Madrid’s ‘Big Three’ - the outstanding Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums - should be on the top of ‘to do’ lists – apart from football, of course!
Museo del Prado is the best known museum in Madrid, and it has one of the world’s most elite art collections whereas the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia presents a collection of modern, mostly Spanish art, and showcases Spanish culture.
The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza finally, is located opposite the Prado and has a huge collection of priceless works of art. It previously was a private collection but was purchased by Spain in 1993 for US$300 million
Other Things to Do
Calle Fuencarral or Salamanca district are good shopping areas and in case you love the adventure of gambling, Madrid offers even three Casinos:
Radiating out of this harried Plaza are arms - Calle Mayor, Calle del Arenal, Calle de Preciados, Calle de la Montera and Calle de Alcalá - that stretch into the city.
South of the Puerta del Sol is the oldest part of the city, with the Plaza Mayor to the southwest and the busy streets of the Huertas district to the southeast.
North of the Plaza is a modern shopping district, and beyond that, the east-west thoroughfare Gran Via and the Bohemien Barrio (Neighbourhood) Chueca. To the West is the Stately Palacio Real, while east lies the city’s El Retiro Park. All these areas are easily reached by metro.
Getting Around By Public Transport
METRO
Using the Metro de Madrid (Madrid’s subway/underground) is efficient and usually easier than getting buses. Single trip tickets with unlimited changes within Madrid city (Zone A) costs €1. more...
If you plan to make at least 6 metro trips, think about buying the Metrobús tickets which offer better value of 10 rides for €6.40. You can buy these tickets at metro stations, news stands and tobacconists (estancos). They are valid not just on the metro but also on EMT City buses 9the red ones), including the night bus network. Stamping the ticket one time allows you to use the metro network as long and far as you like - making sure you stay in the metro zone. Once you leave it, you’ll have to stamp your ticket again.
A map of the Madrid metro can be found here
BUS
EMT operates the city bus network. When travelling by bus, the ticket needs to be stamped each time you board a bus. In addition to a bus pass, consider buying an Abono Turistico (Tourist Pass). This pass comes in five versions: lasting 1 (€3.80), 2 (€6.80), 3 (€9), 5 (€14.20) or 7 (€19.20) calendar days. There is also a 50% discount on the ticket for children under the age of 11. They are valid from the date they are first used.
Details of bus timetables, fares etc can be found here (in English) ...less
Getting Around By Car
Driving by car in Madrid can be difficult. Madrid suffers from the typical problems of most big cities: far too many cars and not enough space to accommodate them. Looking for a parking space can be extremely time-consuming
Taxis in Madrid are a lot cheaper than in many other major European cities. They are widely available at any hour of the day or night.
Calle Alcalá, Paseo del Prado and Paseo del Recoletos are all good street to flag cabs down. Available taxis have a green libre sign in the windshield and a green light on top. more...
Official taxis are white, and have a red stripe and the flag of Madrid on the front door.
The tariff is displayed on top of the car, (a ‘1’ during the day, and ‘2’ at night time). There are also surcharges for going to the airport, like a surcharge for the bags, and for entering or leaving the airport. A normal fare to/from the the airport to the city centre is about €20.
Radio Taxi Associated Gremial tel. +34 (91) 447 51 80 or +34 (910 447 32 32
Radio Taxi independent tel. +34 (91) 405 12 13 or +34 (91) 405 55 00
