Classic and Contemporary Art

Description:

This small three-star hotel has comfortable bedrooms decorated in pleasant pastel shades and the furniture is upholstered in bright and cheery aquamarine blue materials. The location is central, close to major sights of interest like the Reina Soft gallery, Prado Museum and Retiro Park. It's easy to get here if you're arriving by train from Atocha railway station. There are lots of good bars and discos nearby. It offers good value for money and excellent service.

Our Local Expert Says:

The Prado is undergoing a huge expansion project, you can take a peek at the new gallery spaces in the building behind the Prado.

Description:

Considered one of the world's most important art galleries, it exhibits paintings by Goya, Velázquez, Murillo, Zurbarán, El Greco, Ribera, Titian, Boticelli, Tintoretto, El Bosco, Rubens, Van Dyck, Poussin and Durer. The collection of decorative arts features the Tesoro del Delfín. There are displays of classical Greek and Roman sculpture. Carlos III commissioned Juan de Villanueva to design this beautiful building, which was converted into an art gallery in 1819. There is a café, bookshop, souvenir shop, conference room, and reference library.

Description:

It is a real pleasure to wander around these attractively landscaped gardens. You will see examples of a wide variety of plants from all five continents - 30000 different species in total. They are all labelled with their Latin and Spanish names. Among them are medicinal herbs, sweet-smelling plants and flowers, food-bearing plants, and a collection of roses. There is also a greenhouse with tropical, subtropical and desert plants. The gardens have been open since 1791.

Description:

This restaurant makes its reputation on its Catalan paellas but also on fideuàs, which is similar to the more famous rice dish except noodles are used instead. The waiters will offer you a choice of more than a dozen fideuàs or paellas ranging from negra (cooked in squid's ink) to vasca (with traditional bacalao, or cod, with clams and leeks). Run by a group of women, the restaurant has an airy, inviting setting that is partially grass covered and includes a plant-filled patio. It's found on a little back street near the Reina Sofía and Calle Atocha. Regional bean stews and other items round out the menu. But most visitors come here just to sample the paellas or fideuàs, which can be meat, half-meat, half-fish, or else with just beef, seafood, or chicken -- your choice. In-the-know diners consume their meals with cava, the sparkling wine of Catalonia. At the end of the meal, you'll be expected to drink dessert wine from a porrón, a traditional "drinking bottle" rather than a glass.

Description:

Neptune's Fountain stands in green and peaceful Plaza Cánovas del Castillo, a totally different atmosphere from the hurly-burly surrounding its sister fountain up the road, Cibeles. Carlos III had it built by Ventura Rodríguez in 1780 as part of his continuous quest to beautify the city. You'll find two upmarket hotels in the same square - Ritz and Palace - as well as the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Atlético de Madrid soccer fans meet here to celebrate their team's victories with rowdy high spirits.

Our Local Expert Says:

One of Cibeles' hands was stolen during a soccer celebration, although it has since been restored.

Description:

Another majestic work of art commissioned by King Carlos III to ennoble the city. This time his architects chose to create an image in white stone of the goddess Cibeles driving a carriage drawn by lions. Ventura Rodríguez came up with the design while Roberto Michel and Francisco Gutiérrez carried out the work. It's surrounded by some of the city's most important historic buildings and it has become a favourite symbolic landmark for madrileños. The fans of Real Madrid football club gather here to celebrate their team's victories.

Description:

One of Madrid's enduring symbols, it's made entirely of granite with one central arch and two smaller passageways on each side. Carlos III had his Court architect Sabatini build the gate in 1778 as a monument to himself and to show visiting merchants from Aragon how important the city had become. The ornamental statues are the work of Roberto Michel and Francisco Gutiérrez. It's location is spectacular, as it stands on raised ground opposite another symbol of the city, Cibeles Fountain.

Description:

This is the stretch of Paseo de la Castellana that connects Plaza de Colón to Cibeles Fountain. It's spacious and attractive with garden boulevards between the sidewalks. On your way, you'll pass by some famous landmarks worth visiting, like the Banco Hipotecario building (number 10), El Espejo Café and Café Gijón. During Christmas holidays, craft stalls are set up here selling all sorts of authentic work.

Description:

If you want food and atmosphere like it was in Franco's heyday, drop in here. Each of the old European capitals has a coffeehouse that traditionally attracts the literati -- in Madrid it's the Gijón, which opened in 1888 in the heyday of the Belle Epoque. Artists and writers still patronize this venerated old cafe, many of them spending hours over one cup of coffee. Open windows look out onto the wide paseo, and a large terrace is perfect for sun worshippers and bird-watchers. Along one side of the cafe is a stand-up bar; on the lower level is a restaurant. In summer, sit in the garden to enjoy a blanco y negro (black coffee with ice cream) or a mixed drink.

