The Royal Palace in Madrid

A Guide to Sightseeing and Nightlife in Madrid

By Oscar Davis

Spain’s capital is a cosmopolitan, cool city with much to see and do.

Like most major cities with a buzz, it’s good to have a sense of what’s on offer before you go so you don’t merely end up exhausted and frazzled by the end of the day after trudging street after street.

You can, of course, chill out in the cafes like a real madrieleno and watch the world go by, but you might also want to think about some of these places during your visit.

Avoid the suburbs if possible, they and don’t represent the real Madrid. Instead, when you get off the train, head straight to the heart of the city: to its center.

Madrid de los Austrias

The oldest part of Madrid is known as Madrid de los Austrias and is a world of twisting streets and renaissance and Flemish architecture.

Here, you can visit the Plaza Mayor a seventeenth-century square with hundreds of balconies and kitsch decorations of allegorical figures.

In its day, it was used to house the city’s meetings, acted as a theatre and was a place for royal executions and trials.

Blocks away is the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, which translates as the ‘Barefoot Royals, it was established it by daughter of the Emperor Carlos V, Juana de Austria and it is obvious that it was created with a monarchy in mind - for a convent it is beautifully decorated and opulent though still retains an atmosphere of spiritual calm.

Today you can spot shoeless nuns tending to their vegetable gardens. Do also try and get to El Rastro, Madrid’s colourful flea market that sells everything from army gear to antiques and canaries usually open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The Famous Nightlife

For nightlife, Madrid is heaving with bars that encourage you to party on into the night; a few places don’t even appear to have an established closing time.

For tapas, try Las Bravas, a place that specialises in Pototas Bravas, a Spanish favourite of spicy potatoes. The place has a quirky feel with old mirrors decorating the outside of the building from its former days as a barbershop.

For late-night drinking and kitsch fun try El Morocco in Gran Via, whose cabaret doesn’t even begin until after midnight with a dance floor that stays occupied until nine in the morning.

The city provides many hotels and bed and breakfasts; however, because the tourists flock to Madrid, it is likely to get pricey. Look for hostels at Hostelbookers instead for cheap accommodation around the city and the rest of Spain.

For cheap flights to Spain, check out Fly Monarch for some decent deals.

Finally, with all this budgeting, don’t forget your travel insurance when touring major cities – you don’t want to lose valuables and fork out lots of money getting them back. Try Essential Travel for various packages to suit a city trip.

Oscar Davis is the editor of GoNOMAD Travel Picks.

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