The Spanish capital is commonly referred to as El Foro (The Forum) and is famous for football, steamy nightclubs, passionate flamenco and tasty tapas.
We’ve listed the top six things not to miss when visiting Madrid;
1. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
With a collection of over 1,000 works of art, the Thyssen-Bornemisza is a key stop on one of the world’s most singular cultural and artistic touring routes.
Just meters from the Prado and the Reina Sofia, the Museum allows visitors to embark on an exceptional journey through seven centuries of painting or to contemplate any one of the 50 paintings it holds that are considered to be universal masterpieces.
2. Nightlife
The nightlife in Madrid is unique – there is nothing like it anywhere in the world. There are always places where you can go out, dance, laugh, talk, flirt… In Madrid, going out at night is a fountain of culture.
There is something for everybody: from the most minimalist chill-out bars to the most enticing clubs and Goth bars, from the questionable dives to the wildest after-hours clubs and nostalgic dance halls.
One of the most well-known and popular clubs in Madrid is Kapital, a prime example of the city’s larger-than-life social scene.
3. Tapas Bars
One of Madrid’s most long-established traditions is going out for tapas. There are time-honored and modern taverns, traditional venues, and trendy restaurants, but all coincide in one thing: they serve small delicatessen bites that go down perfectly with a glass of wine and excellent conversations.
Try Casa Gonzalez and nab a table near the big bay window, load it with jamón ibérico de bellota (acorn-fed Iberian ham, €10.10), cured manchego cheese (€6), and a spicy bottle of red and watch the light fade over the cobblestones outside.
4. Flamenco
Voices filled with anguish and pain in cante jondo, rhythms of happiness and joy in sevillanas and rumbas. Flamenco is all that and so much more, always loaded with passion and intensity.
These qualities confer the genre with an expressiveness that moves all viewers, regardless of where they’re from or whether they understand the language. Flamenco makes feelings flourish. Who hasn’t felt moved by a dancer tapping her feet to the rhythm of a guitar?
For more information on ticket options visit www.flamencotickets.com
5. World’s Oldest Restaurant
Botin is a traditional restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine. The average price of a main course dish at the Botin restaurant is 18 euros. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this is the oldest restaurant in the world, dating from 1725.
Spaniards still go here to sample the excellent food, specialties being cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig) and cordero asado (roast lamb).
6. Rastro Flea Market
Madrid´s most traditional items can be bought, sold and enjoyed in the plaza de Cascorro and its surrounding streets.
A mixture of modernity and traditionalism, Madrid’s world-renowned flea market sets up for business around the Plaza de Cascorro. Dating back to mediaeval times, El Rastro is one of the oldest markets in Europe, yet also one of the most modern.
Source: Madrid Visitors & Convention Bureau