Travel Spain: A Sightseeing Tour of Madrid

I rose early on the morning of June 1, 2010 to leave for my drive to Madrid from Salamanca. I had lucked out with another gorgeous day and drove eastwards through the Spanish Meseta and over the Sierra de Guadarama Mountains into the capital Madrid. After a fairly easy search I was able to locate the airport and return my rental car shortly before noon.

At the airport tourist information booth I asked about how to get to my hotel on the Gran Via and was given the explanation that I just had to catch the subway, change once at the Nuevos Ministerios subway stop and then exit at Plaza de Espana, one of Madrid's most important squares.

I was able to find my hotel quite easily: the Alcazar Regis is a simple 2-star property right on the Gran Via, Madrid's most impressive grand boulevard. What surprised me is that the hotel was located on the fifth floor of a building as part of a former apartment. It features 14 bedrooms and mine was a simple, single room with ensuite bathroom, a perfect base for me two days in Madrid.

After I had gotten settled I headed back out into the city and to get a lay of the land I embarked on one of the popular hop-on / hop-off double-decker bus tours called Madrid Vision. I figured this was one of the best ways of getting an overview of the city. Sure enough, our tour covered all of Madrid's major sites: Plaza Espana, Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor, Puerto del Sol, Calle de Alcala, Gran Via, Paseo del Prado, Museum Row (Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Museo Reina Sofia), the Atocha Train Station and the Salamanca neighbourhood. Then we returned on the Gran Via where I exited to walk down to the Puerta del Sol, Madrid's liveliest square. I walked along Calle de Alcala, which features astounding early 20th century architecture and admired a colourful photo exhibit by an African photographer.

From here I walked over on the pedestrian Calle Arenal to the Royal Palace and the Opera House. I also admired the recently completed Cathedral La Almudena before I started walking back east again on the Calle Miguel. By accident I stumbled upon the Mercado San Miguel, a beautiful early 20th century market building that is a popular gathering spot. Then I hopped back on the sightseeing bus, stopped off at the historic Atocha Train Station and made my way into the Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid's scenic urban park. I admired the Palacio de Cristal and the action around the Estanque, the big pond that is the heart of this park.

In the evening I enjoyed a delicious vegetarian dinner at a place called Salad and Co. before I embarked on a sunset walk through the Puerta del Sol area which was thriving with locals, tourists and street performers. As night fell I headed back to my hotel on the grandly illuminated Gran Via for another day of explorations in Madrid.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Travel
• Europe
• Spain
• Madrid
• Plaza de España
• Gran Via
• Palacio Real
• Plaza Mayor
• Puerta del Sol
• Calle de Alcala
• Paseo del Prado
• Prado Museum
• Thyssen-Bornemisza
• Museo Reina Sofia
• Atocha Train Station
• Retiro Park
• Parque del Buen Retiro
• Palacio de Cristal
• Crystal Palace