapas free of charge, but be aware, if you are caught it is quite an embarrasing situation.

In front of the Royal Palace and right next to the Opera House you will find the Cafe the Oriente, probably the best terrace in Madrid with wonderful views and life music in the summer, it is decorated in an 18th century French style at affordable prices. The light of the candles, the atmosphere of Plaza de Oriente during the night and quality food make sit a perfect place for a romantic dinner.

If you can afford it, the Restaurant and summer Terrace at the Ritz Hotel is of the best places, in particular the Sunday Brunch will simply take your breath away. It takes quite a lot of preparation but the end result is fantastic. The Ritz Hotel is also ‘the place’ where all the Hollywood stars stay and eat during their film premieres throughtout the year.

Other high quality restaurants are Asador Donostiarra, El Amparo, Lhardy, and Portobello, where David Beckham enjoyed numerous lunches while he was playing in Real Madrid. Hotels in Madrid are really expensive, so by staying in privately owned Madrid apartments you can save lots of money and invest it more wisely on eating out. The same advice applies for or apartments in Barcelona

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Restaurants in Madrid, the Best Places for Eating Out

The sword fighting Madrid feels like a never ending party, calibrating the joy of life. Spain, after being trapped under a totalitarian regime for the most of the last century, feels like country born again, becoming a vivid player on the world stage, its growth unseen since the 16th century, when playwrights and painters would travel to preform at Madrid’s royal courts. A crossing point for Iberia, the Spanish capital of Madrid as become a city with a large hunger for art music and epicurean joys.

When you first arrive in Spain and Madrid, and the first breath of fresh cool mountain air reaches your lungs, the first thing to strike you is the large empty beautiful sky’s legendary in the famous painting of Spain. “From Madrid to Heaven (Or “De Madrid a cielo” in Spanish.) is the saying of the area, andif you enter the Two thousand foot high castilian plateau, it really does feel as if the heavens are reaching down to touch you. Perfect can be the only description of this area of grey spired 16th century Hasburg churches, and the red tiled Medejar churches which made Madrid the famous capital it is today.

One of the main attractions of the Spanish capital is the artistic collection that can be found inside the many galleries that cover the capital. King Carlos one, who lived 58 years, is the main reason so much of Europe’s art came into possession of Spanish galleries (at that time most of Europe was under some kind of Spanish control at the time of his rule, and this is why many French, German, Italian and Dutch artist now have their works of art inside the Spanish galleries. There are tens of galleries all around the capital, containing thousands of pieces of art, more then any person could hope to look at and contemplate in a lifetime.

Noways Madrid spread far eastwards into the 19th century area of Barria de Salamanca and compasses Northwards to the houses of Chamberi and chamartin. But it is the old Madrid that should be explored in detail on foot, the center of Madrid. Between the midtown forest and the royal Palace is the area known as the Parque del Buen Retir. These neighborhoods are a brilliant stage to show Madrid’s greatest resources, the people of Spain. Whether at play or work their constant energy drives the town into a great holiday experience.

When To Go

As the highest capital in Europe, Madrid is hot in summer and freezing in winter, with temperate springs and autumns. Especially in winter — when steamy café windows beckon you inside for a hot caldo (broth) and the blue skies are particularly bright — Madrid is the next best place to heaven.

With the highest altitudes of a capital in Europe. Madrid can be boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter, with average autumns and springs. Surprisingly for some, the winter can be the best time to visit, with restaurants that can beckon with hot beverages and foods against the cold weather, and the breathtakingly clear blue sky above can make Madrid seem like a heaven on earth for travelers

The next part of this guide will cover a guide about a short stay to Madrid.

This article was created by international-travel-guides.co.uk

About the Author:

Paul Benjinks is a 32 year old American who has just started writing guides on the hundreds of countries he has visited on the website International travel Guides

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – A Guide to Madrid