As a tour guide, I want to show you the best things to do in Madrid, Spain.
The best place to start exploring Madrid is from the top of this building that offers a 360-degree
observation deck in the heart of the city. From here you can see the city's most
iconic buildings and get a good overview of the city center.
Mirador Madrid is located on the top of the main tower of Cybele Palace.
It was built in the early 1900s as the main post office, but now serves as the city hall.
In front of the palace is a roundabout with the most famous fountain in Madrid.
Marble fountain from the late 1700s depicts the great mother
of the gods and roman goddess of fertility Cybele, atop a chariot drawn by two lions.
Cybele has been adopted by the city's most famous soccer team,
Real Madrid and the fountain serves as a celebration point of the team's trophies.
Not far from the most famous fountain is the most famous street in Madrid.
Gran Via is a prime spot for shoppers and architecture lovers.
It was created in the early 1900s when more than 300 buildings had to be demolished to make way for
this grand street providing better connection of the city centre with the rest of Madrid.
Nearly a mile long street is lined with early 20th century revival and art deco architecture.
Here are numerous great restaurants, some of the best entertainment spots, and many great
shops including Madrid's first department store. Gran Via starts with a beautiful corner metropolis
building and ends with a large square Plaza de España filled with fountains and statues,
including famous fictional characters Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.
This is the most central square in Madrid.
And as you can see its undergoing a major renovation.
This is the symbolic center of Spain and the official starting point of Spain's national roads.
Originally this was the site of the eastern city gates adorned with the image of sun,
hence the name of the square La Puerta del Sol. It's decorated with the most famous symbol
of Madrid, a bronze statue of a bear feasting on fruits from a strawberry tree.
Here is also a statue of King Carlos the third. Under his ruling in 1700s Madrid has become one
of the great European capitals with hospitals, public schools, museums, big boulevards,
beautiful stately buildings, and many gardens. The most dominant building on the square is
the house of the post office from the 1700s, now the seat
of the the president of the regional government. Building has a clock tower with the famous clock.
The clock marks the beginning of a new year and is broadcasted on Spanish tv.
A Spanish new year tradition involves eating a grape with each of the 12 clock
bell strikes at midnight where each grape represents one of the coming 12 months.
Besides famous streets and squares, Madrid also has charming neighborhoods.
One of them is literary quarter that was home to many celebrated authors in the golden age
of Spanish literature, including Don Quixote author, Miguel de Cervantes.
In certain places, the streets are paved with inscriptions from the works of this writers.
This historic neighborhood has become a trendy spot full of eccentric bars,
offering plenty of great tapas options. Here are some of Madrid's finest eateries,
including the oldest taverns and restaurants that serve typical Spanish dishes.
In plaza de Santa Ana, cafes and restaurants open onto lively terraces.
Square is the center of neighborhoods cultural scene that covers classic
plays at Teatro Español and live flamenco at tablao dinner theaters,
venues with a stage and an option to dine before the show.
Although flamenco originates from Andalusia, all top flamenco artists perform here in Madrid.
Literary quarter also holds an open-air market that takes place on Saturday.
Not far away are three most famous art galleries in Madrid,
considered to be among the world's best. They are known as the golden triangle of art,
which is on the list of Unesco world heritage.
The Prado holds classical paintings, the Reina Sofia houses modern art
and the Thyssen-Bornemisza has a little bit of everything.
If you have time to visit only one of them, you should go to Prado.
This is the main Spanish national art museum and one of the world's leading art galleries.
One of the world's finest collections of European art is
based on the former Spanish royal collection. Here are the most important Spanish paintings
from the 12th to the early 20th century and other important European masterpieces from
the likes of Francisco Goya, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, Velázquez and others.
Extensive collection includes more than 8,000 paintings and 700 sculptures on three floors.
Unfortunately, it is not allowed to take photos or videos in the museum.
Not far from Prado is one of Madrid's five royal gates.
These are the most famous and monumental gates built in the 1700s as a grand entrance
to Madrid in order to celebrate the arrival of the monarchs to Spain's capital. Madrid
was still surrounded by the city walls when King Carlos the third replaced old eastern city gates
with this neoclassical triumphal arch that has become one of the landmarks of Madrid.
Behind the famous royal gates is the entrance to the city's most beautiful park,
another Unesco world heritage site. Park was once reserved for Spanish
royalty and aristocracy until it was open to the public at the end of the 19th century.
Retiro has various landscaping styles, and it's a popular spot among citizens.
It offers all kinds of interesting sculptures, monuments, gardens,
and numerous fountains and lakes. On the shore of the biggest lakes
stands a magnificent monument to Spanish King Alfonso the 12th, which features an
observation deck with beautiful views. You should also look for beautiful
19th century crystal palace. This cast iron and glass pavilion
presents exhibitions of contemporary art. Among many fountains you can also find one
with a statue of the fallen angel being exiled from paradise, known as the devil.
Another very interesting monument is on the other side of the city center.
This is an Egyptian temple dating back to the second century BC.
The temple was built in Aswan in Egypt and given to the city of
Madrid as a gift by the Egyptian government. The temple was part of international campaign
to save the monuments of Nubia were 22 monuments were relocated to save it from flooding, following
the construction of the great Aswan dam. The reconstruction kept the building's
original orientation from east to west. The temple was rebuilt in one of Madrid's
parks near the royal palace. As it set on a hill,
it offers beautiful views of western Madrid. Interestingly, this hill used to be the main
landfill of the city and was transformed into a park at the beginning of the 20th century.
