Introducing Madrid
Madrid is an ex-convent schoolgirl, a rebellious teenager who pushed the boundaries of hedonism and then grew up and got sophisticated without ever forgetting how to have fun. That’s why this is a city as at home in the nightclubs and bars that give the streets their soundtrack as it is in the hallowed halls of high culture.
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It’s true that Spain’s capital doesn’t have the immediate cachet of Rome, Paris or even that other city up the road, Barcelona. Its architecture is beautiful, but there’s no Colosseum, no Eiffel Tower, no Gaudí-inspired zaniness to photograph and then tell your friends back home, ‘this is Madrid’. But this city is an idea, a way of living for the moment that can be hard to resist.
Madrid’s calling cards are many: astonishing art galleries, relentless nightlife, its transformation into Spain’s premier style city, an exceptional live music scene, a feast of fine restaurants and tapas bars, and a population that’s mastered the art of living the good life. It’s not that other cities don’t have some of these things. It’s just that Madrid has all of them in bucketloads.
It’s often said that this is the most Spanish of Spain’s cities and it is indeed Europe’s most passionate city writ large. Very few Madrileños come from here originally, possibly making this Europe’s most open and welcoming capital. If this can be summed up in a single phrase, it’s the oft-heard, ‘If you’re in Madrid, you’re from Madrid’. It’s not that they’ll knock you over with the warmth of their welcome. Rather, you’ll find yourself in a bar or lost somewhere and in need of directions, and you’ll suddenly be made to feel like one of their own. Just as quickly, without knowing when it happened, you’ll realise that you never want to leave.
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Last updated: Sep 27, 2011
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Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Robbed in Barcelona - have you been there?
by macmaghnusa 14 September 2011
I think It's absurd to compare Barcelona with the slash your throat, leave you naked on a street corner, favella rat type of crime one…
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RE: Robbed in Barcelona - have you been there?
by anillos_de_saturno 14 September 2011
Frigate2 said on #97: +Without statisstics, there is little or no accountability.+ I'm still waiting for the proofs of the absence of…
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Re: Robbed in Barcelona - have you been there?
by Frigate2 14 September 2011
There is a reason that US Cities have published rates for a variety crimes. Agencies will never know the effects of any new crime reduction…
Madrid
Things to do
- All things to do (644)
- Activities (77)
- Entertainment (177)
- Restaurants (173)
- Shopping (110)
- Sights (99)
- Tours (8)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Madrid
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1 Plaza Mayor
Watching the passing parade in this buzzing plaza, for centuries the centrepiece of Madrid life
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2 El Rastro Market
If you can drag yourself out of bed on a Sunday morning after a big Saturday night in Madrid, head to El Rastro, one of Europe's most famous, fascinating flea markets
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3 Museo del Prado
Be overwhelmed by Goya and Velázquez at this masterpiece-packed museum
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4 Plaza de Oriente
Rub shoulders with royalty in the Plaza de Oriente
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5 Centro de Arte de Reina Sofía
Be awe-struck by the power and fury of Picasso's Guernica
Our favourite Madrid Blogs (beta)
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I like big tapas and I cannot lie
Blog: La Tortuga Viajera - 31 January 2012
When I go home to the States and order myself a drink, I half expect a free tapa to magically appear in front of me. Even a measly plate of sad olives. Instead I get a glass of semi-drinkable, expensive wine with a side of nothing. Sigh. But then I return to Spain. To cure [...]
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How not to get your cell phone stolen in Spain
Blog: La Tortuga Viajera - 17 January 2012
“Watch your cell phones!” yelled the barista as a couple of teenagers prowled through the foreign-filled Madrid coffee shop. I knew the drill, so at first sight of the shady looking kids, I had a hand firmly covering my cell phone and the other clutching my purse. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen a [...]
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I went country line dancing. In Spain.
Blog: La Tortuga Viajera - 29 November 2011
Before last week, I’d had two country line dancing memories: learning it during PE in high school (seriously), and then one very bored night in college. Little did I know that my third stab at shakin’ it western-style would be the most memorable and awesome line-dancing experience ever. And that it would be in Spain. [...]
