A mini vacation in Madrid
Sightseeing & Attractions
Highlights:
Normally we like to have more than 5 days for our trips, but this time we
were taking advantage of a short school break. The timing was a nice
change for us, though, as we usually have had to travel in late August. The
weather was great (low 70s and very sunny most of the time), enabling us
to spend a lot of time outside. Crowds weren't bad at all, except in Toledo
on a Saturday afternoon.
Day 1: Arrival
Given our short time frame, we hit the ground running. After lunch, we
spent several hours at the Palacio Real. Highlights were the porcelain
room, state dining room, entrance hall and royal pharmacy, which was
quite unique. The rest of the afternoon included a walk around Old Madrid,
roughly following Maribel's recommended walk in reverse, including
stopping for the great view from Plaza de Gabriel Miro. We visited the
church of San Francisco El Grande and stopped for drinks on the Plaza
Santa Cruz, before heading on for dinner of tapas at several bars near the
Teatro Real.
Day 2: Madrid
We spent the morning at the Prado and probably only scratched the
surface. On this Wednesday morning, the museum was free for kids, so
we jockeyed for position with plenty of school groups. Allie particularly liked
Velazquez's St. Antony the First Abbot and St. Paul the First Hermit, as she
imagined that was a cheeseburger in the raven's beak! Afterwards, we got
a little fresh air in the Real Jardin Botanico, with the garden practically to
ourselves. Following a quick lunch, we walked on past the Puerta de Alcala
and into the Parque del Retiro to go rowboating on the estanque
(fabulous!). The weather was ideal, and a street musician playing guitar
nearby added to the ambience. From there, we walked north to the Museo
Arquelogico Nacional and entertained ourselves for several hours looking
at the caveman skulls, mummies and other artifacts from prehistoric to
19th century on the museum's three floors. We walked back to our hotel via
the Paseo de Recoletos, stopping for drinks at Terrazo El Espejo, an
attractive outdoor café in the middle of the boulevard. Our evening was
spent having drinks and eating tapas near the Cava Baja.
Day 3: Segovia daytrip
Today's primary activity was a trip to Segovia by bus. Following Maribel?s
excellent advice, we took the La Sepulvedana bus, which leaves from the
station at Principe Pio, near the Hotel Florida Norte (NW of the Palacio
Real). It was about 8E for a round trip ticket and runs every half hour. The
trip out to Segovia took less than an hour; the trip back just over an hour.
The bus station in Segovia is a pleasant five-minute walk from the
Aqueduct. Before lunch, we followed the tourist "trail" through Segovia,
stopping at the Aqueduct, Iglesia de San Martin, Plaza Mayor, Cathedral
(currently housing an art exhibition) and Alcazar, with a significant amount
of time spent at the latter. We climbed the 144 steep steps to the top of the
castle for terrific views of the city and surrounding area, then carefully
navigated the tight stairwell down amidst heavy traffic (making Marisa
wonder how she ever made it to the top of St. Peters).
After an expensive lunch back in the shadows of Iglesia de San Martin, we
decided to get off the beaten path and, boy, are we glad we did. We found a
little-used but well maintained walking path along the river and the base of
the city walls that offered spectacular views of the city above. Get the map
from the tourist office near the aqueduct, and find the path marked in
green. It is an easy walk, and you can use it to get to the lesser visited
Iglesia de la Vera Cruz, founded by the Order of the Templars in the 12th
century, as well as back to the bus station. Back in Madrid, we enjoyed a
tapas dinner at El Escarpin near the Teatro Real, and drinks/
people-watching in the Plaza Santa Ana, where Allie discovered the frozen
lemon drink available at a number of the outside bars.
While the Plaza Mayor is a fantastic public square for overpriced outdoor
drinks and people watching, we preferred the Plaza Santa Ana and
returned here on the remaining nights of our trip.
Day 4: Toledo daytrip
This day was devoted to Toledo, although in hindsight it was probably not a
good idea to go there on a Saturday, as the city was overrun with tours. The
fact that this also was a holiday weekend in Spain didn't help. The
Continental Bus to Toledo was very convenient. It leaves on the half hour
most of the day from the Estacion de Autobuses at the Mendez Alvaro Metro
stop (generally south of Old Madrid) and takes about 45 minutes. Note that
there is a fairly steep uphill walk of about 15 minutes from the Toledo bus
station. We didn't quite figure out how to take the city bus up there, but that
would have been preferable. Once at the top, we followed signs to the
Alcazar, only to discover that it is closed for renovations. So we pressed on,
among the crowds, trying to find a few off-the-beaten-path routes. One of
the more enjoyable aspects of visiting Toledo is getting lost in the maze of
narrow streets.