Next on the list is the oldest and most authentic neighborhood, la Latina.
This is the original core of medieval Madrid from where the city started to expand.
Its mediaeval picturesque streets, create a maze of great tapas, bars and cantinas, as this is
one of the best tapas bar districts in Spain. The ideal spot for a tapas crawl is Cava Baja,
the most famous tapas street in Madrid. In the evening it gets packed with
people enjoying a drink and a bite. When ordering a drink, you should try
some of Madrid's local specialties like Patatas bravas, croquettes, olives, and mature cheeses.
The neighborhood was named after writer and humanist Beatriz Galindo,
one of the most relevant personalities of the 15th century, who was often referred to as la Latina
because she was remarkably skilled in latin. Every Sunday la Latina host the most famous,
most traditional, and the oldest open-air flea market in Madrid known as el Rastro.
There are also interesting museums and churches like the San Francisco el
Grande Basilica with its Goya paintings, and Moorish San Pedro el Real church.
But the biggest public space in the historic district is Plaza Mayor.
This grand central square got its appearance in
the 1800s after a massive fire. Uniformed three-story buildings
with arcades are enclosing the square and giving it its rectangular shape.
They house apartments, traditional shops, bars, and restaurants.
Square is connected to the streets with nine arched gates, the most famous of
which is the Arco de los Cuchilleros. This arched gate can be reached by
stone steps and has taverns and hand craft shops where you can buy handmade souvenirs.
As you can see, they are preparing the square for the Christmas time as traditionally from
late November till the end of the year here is the biggest Christmas market in Madrid.
The most striking building on the square is called Casa de la Panadería, or the bakery house.
This municipal building with two towers got its name after the most important
bakery in Madrid that used to stand here. It has a remarkable facade from the 1990s
decorated with mythological figures. Inside is the Madrid tourist board office,
where you can get useful maps and brochures. In the middle of the square is a bronze statue
of King Philip the third, as this square was first built in a 1600s during his reign.
Statue was a gift given to the king by the duke of Florence.
Just a few steps from the square is a popular market hall that will take care of your hunger.
One of the best spots for a meal in the historic city center is a food
market inside a historic ironwork building. Food markets in Madrid are amazing, especially
if you're looking for some authentic local foods. Mercado de San Miguel is not a traditional grocery
market, but a gourmet tapas market with over 30 different vendors selling a wide
variety of freshly prepared local food. It is considered to be one of Europe's
leading gastronomic markets, making it one of Madrid's most popular sites and dining venues.
I don't know why it takes so long to build cathedrals in Spain,
but once they are built, they are spectacular. The same goes for the most important religious
building in Madrid, Almudena cathedral. When the capital of Spain was transferred
from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the seat of the church remained in Toledo.
Plans for a cathedral were discussed as early as the 16th century, but it was only in the late
1800s when King Alfonso the 12th set the first stone directly opposite to the royal palace.
The construction was stopped by the Spanish civil war in the 1930s,
and the site was abandoned until 1950. The original designs were altered,
so the cathedral would match the gray and white facade of the royal palace.
From the first plans to the completion it took over four centuries, but in 1993 the
cathedral was finally completed and in 2004 it was used for the king's wedding.
Neo-gothic interior is uniquely modern, with chapels and statues of
contemporary artists in different styles. The most impressive piece of art is the
altarpiece of the Virgin of Almudena, statue of Mary holding the infant Jesus.
The legend of the statue dates back to the eighth century when Arabs invaded Spain.
The christians of old Madrid sealed the statue in a niche of the ramparts to avoid its destruction.
The Virgin of Almudena survived and has become the patron saint of Madrid.
Cathedral is also adorned with massive dome, reaching over 70 meters.
If you visit cathedral's museum, you can enter the dome and enjoying great views
over the Royal Palace. Below the cathedral is
also the largest crypt in Spain. It features over 400 columns and
serves as the resting place of most noble families. Opposite to the cathedral is the
largest Royal Palace in western Europe. Although Spain is still a kingdom,
this palace is no longer used as the royal family's home, but it continues to be
their official residence used for ceremonies. After the old fortress was destroyed by massive
fire in the 1700s, it was replaced by this huge Baroque style palace with 1 million square foot
of floor area and over three thousand rooms. Part of the palace is open to the public and
can be visited, but unfortunately it is not allowed to take photos or videos inside.
Inside is an imposing grand staircase made out of a single piece of San Agustin marble
with a huge fresco above the staircase. Throughout the palace are masterpieces
of the world's best artists and exquisite flemish and french tapestries.
The throne room is still used for state ceremonies.
There is also a Royal Armoury, one of the most significant collection of its kind.
Right between the royal palace and La Almudena Cathedral is
also an observation deck with stunning views. Besides great architecture, beautiful parks,
charming neighborhoods, and top museums, Madrid has other great places worth visiting,
like one of the biggest bullfighting arenas in the world and famous soccer stadium,
Santiago Bernabéu, to name just a few. To complete your Madrid experience,
check out my favorite tours, tickets, and flamenco shows in the description below.
My name is Rok, super tanks for the thumbs up and for watching, and see you next time!