Madrid

[Regulator]

My Camino is being replaced (for the time being) with a week in Madrid in the first week of October.  I'm looking for suggestions for things to do.  I'm already planning trips to:

• the Prado
• Royal Palace
• L'Escorial
• the Valley of the Fallen
• Toledo (I've already been to Avila and Segovia)

I'm thinking of doing a bike tour of Madrid as well.  Any suggestions for other Madrid-based things to do*?  Suggestions of restaurants in the central area also welcome.






*Alcohol is off the menu at the moment, so wine-tasting or similar is a no go.

[andrewc]

I've only been for a weekend, so can't give much advice beyond the stuff you have below.   I've copied your post to a friend who spends a lot of time there & asked her for info, though I think she usually bases outside the city centre as it's a lot cheaper. 


Pics from my visit here.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewclark/albums/72157677706072853/page1

[bhoot]

I have been to Madrid a few times for business trips, mostly a long time ago!  The old Atocha station is worth a quick visit as it is now converted to a botanical garden, also I remember the cable car trip to Casa de campo being fun and giving good views of the city. I like visiting parks in cities, it is usually a good place to see how the locals hang out - so I went to Retiro park a few times. I didn't really do many of the traditional tourist things - often my spare time was in the evening, and often there were work colleagues there too so we went on quite a few tapas-crawls. I did actually get to Toledo as there is a railway depot there which we visited, but also had time to walk around the town.

[andrewc]

My friends reply.  As you'll gather she likes a bit of art.


"OK, some of my fave places to visit:


Museo Sorolla


Exhibitions on the ground floor of the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library)


Exhibitions at the Palacio de Gaviria


Exhibitions at the Sala Alcalá 31


Exhibitions at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica


Exhibitions at the Fundación Mapfre


Exhibitions at the Círculo de Bellas Artes


Exhibitions at CaixaForum Madrid


Museo de las Américas


Exhibitions at Casa Árabe


Museo Cerralbo (mind-boggling palace of a family with far more money than taste)


Museo del Romanticismo (often has fab exhibitions, but the house itself is worth a visit, as is its walled garden café)


Exhibitions at Centro Cultural Conde Duque (and the building itself, a baroque barracks)


Nearby is the stunning Convento de las Comendadoras de Santiago — occasionally open for guided tours


Exhibitions & music at Fundación Canal


See what events are on at the Ateneo de Madrid


Catch a concert at the Auditorio Nacional main hall and at the Teatro Real


Check out exhibitions at the Centro Sefarad-Israel


Walk thru the Retiro park & check out any exhibitions at the Palacio de Cristal


Check out the Plaza Mayor & Chocolatería San Ginés & the nearby church of San Ginés (almost always open)


tbh the planned list (Prado, etc.) seems a bit dry and dull, and about as far removed as possible from the modern, dynamic, creative Madrid that I know."


     That's you marked as an old fogey Reg !


I'd second bhoot's recommendation for the Atocha station, lots of turtles (?) in the pools.

[JBB]

My Camino is being replaced (for the time being) with a week in Madrid in the first week of October.  I'm looking for suggestions for things to do.  I'm already planning trips to:

• the Prado
• Royal Palace
• L'Escorial
• the Valley of the Fallen
• Toledo (I've already been to Avila and Segovia)

I'm thinking of doing a bike tour of Madrid as well.  Any suggestions for other Madrid-based things to do*?  Suggestions of restaurants in the central area also welcome.






*Alcohol is off the menu at the moment, so wine-tasting or similar is a no go.

Not that keen on Toledo, mind you you can take a selfie on the ramparts with Bahamontes statue ( first Spanish winner of the Tour de France) and it's lovely down by the river. Other than that El Grecos house is impresive. It's very very busy though. Think York on steroids.

[Regulator]

My friends reply.  As you'll gather she likes a bit of art.


"OK, some of my fave places to visit:


Museo Sorolla


Exhibitions on the ground floor of the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library)


Exhibitions at the Palacio de Gaviria


Exhibitions at the Sala Alcalá 31


Exhibitions at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica


Exhibitions at the Fundación Mapfre


Exhibitions at the Círculo de Bellas Artes


Exhibitions at CaixaForum Madrid


Museo de las Américas


Exhibitions at Casa Árabe


Museo Cerralbo (mind-boggling palace of a family with far more money than taste)


Museo del Romanticismo (often has fab exhibitions, but the house itself is worth a visit, as is its walled garden café)


Exhibitions at Centro Cultural Conde Duque (and the building itself, a baroque barracks)


Nearby is the stunning Convento de las Comendadoras de Santiago — occasionally open for guided tours


Exhibitions & music at Fundación Canal


See what events are on at the Ateneo de Madrid


Catch a concert at the Auditorio Nacional main hall and at the Teatro Real


Check out exhibitions at the Centro Sefarad-Israel


Walk thru the Retiro park & check out any exhibitions at the Palacio de Cristal


Check out the Plaza Mayor & Chocolatería San Ginés & the nearby church of San Ginés (almost always open)


tbh the planned list (Prado, etc.) seems a bit dry and dull, and about as far removed as possible from the modern, dynamic, creative Madrid that I know."


     That's you marked as an old fogey Reg !


I'd second bhoot's recommendation for the Atocha station, lots of turtles (?) in the pools.

Ooh - a nice list of suggestions.  I do have the Convento de las Comendadoras de Santiago down on my list as well and will be doing all the usual churches, cathedrals, etc (part of the joy of going somewhere on my own is that Mr R doesn't sigh when I want to visit another church).

As for the 'old fogey' part of the reason for my trip is the history side of things, hence the trips to L'Escorial and Valley of the Fallen. 

[chrisbainbridge]

We generally do a food tour when we go to a new city. Local knowledge and good food