A long weekend in Madrid
An elegant mix of Renaissance and Baroque architecture, with some hints of Art Nouveau (or rather Modernism, while we're in Spain). Imagine the visual impact of a sumptuous imperial city, with imposing architecture reminiscent of Chicago, a few vivid squares with giant screens as in Piccadilly Square, a modern area that towers over the low buildings of the old city, as in La Défense in Paris, all alternating with immense green spaces in which you can breathe tranquillity: and there you are in Madrid.
I have travelled far and wide in Spain, but none of the big cities compares to Madrid. It's a place with an identity of its own, looking almost like a collage of beautiful foreign elements, set just right to create a unique place in the middle of the arid highlands of central Spain. A truly unmissable place, where in 3 or 4 days, you will be able to discover so many different and delightful faces of Spain.
Madrid is an imposing city, but all in all on a human scale. You will stroll pleasantly through its barrios, and almost all the areas you will not want to miss during your visit, are also easily accessible on foot.
What I like about Madrid, is what you will find moving between monuments: no doubt the Royal Palace, or the Prado Museum, or the Plaza Mayor, are must-see attractions, but moving by metro between places, you won't enjoy the true essence of this city: every street, every corner, hides beautiful Baroque or Renaissance buildings, modernist wrought-iron balconies or gardens behind curtains of gleaming white buildings. I loved walking around this city, and what I found most beautiful was not even marked on the map. So put on a pair of comfortable shoes, and let yourself be guided on a beautiful long weekend in Madrid.
MADRID CENTRO AND LOS AUSTRIAS
Madrid is divided into large neighborhoods called barrios, each with its own distinct identity. Madrid Centro includes the best-known and even most monumental areas of the city, particularly in barrio Los Austrias, so named because it was built during the reign of the Habsburgs.
Dedicate a day to walking through the streets of these neighbourhoods and visiting their monuments and large parks. The air in this oldest part of the centre is peaceful and majestic, the streets are not as crowded as those surrounding Puerta del Sol, and the calles exude an aura of composure and elegance that makes it pleasant just to pass through.
A swarming of people crowds Puerta del Sol, the Gran Via and all the streets that orbit around it. Late in the day, you even struggle to walk along the streets, making your way through the crowds. Cheap tapas places and chain stores of all kinds draw most locals, and tourists, to this area east of downtown. But I prefer the tranquillity of the neighbourhoods to the west.
A little hidden gem is the Plaza de la Encarnación with its monastery. A quiet corner before overlooking the royal buildings.
Plaza de Oriente, with its beautiful gardens adorned with statues, serves as a gateway to the Royal Palace, a magnificent Baroque complex whose courtyard, the Plaza de la Armeria, opens majestically toward the Almudena Cathedral. These two buildings face each other, leaving behind them a vast view of the royal gardens of the Campo del Moro and the city's surrounding countryside. Madrid is a city that lives after dusk, so you will have no hard time or queues visiting these monuments, arriving in the morning before 10 or 11 o'clock, when the rest of the city is still asleep.
Most people linger on the buildings just described. But the gardens that surround the palace, are equally noteworthy, and offer glimpses of the monuments that are truly exceptional. The Jardines de Sabatini, are the royal gardens closest to the palace, and are reached by a short walk north. If, on the other hand, you want to spend more time immersed in nature, you can continue to the Campo del Moro, an immense green park, with streets, paths and cafes to enjoy some coolness in the hot Madrid summer.
Even further north, you reach the Jardines de Ferraz. Smaller and mostly frequented by locals, they sit on a hill and are crowned by the beautiful Egyptian temple of Debod, landed in Madrid in the 1970s. The temple is in the centre of a large pool on which the sunset is reflected, providing a beautiful photographic view (Warning: the pool is often empty in summer!). Also from this park you can admire the Royal Palace.
A decidedly busier area, but certainly not to be missed, is the area between Plaza de la Villa and Plaza Mayor. The latter is accessed by 8 portals, and from each you will have a different impression of this beautiful urban space bordered by arcades and vermilion buildings.
LA LATINA
From the central barrio, heading south, you reach La Latina. If you are looking for a place to eat, a café, a place to sip a sangria, you should definitely push on to this barrio, a vibrant and colourful place where it is pleasant to spend a few hours strolling or eating tapas sitting in a dehor.
Wander its alleys aimlessly until you stumble upon the majestic San Francisco Church, and then head back north. The main arteries of this neighbourhood are the Calles de la Cava Baja and Alta, the former, pulsing with life, with bars and restaurants drumming up one after the other offering all kinds of Spanish gastronomy; the latter, quiet, isolated, but full of beautiful colourful buildings to gaze at in silent contrast. The Plaza de la Paja is a quiet and pleasant corner to sit in a café and enjoy a tostada.