The cathedral, the Iglesia de Santo Tome with El Greco's The Burial of the
Count of Orgaz and Santa Maria la Blanca all make the trip from Madrid
worth the time and effort, but if we go back, we would stay overnight to be
able to see the city without the crowds. Back in Madrid, we spent another
evening between the Plaza Santa Ana and the Plaza Oriente, an
impressive location at night with the palace and statues alight.
Day 5: Madrid
While we'd considered another day trip to Avila, we decided to stay put in
Madrid and leisurely enjoy the last full day of our vacation. We took the
Metro to La Latina and walked through the Rastro, Madrid's large flea
market that takes place on Sunday mornings. It seems to go on endlessly,
from the booths along Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores, to all the antique
stores on the surrounding streets. We were there early, and most of the
vendors weren't ready for serious bargaining, but Allie found a few small
souvenirs. After an excellent lunch at El Schotis on the Cava Baja and a
short siesta, we were back at the Retiro looking for the zoo (which by then
was closed for the day). We considered an afternoon at the
Thyssen-Bornemisza, but Allie declared herself museumed-out for this trip.
Day 6: Departure
We'd planned to walk around for some last minute photos, but it was
drizzling and grey. Instead, we spent a little time wandering around El
Corte Ingles, the LARGE department store near our hotel (particularly in the
food section). Then it was off to Barajas and back to reality.
Overall:
We very much enjoyed our time in Madrid. We were looking for a no-hassle
type trip that would be interesting but not too taxing, and this was perfect.
Madrid has some terrific attractions, but is also a great city for just walking
around, with so many picturesque plazas, monuments, parks and
fountains. Five days really wasn't quite enough time for seeing all there is
in the city and environs. We could have brushed up more on our Spanish in
advance, but we did not have too much difficulty communicating. This was
a great introduction to Spain, and one that left us wanting to come back for
more (if there was only more and $$$$).
Hotel, restaurants and getting around
See all of our Spain photos on Webshots
our travels
home
contact us
Highlights:
Normally we like to have more than 5 days for our trips, but this time we
were taking advantage of a short school break. The timing was a nice
change for us, though, as we usually have had to travel in late August. The
weather was great (low 70s and very sunny most of the time), enabling us
to spend a lot of time outside. Crowds weren't bad at all, except in Toledo
on a Saturday afternoon.
Day 1: Arrival
Given our short time frame, we hit the ground running. After lunch, we
spent several hours at the Palacio Real. Highlights were the porcelain
room, state dining room, entrance hall and royal pharmacy, which was
quite unique. The rest of the afternoon included a walk around Old Madrid,
roughly following Maribel's recommended walk in reverse, including
stopping for the great view from Plaza de Gabriel Miro. We visited the
church of San Francisco El Grande and stopped for drinks on the Plaza
Santa Cruz, before heading on for dinner of tapas at several bars near the
Teatro Real.
Day 2: Madrid
We spent the morning at the Prado and probably only scratched the
surface. On this Wednesday morning, the museum was free for kids, so
we jockeyed for position with plenty of school groups. Allie particularly liked
Velazquez's St. Antony the First Abbot and St. Paul the First Hermit, as she
imagined that was a cheeseburger in the raven's beak! Afterwards, we got
a little fresh air in the Real Jardin Botanico, with the garden practically to
ourselves. Following a quick lunch, we walked on past the Puerta de Alcala
and into the Parque del Retiro to go rowboating on the estanque
(fabulous!). The weather was ideal, and a street musician playing guitar
nearby added to the ambience. From there, we walked north to the Museo
Arquelogico Nacional and entertained ourselves for several hours looking
at the caveman skulls, mummies and other artifacts from prehistoric to
19th century on the museum's three floors. We walked back to our hotel via
the Paseo de Recoletos, stopping for drinks at Terrazo El Espejo, an
attractive outdoor café in the middle of the boulevard. Our evening was
spent having drinks and eating tapas near the Cava Baja.
Day 3: Segovia daytrip
Today's primary activity was a trip to Segovia by bus. Following Maribel?s
excellent advice, we took the La Sepulvedana bus, which leaves from the
station at Principe Pio, near the Hotel Florida Norte (NW of the Palacio
Real). It was about 8E for a round trip ticket and runs every half hour. The
trip out to Segovia took less than an hour; the trip back just over an hour.
