Madrid

Madrid is such a great city! Its a perfect place to go solo, its safe, and has so much to offer.

Best aspects of Madrid

• Public Transportation- Its well designed, easy to understand, well connected, and affordable.
• Museums- If you love Museums, Madrid is the place to go. Beyond the “Golden Triangle” ( Prado, there are so many special interest museums to pick and choose from.
• Day Trips- There are lots of small towns with so much to offer, just a short bus ride away. My favorites are El Escorial and Toledo.
• Food, clubs, shopping

Must Sees in Madrid

• Museo Prado- One of the most incredible museums I have ever been inside, definitely on the same level as the Louvre. (Bring a student ID, you’ll get in for free!)
• Plaza Mayor (Make sure you see Fat Spider-man!)
• Parque Retiro
• Palacio Real
• Teleferico – It was closed when I went in 2016, but it has since been reopened and I hear it’s wonderful.

Off the Beaten Path

• Keep an eye out for “Fat Spider-man” in Plaza Mayor
• El Rastro Flea Market (Every Sunday at Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores)
• Metro Garden (Inside Atocha Station there is a HUGE tropical garden. One step through the doors and you’ve left the city.)
• Faro de Moncloa- You can see all of Madrid from the observation tower.
• Templo de Debod – An Egyptian Temple plopped down right in the middle of Parque de la Montaña.

Overrated

• Palacio Cristal – Its a beautiful palace made completely of glass in the middle of Retiro Park. If you are already in Retiro, you should definitely go and see it, but I wouldn’t make a special trip just to go see it during opening hours. It is listed as an art exhibit, but the “art” inside is the fact that it’s silent.
• Palacio Cibeles – Again, beautiful from the outside and you’ll definitely walk past it, but there isn’t much special inside, especially if you’re on a time crunch. Mostly history of Madrid and how the city is laid out.

What and where to eat

• Museo de Jamon – I am utterly obsessed with it. 2 Euro’s will get you an incredible sandwich made with Jamon Iberico and a slice of cheese on a flaky, buttery croissant. Truly the love of my life. I can’t tell you how many of those sandwiches I have shoved directly into my face. I wish there was anything like it in the US.
• There is a great chocolate shop in Sol Plaza called La Mallorquina, definitely stop there for some sweets.
• Ceviche
• Paella
• Gulas (baby eels)
• Chocolate and churros
• Tortilla- egg, potato, sometimes onion, always delicious.
• Orange Juice- The machines they use to juice oranges in Spain (Italy & France too) make it taste so much better than anything you’ll ever get in the states. Go into any cafe and they’ll have it!