Write a Review
Madrid Travel Guide: Reviews, photos, & videos
Madrid is a land of beautiful contradictions. At once steeped in the culture and ideals of the past while at the same time flush with the fast paced modernity of the future, Madrid – at the present – is an ideal place to relax, engage, explore and cut loose. The capital of Spain with a population of over 3 million in the city limits, Madrid is renown for its artistic and cultural heritage as well as for boasting some of the liveliest night life in all of Europe. Located on the river Manzanares, Madrid is also home to the Spanish government and is the political, cultural and economic center of Spain. Speaking of culture – those looking to broaden their artistic horizons should rush immediately to the Prado Museum. Home to one of the finest art collections in the universe, the Prado Museum boasts numerous impressive collections including impeccable works from the likes of Goya, Botticelli and the famed German painter Albrecht Dürer.
Been bit by the theatre bug lately? Well head on over to the Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) – a restored Opera House constructed in the 1850’s and home to some of the finest opera in Europe. For those hoping to shop till they drop, the lovely region of Salamanca boasts a bevy of upscale boutiques and expansive (and expensive) department stores that can certainly stock the closet and break the bank. Wanna shop on the cheap? Venture over to La Latina on Sunday morning where this up and coming neighborhood chock full of young bohemians transforms into the most popular flea market in all of Madrid. And for those who’d rather watch grown men kick a ball around for two plus hours rather than shop, Madrid is home to one of the most storied and seasoned soccer – errr, I mean futbol – teams in the world: Real Madrid. Having won 9 European world cups, Real Madrid brings impassioned soccer fans from all over the world into its gigantic stadium to enjoy some of the best athletic competition on the planet. So with shopping, art, theatre, and – of course – sports, Madrid is clearly a town with one foot in the cultural acknowledgement of the past and one foot in the fast paced lifestyle of the future. And there’s no better time to visit Madrid than the present!