Description:

An impressive neoclassical building to one side of Plaza de Colón, it's spectacular façade features three entrance archways with wrought-iron gates and an upper gallery decorated with elaborate carvings and Corinthian columns. Statues of Alfonso X (The Wise) and San Isidoro stand on the grand main staircase. Alongside the main doors, you'll be welcomed by images of Lope de Vega, Cervantes, Antonio de Nebrija and other famous Spanish writers like Santa Teresa, Quevedo and Fray Luis de León. It was built during the reign of Isabel II in the 19th century and contains more than five million books.

Admission: free

Description:

Plaza de Colón (Columbus Square) is dedicated to explorer Christopher Columbus and the European discovery of the Americas, but for a contemporary touch, a massive Spanish flag flies in the dead center of the square. The statue of Columbus that once dominated one side of the square was relocated to the middle of the roundabout, but on the other side you can still see the large concrete sculptures representing the discovery of the Americas. Hidden underneath (on the Paseo de la Castellana side) you will find an arts center and a theater.

Our Local Expert Says:

If you're not looking to break the bank, go here to window shop on Sunday when stores are closed!

Description:

Now one of Madrid's most exclusive residential and commercial neighbourhoods, it's associated with wealth and good taste and is inhabited and frequented by the ultra-conservative upper classes. This is where you'll find the greatest concentration of haute couture outlets, private art galleries and prestigious restaurants. The Marquis of Salamanca invested his money in developing this area of the city between 1860 and 1920 as the capital's population grew significantly.

Description:

This gallery of modern art features work by some of the 20th-century's most outstanding artists, including Picasso - Guernica has its own special space - Dalí, Tàpies, Chillida, Miró, Gris, Bacon, Le Cobursier, Lipchitz, Schnabel, Numan, and Roberto Matta. There is a library, research centre, bookshop, café, souvenir shop, and restaurant.

Our Local Expert Says:

Some of the stands are open everyday, while all are open Sundays.

Description:

A sort of smaller literary Rastro, this collection of wooden bookstalls and kioskos climbs a pedestrian street from the Atocha end of the Paseo del Prado -- alongside the railings of the Botanical Gardens -- right up to the southwestern corner of Parque del Retiro. A statue of 19th-century novelist Pío Baroja stands at the top. Practically all the books are secondhand and in Spanish, but whether you read Castilian or not, it's great fun to wander, browse, and simply absorb the scene, unchanged over many decades and one of the great traditional sights of outdoor Madrid. Most stalls are open daily from 10am to 7pm; Sunday mornings are the liveliest time.

Our Local Expert Says:

Find the only statue dedicated to the fallen angel in Madrid.

Description:

It's known as the "lungs of Madrid" and few cities can boast such a large park (118 hectares) in such a central location. There's a large boating lake and the park has three art galleries (Casa de Vacas, Palacio de Cristal and Palacio de Velázquez. On weekends and holidays, it fills with madrileños (citizens of Madrid) and performers of all sorts, including mime artists and jugglers, painters, singers, puppet masters and fortune-tellers. It was built as a royal park in the 17th century, and until 1868 it was the exclusive reserve of the aristocracy.

Description:

Madrid hosted an exhibition on the Philippine Islands in 1887, and the same architect who created the nearby Palacio de Velázquez was hired to design this greenhouse to hold all the flowers brought over from the islands. It's an attractive steel and glass design that now houses temporary exhibitions of contemporary art organized by the Museo Reina Sofía.

Description:

This palace was originally built as a pavilion for the Mining Exhibition of 1883 and it's now used as an exhibition hall for contemporary art organized by the Museo Reina Sofia. It's located in front of the famous Artichoke Fountain in Retiro Park. The exterior is a marvellous display of two-tone brickwork and tiles around a metal frame crowned by a dome. The palace is named after the architect who designed and built it, Velázquez Bosco. Admission is free.

Our Local Expert Says:

Out of the Plaza Santa Ana tapas bars, this one has probably the most quality ingredients.

Description:

You'll find a stylish bar and dining room full of a young and lively crowd of locals and tourists. There are lots of tables where you can sit and eat in a relaxed setting. Choose from a huge variety of canapes (around 15 different varieties) per portion and wash them down with a glass of beer or wine. The snacks are pricey, but you're also paying for the central location and the trendy atmosphere.

Description:

Off the Plaza de Santa Ana, beside the famed Gran Hotel Victoria, the Café Central has a vaguely turn-of-the-20th-century Art Deco interior, with an unusual series of stained-glass windows. Many of the customers read newspapers and talk at the marble-top tables during the day, but the ambience is far more animated during the nightly jazz sessions, which are ranked among the best in Spain and often draw top artists. Open Sunday to Thursday from 1:30pm to 2:30am, Friday and Saturday from 1:30pm to 3:30am; live jazz is offered daily from 10pm to midnight. Beer costs 4€ ($6.40). There's also a good lunchtime menu for just 10€ ($16).

Description:

This small three-star hotel has comfortable bedrooms decorated in pleasant pastel shades and the furniture is upholstered in bright and cheery aquamarine blue materials. The location is central, close to major sights of interest like the Reina Soft gallery, Prado Museum and Retiro Park. It's easy to get here if you're arriving by train from Atocha railway station. There are lots of good bars and discos nearby. It offers good value for money and excellent service.