Visiting my hometown: Madrid

Have you ever been away for so long that once you return to your city you feel you are just a tourist? You can recognize it, but since you've discovered different places, you cannot see it as only your home. There are so many other details, so many people you never noticed, and even more in a capital city, so I will speak about my own: Madrid.

To be true, my perspective won't be the same as yours since you are about (or are there already) to live in it long-term for the first time, but I am hoping to help you move in it and enjoy it with the less amount of doubts as possible.

What will you find?

Madrid is the capital city of Spain, and it has gone through many changes over time. History has made an impact on the whole country (as in every other), but the first sight you may get of it is of a typical european capital city, with its big buildings at the centre, the old renewed neighbourhoods, the river, restaurants of many nationalities (of course many with typical spanish food), bars and pubs, and tons of people around its touristic hot spots.

The centre

Speaking of it in just a paragraph is hard. I would say it includes all inside a circle drawn passing through Puerta de Toledo, Puerta de Alcalá and Plaza de España.

Here you will find the main touristic sites, such as museums, political buildings, monuments and big squares such as Puerta del Sol, which is known as the most centrical spot. It is usually crowded by poeple from everywhere, since it is filled with shops of all kinds, small malls, bars and restaurants, and these last ones open until very late each day. So if you are ever looking for something to buy, anything you might think of or need, just go for a walk through the streets around Sol and Gran Vía and I am sure you will find it. As well, the centre hosts everynight parties at pubs and bars that you will not regret attending.

The centre also has its own legends and stories that will transport you to the past times of the city, which we will go over in different posts.

As for transportation, metro lines (line 1 to line 6) pass through somewhere inside that circle, some train lines and many buses do too, so getting there won't ever be a problem.

Parks and river

Once you get a little further from all this places, you can find amazing resting spots inside Madrid's parks, where you will be able to go for a walk, sit on the grass, feed ducks and enjoy the view surrounded by trees. I must say I'm a lover of doing this, because the two most important parks in Madrid are natural and have always been very well conserved: Retiro and Casa de Campo.

Retiro is in the centre, and in the past time it was part of a forest that the king made into his own personal garden of retirement and rest (that is where its name comes from. Retiro means retirement). Now it has been reduced to a park surrounded by neighbourhoods, but you can still get lost inside it as if you weren't in the city.

Casa de Campo is still a forest itself, almost. It has been fenced in some areas to keep it from the construction of roads and residences, but it is open to everyone all day, and it hosts some wildlife and vegetation that are part of the past forests that surrounded the city area. Inside there is a big lake and restaurants, and a network of paths and major roads that cross it, taking you to the gates of Madrid's Amusement Park and Zoological Park. It is also the home of mountain bikers that train jumping the natural bumps of the ground, and of canoeists that practice at the lake. One fun way to get here is by teleférico, a nice system of cabins that ''fly'' attached to a cable over the city, ending on top of a hill inside this park.

Madrid Rio: this a fairly new park that goes all over the river side. It provides a nice walk next to the waters of the Manzanares (the river's name), between trees and small playgrounds for kids. It substitutes the past highway that is now underground, so it's free of car transition around, unless you step out to the nearby neighbourhoods' streets. Walking from one extreme to the other might take you around an hour, starting from Casa de Campo and ending at the park of Manzanares, which is at the gates of the suburbs. The best activity might be to take a bike, that you can rent at the many bike-renting shops around, and just do a tour by the river until Casa de Campo.

Nearby towns.

One big advantage of the capital city is its location on the map: right in the centre of the nation. This makes trips anywhere non-so-eternal (comparing having to travel from the very south to the French boarder). But these are major trips, and I'm sure you won't waste your time either visiting the towns that are just one hour away by bus from Madrid (or even less).

1. Alcalá de Henares: if you are interested in learning about history, this is the first place you may go to. The citizens of this town are always keen to tell madrilians that their city hosts the title of ''City'', while Madrid is still considered historically a ''Villa" (less in the ranking, ha). However, this game is just a consequence of the time-passing effect that made Madrid a more important place, which was once Alcalá. Therefore, here you will find many historically important sites, such as the University, and historical places such as old theatres from centuries ago. It also hosts the best "tapas" bars (typical spanish food) in the area of Madrid's Province.

2. Aranjuez and El Escorial: these two towns are again located in the Province of Madrid, very near by the city with a big historical importance, since they are the home of two old royal palaces. Besides, they are surrounded by an amazing natural landscape that you will be able to appreciate both during the journey and once already there.

3. Ávila and Segovia: these two are capital cities of the provinces with the same name, in the community of Castilla y León, a big region over Madrid. They are very close to the capital, and again have a big amount of historical sites and great places to sit and enjoy a good meal. Segovia is particularly famous because of its aqueduct, built in the Roman Era.

4. Toledo: very old town, past capital city of the country, it is located in the community of Castilla la Mancha. The best place you can visit is the old side of town, which is settled on top of a big hill over what's been built new and has made the city bigger. In this area you will find palaces, and many religious temples of the three religions that once hosted Spain in a more intense way: islamism, judaism, and christianism. Also, you can bet you will have a taste of the best food and drink, very typical of the inner regions of Spain, which usually includes soups with bread, and a variety of meats and vegetables.

You can reach any of these places easily by buses which run everyday from their respectives spots, and also by train. A big plus to take the chance of any of these trips is that, if you get the monthly pass of public transport, you won't have to pay a ticket. Just jump into the bus and take a glance!

Living and moving around.

I may say that Madrid has easily one of the best public transport system I have ever used. It has 12 metro lines that connect the suburbs with more centrical areas, buses running day and night that get as far as the villages around the city, and 10 train lines that get to the neighbouring communities. Simply, anywhere you may wanna go, the mean of transport won't be a major problem, although it may be difficult to get used to it or learn how it works rapidly.

As for the living, the prices for renting a flat are not so low, but not as high as in more expensive countries. As you will find out, Madrid has very low prices when it comes to food and drinks, and for touristic visits, but it's rising up the price in renting and transport. Therefore, the rent of a flat may be between 600 and 800€, depending on its location and size, and your payment will also depend on the numer of roomates you get to have. It is also getting common to divide houses and set some cheaper prices for very small apartments, but in my opinion it usually doesn't compensate.

The most common spot for renting for Erasmus and temporary stays is the centre, near Puerta del Sol and up to Tirso de Molina. This area of the centre has a quite alternative style, it's easy to live in and may be the cheapest to find next to the important places.

I'm leaving so many things aside, since talking about a place so well known is very difficult indeed, but again I'm hoping to introduce you successfully to most of the things Madrid has to offer. Ready for an unforgettable trip?

You're going to spend the next semester in Madrid and haven't found accommodation yet? Don't worry, Erasmusu is here for you : have a look at this article to find out the 10 best tips to rent your dream flat in Madrid.

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