Madrid

[Napper]

Anyone been for a long weekend ? whats it like ?

any recomendations of things to do muchly appreciated

Is it similar to Barcelona?

 

[aftershavedave]

it's a great place. more intense than barcelona, hotter, busier.

the restaurants and tapas bars are all fantastic as are the clubs. there's an amazing club just down from the stadium but i've got no idea where.

and in the daytime try the retiro (sp?) park

 

[clapham_gull]

Definately do the stadium tour.

Nine euros, and you get to walk up the tunnel, go in the dressing rooms, sit in the directors box. It's an amazing stadium.

.. and do the proper tapas thing, ie drink, small something to eat, move onto the next one.

I'd stongly recommend the bars and tapas around Plaza de Santa Ana

Just wander round the back streets around there.

Very different from Barcelona in my opinion, but both are great.

 

[The Large One]

Definately do the stadium tour.

.. and do the proper tapas thing, ie drink, small something to eat, move onto the next one.

I'd stongly recommend the bars and tapas around Plaza de Santa Ana

Just wander round the back streets around there.

Very different from Barcelona in my opinion, but both are great.

What he said, except I only paid seven Euros.

The Metro is easy to use, and the nearest station to the stadium (unbelievably, it's called 'Estadio Santiago Bernabeu') takes you right there to the ground. You can also buy match tickets in El Cortes Ingles - the big department store in the city.

The centre of the city is Sol, a semi-circular open area, and from there pretty much everything is within 20 minutes walking distance - the Royal Palace, the Prado and Thijssen galleries, the Retiro (Madrid's equivalent of Hyde Park), the Plaza Mayor (don't eat there - it's a rip-off, but do eat in the streets leading to it).

Prices aren't too bad, and the tapas bars around the Asturia area (south of Sol) are excellent. I've been twice in the past three years, and I loved the place.

 

[Trufflehound]

it's a great place. more intense than barcelona, hotter, busier.

the restaurants and tapas bars are all fantastic as are the clubs.

It's not always hot there. It can get bloody cold in winter.

Mrs T lived there for a year as part of her Spanish degree and when I visited in December it was -4°C and made your ears go numb when walking outside. Then I went again in April and it was +45°C.

But I'd agree that about the best thing to do is schmooze from bar to bar sampling the tapas. Haven't been for a few years, but I seem to recall there was a row of great cellar bars below one side (the west?) of the Plaza Mayor.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

when i went there i also went to the athletico madrid stadium

thats quite nice

although the bernabeu is MINT


madrid isn't really like barcelona at all, i personally prefer barca

 

[Richard Whiteley]

bloody cold and miserable in winter

If you are going to go to a game, Real is great for the stadium and team (although they are a bit shite these days by all accounts) and Atletico is best for atmosphere.

La Latina is a nice area.

 

[Napper]

cheers all, I am with the mrs so not sure I'll take her round the stadium. The Tapas sound superb though , staying pretty central so should be excellant

 

[The Large One]

Be careful for pickpockets - they're not so much aggressive and violent, just bloody sneaky.

 

[Trufflehound]

Be careful for pickpockets - they're not so much aggressive and violent, just bloody sneaky.

Madrid is one of only two places in the world (Saigon, since you're asking) I've ever been pickpocketed. The thief actually went into my pocket TWICE without me noticing: the first time to remove my wallet, the second time to REPLACE all the credit cards that were in it (though obvioulsy not the wallet or the cash), so I didn't need to report anything.

Mind you it was in a bar and I was completely trolleyed the time - that may have been why I didn't notice what was going on.

 

[Napper]

I've always wanted to be pick pocketed without losing anything as I reckon I'd notice them.
I might put an empty cheap wallet in my pocket , with a note inside saying "f***ing mug" , just to see if i can feel it

 

[Clapham Old Mug]

Just bear in mind that everything happens much later in Madrid than in Barcelona. Restaurants really don't want to see you before 10pm and the city's worst traffic jams tend to be at about 4am. The area around the Plaza Santa Anna and just north of it is great for bars (Viva Madrid and Los Gabrieles are good) as someone wrote earlier. The Castellana (big avenue) divides the city in two. Shopping mainly on the east side, bars and restaurants on the west. It does get very cold in the winter, but it's dry cold and not the soggy stuff we get here. You have to work a bit harder to get to grips with Madrid than Barca but, once you get the hang of it, it's much more fun - the Castillians knock spots off the Catalans when it comes to letting their hair down!