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madrid a young person s guide to

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first published in august 2011 by city travel review inc all words and photos that appear in this guide are property of the respective writers and photographers copyright © 2011 2

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bienvenidos to madrid madrid is a fantastic city and well worth a visit whether you are staying for a while or just make a quick stop this guide will help you get as much as possible out of it as you will hopefully find what you re looking for and make it a great stay this guide is the result of our three weeks together during the hottest time in madrid fourteen of us came from all over europe for the `city travel review project we set out to work together to write a guide showing everything madrid has to offer specifically focusing on young people like ourselves it was a fantastic time with excursions to neighbouring places such as toledo pub-crawls through the centre and even a bullfight although we all chose our own subjects to write about we worked together to give you a complete overview of everything that there is to do in madrid eating and drinking palaces and museums fashion and sports whatever you re looking for and all madrid has to offer we will guide you to it enjoy your stay in madrid your city travel review team 2011

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contents page 6-10 introduction top things to see and do tips for tourists page 11-30 experience madrid overview of madrid accommodation for young people public transport different ways to experience madrid one day in madrid learning spanish toledo page 31-49 history and culture history of madrid historical monuments and architecture palacio real and royal theatre museums spanish artists street art literature 4

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contents page 50-66 things to do flamenco shopping and fashion nightlife live music bars parks and leisure time page 67-76 food and drink page 77-92 people and life spanish lifestyle siesta sports bullfighting famous people of madrid page 93 meet the city travel review madrid team 2011 disfrutenla enjoy 5

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top 10 things to do in madrid perhaps the most controversial `must see attraction in madrid but also one of the most fascinating for those who can look past the barbaric nature of the sport a bullfight offers a unique insight into spanish culture and tradition as the war between animal cruelty activists and spanish traditionalists wages over whether or not the bullfights should continue the sport has been banned in barcelona and the rest of north catalonia it may not be long until bullfights are history not for the faint hearted but most definitely a `once in a lifetime experience and well worth the visit tapas bars are abundant throughout madrid the secret is finding a good one look for locals dirty floors yes this is a giveaway of some of the best bars in madrid and anywhere swarming with people the queues for the bar are well worth the wait for authentic local tapas chorizo spanish omelette and anchovies are some of the most common tapas as the barmen usually pick and choose what they serve you there is little choice over what you end up with so picky eaters beware however for genuine spanish food without the frills visiting a local tapas bar is a must 1 see a bullfight eat tapas 2 6 3 this is one of the easiest and quickest ways to see a lot of madrid in a short amount of time perfect if you re not in the city for long but want to see some of the most renowned sights madrid has to offer frequent departures from numerous locations make the hop on-hop off bus effortless as opposed to trawling the streets in the hot weather you can see the palacio real prado museum real madrid stadium and several other notable locations from the comfort of an air-conditioned bus with the option of picking and choosing where you wish to visit several companies who offer the service and it is possible to jump on a bus from the bottom of gran viahowever for those looking for a guided tour and the ability to book in advance the panoramic madrid tour offers a fantastic tour which is also surprisingly affordable take an open topped bus tour

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4 as an avid food lover and general chocolate enthusiast churros con chocolate a traditional spanish delicacy was one of the most memorable parts of my time in madrid and most definitely a legitimate reason for returning for those of you who have never heard of churros the best way to describe them would be almost like a deep fried donut served with a cup of hot chocolate sauce traditionally had as breakfast it is not uncommon to see spaniards with an order of churros con chocolate on their way home from a night out chocolateria san ginés at pasadizo de san ginés in a passageway close to san ginés church west of the puerta del sol is one of the most famous places to find churro s open 24 hours a day there s no excuse not to make a visit try churros con chocolate take a ride on the teleferico located at the heart of the casa de campo the teleferico has been around for over 40 years offering an incredibly skyline view of madrid as well as a fantastic way to escape the city and relax in one of the oldest parks in madrid the casa de campo was once the royal hunting grounds and is now preserved as an endless park space used for cycling and walking despite the queues for a ride the 4 euro return trip will take you across casa de campo with an automated guided tour in either english or spanish the teleferico reaches a height of 40 metres and is an affordable and unique way to see the city 5 el rastro market is legendary in madrid on the surface the market seems to be like any generic european flea market cheap jewellery fedoras tourist t-shirts and guitar playing street performers however dig a little deeper and you will find cobbled streets filled with priceless antiques from record players to louis vuitton trunks its easy to see where el rastro got its reputation is one of the most unique markets in europe the vintage accessories and paintings seem never ending and each shop seems more impressive than the last a word of warning however these antiques are not cheap whilst it is possible to pick up old cameras and records for a few euro many of the more unique antiques are in the thousands nevertheless el rastro is well worth a visit even just for a look 6 stroll through el rastro market 7

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