The bus station in Segovia is a pleasant five-minute walk from the
Aqueduct. Before lunch, we followed the tourist "trail" through Segovia,
stopping at the Aqueduct, Iglesia de San Martin, Plaza Mayor, Cathedral
(currently housing an art exhibition) and Alcazar, with a significant amount
of time spent at the latter. We climbed the 144 steep steps to the top of the
castle for terrific views of the city and surrounding area, then carefully
navigated the tight stairwell down amidst heavy traffic (making Marisa
wonder how she ever made it to the top of St. Peters).
After an expensive lunch back in the shadows of Iglesia de San Martin, we
decided to get off the beaten path and, boy, are we glad we did. We found a
little-used but well maintained walking path along the river and the base of
the city walls that offered spectacular views of the city above. Get the map
from the tourist office near the aqueduct, and find the path marked in
green. It is an easy walk, and you can use it to get to the lesser visited
Iglesia de la Vera Cruz, founded by the Order of the Templars in the 12th
century, as well as back to the bus station. Back in Madrid, we enjoyed a
tapas dinner at El Escarpin near the Teatro Real, and drinks/
people-watching in the Plaza Santa Ana, where Allie discovered the frozen
lemon drink available at a number of the outside bars.
While the Plaza Mayor is a fantastic public square for overpriced outdoor
drinks and people watching, we preferred the Plaza Santa Ana and
returned here on the remaining nights of our trip.
Day 4: Toledo daytrip
This day was devoted to Toledo, although in hindsight it was probably not a
good idea to go there on a Saturday, as the city was overrun with tours. The
fact that this also was a holiday weekend in Spain didn't help. The
Continental Bus to Toledo was very convenient. It leaves on the half hour
most of the day from the Estacion de Autobuses at the Mendez Alvaro Metro
stop (generally south of Old Madrid) and takes about 45 minutes. Note that
there is a fairly steep uphill walk of about 15 minutes from the Toledo bus
station. We didn't quite figure out how to take the city bus up there, but that
would have been preferable. Once at the top, we followed signs to the
Alcazar, only to discover that it is closed for renovations. So we pressed on,
among the crowds, trying to find a few off-the-beaten-path routes. One of
the more enjoyable aspects of visiting Toledo is getting lost in the maze of
narrow streets.
The cathedral, the Iglesia de Santo Tome with El Greco's The Burial of the
Count of Orgaz and Santa Maria la Blanca all make the trip from Madrid
worth the time and effort, but if we go back, we would stay overnight to be
able to see the city without the crowds. Back in Madrid, we spent another
evening between the Plaza Santa Ana and the Plaza Oriente, an
impressive location at night with the palace and statues alight.
Day 5: Madrid
While we'd considered another day trip to Avila, we decided to stay put in
Madrid and leisurely enjoy the last full day of our vacation. We took the
Metro to La Latina and walked through the Rastro, Madrid's large flea
market that takes place on Sunday mornings. It seems to go on endlessly,
from the booths along Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores, to all the antique
stores on the surrounding streets. We were there early, and most of the
vendors weren't ready for serious bargaining, but Allie found a few small
souvenirs. After an excellent lunch at El Schotis on the Cava Baja and a
short siesta, we were back at the Retiro looking for the zoo (which by then
was closed for the day). We considered an afternoon at the
Thyssen-Bornemisza, but Allie declared herself museumed-out for this trip.
Day 6: Departure
We'd planned to walk around for some last minute photos, but it was
drizzling and grey. Instead, we spent a little time wandering around El
Corte Ingles, the LARGE department store near our hotel (particularly in the
food section). Then it was off to Barajas and back to reality.
Overall:
We very much enjoyed our time in Madrid. We were looking for a no-hassle
type trip that would be interesting but not too taxing, and this was perfect.
Madrid has some terrific attractions, but is also a great city for just walking
around, with so many picturesque plazas, monuments, parks and
fountains. Five days really wasn't quite enough time for seeing all there is
in the city and environs. We could have brushed up more on our Spanish in
advance, but we did not have too much difficulty communicating. This was
a great introduction to Spain, and one that left us wanting to come back for
more (if there was only more and $$$$).
Hotel, restaurants and getting around
See all of our Spain photos on Webshots
our travels
home
contact us
Gran Via
Palacio Real, royal pharmacy
Parque del Retiro
Segovia Alcazar
Segovia city walls
Toledo Alcazar
Iglesia de la Vera Cruz, Segovia
Puerta del Sol