PASEO DEL PRADO, RETIRO E ATOCHA
In these neighbourhoods art and open-air walks rule the day. Dedicating a day to it is a must, preferably two, but if you have a few extra days and are an art lover, you can hoard masterpieces at your leisure. Atocha, is the neighbourhood in the triangle between Puerta del Sol, Plaza de Cibeles and the Reina Sofia museum: it is full of clubs and niche stores, which I adore in its tranquillity while still offering a great variety of attractions. The Atocha station, besides being the starting point for out-of-town trips, such as to Toledo, is itself a pleasant place, with a large glazed greenhouse full of tropical plants. It is flanked by Madrid's most famous attractions: the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, a beautiful museum that houses masterpieces of contemporary art, including Picasso's Guernica. The museum has its original access on Calle de Sta. Isabel, but you should not miss the new access made on Calle de Atocha, just opposite the station, with a striking contemporary intervention by architect Jean Nouvel.
Along Paseo del Prado is the famous museum, a collection of must-see masterpieces including paintings by Goya, Velasquez or Rubens. Keep in mind that Madrid's museums have several time slots (mainly before closing in the evening or on Sundays) when admission is free: an unmissable opportunity to make even a brief sortie into these art galleries of international stature. So plan your visits accordingly beforehand, even if, to be honest, admission tickets are relatively modestly priced.
For a cue of contemporary architecture, head to the Caixa forum, an exhibition centre designed by the Swiss firm Herzog & De Meuron, which has given a new face to an old power station, hollowing out its brick shell and leaving a new building crowned by Corten cladding suspended in the void.
Closing off this golden triangle is the Parque del Buen Retiro, a huge city garden with landscaped green areas, a lake on which to sail rowboats, tree-lined or flower-lined avenues, orchards, and large lawns where sunny summer days can be spent on weekends. A gathering place for citizens and a beautiful place to relax while visiting Madrid. Don't miss a visit to the Palacio de Cristal, a splendid iron and glass building from the Victorian era, which is actually part of the Reina Sofia exhibition circuit (you enter with the same ticket), but is worth admiring from the outside alone.
SALAMANCA, CHUECA AND MALASAÑA
Salamanca is a charming, orderly and elegant neighbourhood, the richest in Madrid, and it is perceived by the majesty of the residential buildings and the presence of banks and exclusive stores. It is a perfect place especially for shopping.
Cross the sumptuous Paseo de los Recoletos to reach the Chueca district, Madrid's vibrant LGBT centre. People and the store windows will immediately make you realise that you are in this inclusive area of the city, where there is a bubbly and cheerful atmosphere. The area of Chueca that skirts the Paseo is my favourite: it has something Parisian about it, is full of art galleries, exclusive furniture stores, trendy clubs and niche stores. While as you move toward the adjacent Malasaña you will be increasingly surrounded by tapas bars and more commercial stores. This neighbourhood, too, offers some more unique concept stores and excellent restaurants. A day looking for design items or clothing and breathing in the atmosphere of these neighbourhoods is very enjoyable.
The southern edge of these barrios is the Gran Via, the heart of Madrid, which separates the city almost in half and accompanies a stroll among the stores with wonderful views of snow-white and imposing modernist buildings. Walk along it to Plaza de Cibeles, a busy traffic junction that nonetheless will impress you with some magnificent architecture, including that of the palace of the same name.
If you have a few more days to spend in Madrid, there are still plenty of sights to take in.
South of the Campo del Moro begins the Parque Madrid Rio, a linear park built along the banks of the Manzanares River, full of green areas, bridges, sports areas, playgrounds, and cafes. You can take a long walk of about 4 km to the Matadero, crossing the modern Arganzuela Bridge, and enjoying a somewhat different Madrid.
If you are looking for some contemporary architecture, on the other hand, be sure to visit, in addition to the Caixa Forum and the Reina Sofia Museum, the Mercado Barceló, by Nieto Sobejano, north of Chueca, the ABC Museum, north of Malasaña, and, if you can move from the city centre, the Chamartin area, with the Cuatro Torres and the Torres Kio in Puerta de Europa. Finally, for those reaching Madrid by plane, spend some time admiring the beautiful Terminal 4 at Barajas Airport, designed by Rogers & Partners.
If you have some more time to spend in Madrid, you might want to consider a day-trip to the nearby Toledo. This marvellous gothic city is just half an hour away from the capital, but profoundly different: it will surprise you with something unusual.
