March 26, 2010 Spain | Madrid | Cities

Strolling Around Spain's Capital City Madrid

Spain’s capital city, Madrid is a place full of wonderful sights and sounds.  Not only are there some wonderful museums for you to spend several hours in, but for those sunny days there are many great open spaces you can also enjoy. 

When the weather is nice there are plenty of parks and gardens that you can visit. Madrid enjoys one of the most extensive areas of parks, gardens and "green zones" of all European cities.  The Retiro park, located in the centre, is perhaps Madrid's best known park. It includes the Rosaleda (a rose garden), The Palacio de Cristal, The Palacio de Valaquez and a boating lake.  It is a magnificant place that offers a variety of activities to suit all types.  One can enjoy an afternoon paddling a rowboat on the pond, or riding though the park in a horse drawn carriage, or even leisurly stroll around to see the historical monuments and sculptures.

Although there are plenty of things for you to do and see throughout the day, it is at night that this city really comes to life.  There are plenty of wonderful theatres, bars and restaurants that you as a visitor to this city can enjoy.  Currently shows such as Chicago are being performed, along with a tribute to the late great Michael Jackson.  However, if you are looking for something to do in the evening that will allow you to get a real feel for Spanish culture then there are many flamenco bars and restaurants you may want to visit. 

When it comes to exploring the city you can of course get around on foot, but the easier and more economical way is to use the Metro.  This is one of the quickest and cleanest underground train services to be found in Europe and the cost of travelling on it is relatively inexpensive.  A single journey ticket no matter how far you travel will cost you just 1 Euro, whereas a day pass on the service will only cost you 5.20 Euro.