Una fiesta Real

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Madrid - December 17th to 20th, 2005

December may not be the best time of the year for those wishing to escape the London cold as the city is only a degree or two warmer than the British capital this time of the year. However, for those wishing for a quick, action packed weekend (and a couple of more days!), Madrid is great for a change of scene if nothing else.

A two hour flight from London Heathrow gets you into the Spanish capital of Madrid. Barajas is a busy airport - especially on a Saturday morning - surely we are not the only ones who have had the brilliant idea of an extended weekend holiday, just to bring in Christmas! Signs of 'Navidad' (Christmas) are everywhere - posters on the Metro, Christmas trees on every square and of course - shopping bags in everyone's hands.

Before you plan your Madrid trip, somepointers

(1) If you want to include Toledo in your travel plans, ensure you have an extra day. Trains and buses are easily available and get you to Toledo in 1.25 hours.
(2)Toledo remains closed after 2 on Sundays and all day Monday.
(3) The

Palacio Real
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Entrance
above holds true for many museums and places of interest within Madrid as well.
(4) Plan your trip in advance - the city has tons to offer - comparable with Rome and therefore do prioritise before hand.

Palacio Real and Plaza de Oriente

Open October to March 9:30am to 5:00pm except Sundays 9:00am to 2:00pm
Open Arpil to September 9:00am to 6:00pm except Sundays 9:00am to 3:00pm
Metro Station: Opera

Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace in Madrid is in fact the largest Palace in Europe. Situated along the charming Plaza de Oriente, the palace was the official residence of King Charles III, who invested a lot of time and attention in doing up the place. Today the Spanish royal family lives in a palace on the outskirts of Madrid and the Palacio Real is used for state functions and other events (such as the first Middle East peace conference).

Artworks by Goya and Velazquez, treasures from the Orient, rococo style bronze sculptures, stucco ceilings, a grand armoury - the Palace is breathtaking and indeed one of the most opulent I have seen. A single adult entry to the Palace is 8 Euros and for an extra Euro you can join a guided tour. However, you may need to wait for the tour and therefore an audio guide is also available. Keep at least 2 hours for the palace - an additional hour is advisable if you intend visiting on the weekend as the place does get crowded.

The Royal Armoury and the Royal Pharmacy are not part of the main palace building. Nonetheless, they are impressive and not to be missed.

The Plaza de Oriente is a charming area with colonial style cafeterias and walk ways. Teatro Real is located in the area and for those interested, there is plenty happening - concerts, operas etc. Try the cafeteria located opposite the Palace area and try their hot chocolate with cognac. Perfect tonic for a cold winter evening.


Plaza Mayor and Plaza de la Villa

A short walk from Palacio Real and the Oriente Square is the Plaza Mayor, which at this time of the year is choc-a-bloc with temporary shops selling Christmas goodies - from trees, to lights, to toys. Take a break for a coffee and some snacks. Then walk across to the Plaza de la Villa for a look at Madrid's 17th century town hall and some 16th century buildings.

Puerta de Sol

Metro Station: Sol

Walking down Calle Mayor from Plaza Mayor and you will reach the famous Puerta de Sol square - bustling with shoppers at this time of the year - stores are open till 10:00pm. The area is full of shops, restaurants, cafes.

Tucked away in a corner is the Iglesia de San Gines (one of Madrid's oldest churches) and the Chocolateria de San Gines where you must try chocolate with churros. Remember - it is not easy to find space here.

Museo del Prado

Open Tuesday to Sunday 9:00am to 7:00pm
Metro Station: Anton Martin

Museo del Prado is easily Madrid's most important museum featuring works by Goya, Valazques, El Greco, Rembrandt, Rubens, Rafael and Dauphin. The artwork is displayed over four floors. It took us close to three hours to cover Goya, Velazques and El Greco. Entry on Sundays is free (weekdays and Saturdays 6Euros) and 3 Euros for an audio guide.

The most important work of art displayed at the Prado is Velazques' Las Meninas and people come all the way to the museum just for this painting as well as Goya's famous black paintings.

Plaza de Espana

Metro: Plaza de Espana

Right in the middle of commercial Madrid is the Plaza de Espana with its massive fountains and its lush gardens. More than that, the Plaza de Espana is a celebration of Spanish culture with its massive monument dedicated to Miguel de Cervantes - the author of 'Don Quixote' and its principal characters, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Built in 1928, the plaza was planned by Teodoro Anasagasti and Mateo Inurria. There is of course, no entry fee.

Iglesia de San Antonia de la Florida

Open: 10:00am to 2:00pm and 4:00pm to 8:00pm weekdays; Weekends 10:00am to 2:00pm; Mondays closed
Metro Station: Principe Pio

Also known as Panteon de Goya, this quaint, medieval chapel is now a protected site and an identical chapel has been constructed right next to it for regular use. The ceilings of the chapel have breathtaking frescos by Goya who is buried at the foot of the altar. Entry to the chapel is free but photography is not permitted.

Centro de Arte Reina Sofia

Open 10:00am to 9:00pm Monday to Saturday; 2:30pm Sundays; Tuesdays closed
Metro: Atocha

Named after the Spanish queen Sofia, the Reina Sofia is Spain's National Museum for 20th Century art. Featuring works by Picasso, Dali, Juan Gris and Joan Miro, the museum is best know for Pablo Piccaso's 1937 masterpiece - 'Guernica'. Painted completely in black and white, on a 349X776cm canvas, the Guernica is the artist's protest on the bombing of the city of Guernica.

Watching David Beckham

If you are in Madrid, do try and watch a soccer game. We were fortunate to be in town for the big game between Real Madrid (number 3 in the Spanish League) and Osasuna (number 2) - it was a big game and the stadium (Estadio Santiago Bernabeu- Real Madrid's home ground) was teeming with Spanish soccer fans (well most of them were Real Madrid fans).

While the game ended in a draw (1-1), there was plenty of excitement on and off field (with second row seats and David Beckham in the penalty area corner often enough). We did try and book our tickets online - however our hotel got us great seats at 55 Euros a piece. The Stadium is massive and is located just across the road from the Santiago Bernabeu metro.

Travelling in Madrid

The Metro system in Madrid is well planned and you will never have to travel too far to find a station. The Metro system operates around 12 lines and all tourist areas are close to a metro station. If you are travelling as a couple you may want to the try the Metrobus ticket which can be used on the metro as well as on bus routes.

A ticket costs 5.80Euros and covers 10 trips - and a ticket can be shared. For a four day trip we bought three metrobus tickets and this was sufficient for our travel needs. However, a single journey ticket costs a euro. For air travellers, if you are travelling on Iberia, Alitalia, Air Europa etc. there is a city check-in facility available at Nuevo Ministerios.

Food and shopping

Tapas, wine, lamb chops, king prawns in garlic, churros, beer... for a foodie, Madrid is a haven, though not entirely inexpensive. If you are willing to experiment, try the Tapas bar right across the road from the Museo del Prado.

For the shop-a-holics, Gran Via and the stores along Puerta del Sol are the place to be. For those who are not, well, get your trainers out and get ready for camine de su vida!

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