Write-up by Kieron Sellens
If you’re searching for a culturally rich, high end holiday in Spain but you really don’t have a lot time to spare, a town break in Madrid could be just the correct variety of vacation. The Spanish funds is compact and easy to navigate on foot, so you won’t waste valuable time getting from location to area, and yet you’ll be in a position to see some of the most prestigious museums and galleries in the globe.
If you want to steer clear of steaming scorching summers and bitterly cold winters then spring is the greatest time to explore the squares and alleyways on a weekend break in Madrid. Right here are some of the best areas to visit on your high end vacation in Spain’s capital town.
The Golden Triangle
The Golden Triangle is an essential district to go to on any town break in Madrid. Vacation makers with an interest in artwork and culture will want to tackle the main museums right here – the Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofia.
1 of the chief points of interest on a Spanish holiday, the Prado is greatest acknowledged for its religious paintings and regal portraits by Goya, El Greco and Velázquez, as properly as operates by Hieronymus Bosch, Titian and Rubens.
The Thyssen has a selection of Western art and one of the largest personal collections in the world, and the Reina Sofia is Spain’s national gallery of modern day artwork, devoted to 20th century Spanish art, with works by Miro, Dali and Picasso.
Plaza Mayor
The Plaza Mayor is an exquisite arcaded square exactly where the biggest festivals and ceremonies of imperial Madrid have been held, as properly as bullfights and carnivals. These days the bullfights have shifted elsewhere and the square has become a excellent area to loosen up on a luxurious holiday in Spain.
Madrid’s vacation makers enjoy investing their time milling all around Plaza Mayor’s standard outlets, drinking coffee at the cafés on its delightful pavement terraces. There are industry stalls on Sundays as properly as lively dance bands during fiestas, which may well coincide with your weekend break in Madrid.
Sol & Gran Vía
Sol is the most photographed square in Madrid. Holiday makers usually recognise its nicely-identified bear and strawberry tree statue, and Avenue C/Alcala, in the vicinity of to the square, has some wonderful buildings and was the moment described as the ‘grandest street in Europe’.
Huertas & Santa Ana
In the theatre district of Huertas & Santa Ana, Madrid’s literary custom lives on in cafés such as El Salón del Prado, an perfect area to avoid off for a coffee on your city break. Madrid’s resident author of the popular ‘Don Quixote’, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, lived and was buried nearby.
Salamanca
Salamanca was where the richest families created their houses and palaces throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in Madrid. Holiday makers can check out the Museo de Esculturas al Aire Libre, an outdoor sculpture garden, with functions by Joan Miró and Eduardo Chillida.
The Retiro
The Retiro is the spot to promenade and on Sundays there are vendors hawking everything from wafers to etchings, tarot readers, football and elderly guys enjoying a Spanish ball game known as ‘petanca’. Beneath the Prado is the botanical garden, ‘Jardín Botánico’, fantastic for a wander on your Spanish holiday.
Plaza de Toros
The Plaza de Toros is Spain’s greatest bullring, where standard bullfights are nonetheless held. Sports activities fanatics who fancy one thing a small less bloodthirsty for their weekend break in Madrid can head there to watch Real Madrid or Atletico de Madrid, Spain’s most well-known football teams.
About the Author
Kieron Sellens is the marketing supervisor of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AiTO). For autumn 2008, AiTO are providing a selection of unique luxury holidays in Spain.