Majestic Madrid

Sharon Matthews on 10 June 2017
This was just a two night city break with my girlfriends, and we stayed in an apartment just off the main shopping and entertainment street, Gran Via.

Whilst I would always look at staying central to make the most of everything being close to hand, the metro system was clean, cheap and very useful, the efficiency of European underground transport never ceasing to amaze me! It's quite a large city and I love walking, but the metro does help you cover a lot of ground quickly.

Some of our party opted for the 48 hour hop on hop off bus and had more structure to their day, because they planned the stops and what they wanted to visit.

The museums and palaces are spread pretty far apart and you cannot do them all, but opt for 1 or 2 and do them well. We visited the Museo del Prada - a few hours flew without difficulty, and also the Reina Sofia Museum to see Picasso's Guernica which was really interesting. Some of these are worth booking tickets online before you go, but not expensive.

Parque del Retiro is fairly central and a welcome escape from the inner city crowds, allowing time for a picnic on the grass or a boat ride / paddle on the lake - great for families.

There are plenty of shopping opportunities, high street brands and small boutique offerings. On a Sunday morning you can head down to the main market, it's huge and there are bargains of all kinds to be had. Leave some space in your luggage, you are bound to see something you want to take home from here.

Plaza de Catalunya is surrounded by some fabulous buildings with stunning architecture and of course wouldn't be complete without the shops and restaurants within and around it, which brings me nicely onto the subject of food. Breakfast is a popular social activity and I would recommend you take the opportunity to eat out and enjoy dining in a bakery with its huge choice of pastries.

For the rest of the day there is all manner of cuisine but you cannot go and visit Spain without having tapas. Aside from the many restaurants offering these sharing plates, I recommend a visit to the Mercado San Miguel, just by Gran Via, where you can taste wonderful wines and food from all the different regions of the country as you walk around. A great start to your evening out...

It was a short visit, but the weather was amazing and the hospitality very welcoming.