Why Madrid is my favourite city in Spain...

I want to talk to you about my favourite place in Spain... Madrid!

I don't know why I like it so much really. After all, I have never lived there and there are other beautiful towns in Spain such as Barcelona, Granada, Malaga, Seville etc. But every time I go back to Madrid I feel so happy and I love revisiting the places there.

First, I'm going to start from the beginning...

How do you get there from another Spanish city or from somewhere abroad?

Madrid airport is called Barajas. There are lots of companies that run low-cost flights from there like Ryanair. This is the one I would advise to use because it is the cheapest. But if you would like to pay a little more for a better quality airline, there is also Iberia, Jetairfly etc. Once you get to the airport, you can get a metro ticket (it's important because you pay an extra fee because you're leaving the airport) and then you make your way to the centre. It's as simple as that.

There is also the bus. The bus station in Madrid is situated in the south of the city. The company that goes to all the other cities from Madrid is called Alsa.

There is also the train, but it is more difficult to get an offer and get a good price. The main train operator is called Renfe. The station is one metro stop away from the bus station and is called 'Atocha'. It's a good place to go and visit because the station is really big and there are plants and turtles inside... bizarre!

My last advice is to use a car share company. In Spain, I recommend using Bla Bla Car. It isn't expensive and you can trust the people that use the site. In general, I tend to choose drivers that already have positive reviews and are experienced users. You send them an email, you wait for their response then you call them once more to confirm the final details and the meeting point.

What to see?

There are a tonne of things to see in Madrid. I'm not going to write a list of them all because that would be boring to read but in large, Madrid is a city that has great museums that don't cost much at all. They are either free or they just ask for a few euros as a gesture.

Art

Here are a few examples of the art museums you can visit in Madrid: the Reina Sofia Museum (which has the famous Guernica painting by Picasso, and lots of works by Dali), the The Museo del Prado and The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. I especially recommend going to the Reina Sofia. Especially with the audio-guide because it is definitely less interesting without it. The visit lasts around 3 hours if you listening to everything on the guide, but you can come back the next day if it is late and you don't have to re'pay for the guide (entrance was free when I went).

The Prado is situated in a beautiful building that I advise you just to go and see to admire it. There are hundreds of paintings there but I didn't enjoy it as much without the audio-guide.

The Buen Retiro Park

This is a huge park not far from Atocha station and Prado. It is very beautiful. There is lots of atmosphere in the summer there, street vendors, musicians etc. There is an glass palace that you can go inside. There is a huge lake where you can kayak or use a pedalo and a huge statue at one end of it. There is also an English garden (Rosario) at the end of the park, which is quite pretty, especially when the sun is shining.

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Rastro market on Sunday morning

On Sunday mornings, in the Latin Quarter, there is the Rastro market. You can find everything there and especially lots of cheap things. Posters, clothes, all sorts of objects, food... I definitely recommend it. Especially for cheap clothes deals. For 50 cent socks this is the place to go. You can stock up for the whole year. It's even nice to walk around without buying anything. It is open all morning until 14:15.

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The Palacio Real de Madrid

I visited the palace not so long ago and I thought it was pretty good. The entrance costs 5 euros and the audio guide costs 4 euros. It is a little expensive but if there is a few of you, you can get an audio guide between you all. The rooms are decorated wonderfully. The audio-guide isn't really great until the end of the visit, because it only describes the rooms and the details of the decoration (who is the architect of each room, who painted what etc. ). At the end, there are some boards and panels that tell you more about the palace. There are lots of rooms, all different from each other. There are even some rooms decorated in a Chinese style. Opposite the palace is the Cathedral, which you can also visit.

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Plaza de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente is just opposite the Palace. It is a pretty square of columns and arches arranged in a circle, just overlooking the Palace and the Cathedral. There are often musicians, some fountains and it is a pretty place to visit in my opinion. At the end of the square there are some gardens but they are closed at the moment because of work. The square leads to the street Calle Mayor, which is the main street in Madrid. There is also the Teatro Royal on this road, which is worth visiting.

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La Calle Mayor (the main street, not to be confused with the Gran Via)

Calle Mayor is the old main street of Madrid. The buildings that align it are just beautiful and there are lots of old legends and stories about them. I advise you to do a tour of this area with a guide. Ask the tourist office! Calle Mayor leads to the Plaza del Sol.

San Miguel Market

The San Miguel Market is next to Calle Mayor. It was created by Eiffel (yes, the same as the Eiffel Tower). It is a small covered market. I suggest you check it out for your viewing pleasure as it is quite expensive. There are lots of luxury products here.

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The Temple of Debod

This temple is a little further out than the Palacio Real (when coming from the direction of the Cathedral) and was a gift from Egypt to Spain in the 60s. The stones were imported from Egypt! It was a thank you gift from Egypt since Spain had helped save some of Egypt's many historical monuments at that time. It is a beautiful temple, even if it is quite small (Don't expect to see anything like the Pyramids! ). You are able to visit and there is a tour which is great. It's very different! The temple is located right next to the botanical garden. There is a nice view from here too.

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