J F M A M J J A S O N D 

temp. in C 6 8 12 15 18 23 26 25 21 16 10 7

Hours of sun per day 5 6 6 8 9 11 12 11 9 7 5 4

Days with rain 6 4 7 6 6 4 1 1 4 5 6 6

The best way to discover Madrid is to take the city bus. It offers three different routes where you will see, Modern Madrid, Monumental Madrid and Historic Madrid. All the routes are inter-connected. Tickets can be purchased at internet , travel agencies, hotels, Madrid VISION buses and information points.

Highlights of the city.

-El Prado museum

-The Royal Palace

- Parque Retiro

- Plaza Mayor

-The neighbouthood Chueca is the area where all gay nightlife is concentrated.

Parque del Retiro:

It is the largest and most beautiful park of Madrid. It has

130 hectares of woodland which form a green, tree-clad

(more than 15.000 trees) island in the middle of the very

busy city. One may enter it through any of the fine gateways.

These are located in the Plaza de la Independencia, the Calle

de Alcalá, the Calle de O'Donnell, and the Calle de Alfonso XII. White stone figures of the Kings and Queen of Spain peep out from the avenues of lofty tees and thick bushes, and just inside the park there is a large artificial lake where row-boats can be hired. The park also has its rose garden, as well as the Cecilio Rodríguez gardens and many delightful secluded nooks where strollers can enjoy a little privacy. In the middle of the park there are two buildings known as the Palacio de Velázquez and Palacio de Cristal, where art exhibitions are sometimes held.

Plaza Mayor:

The Plaza Mayor, a grand arcaded square in the center of Madrid is very popular with tourists and locals alike. The

symmetrical rectangular square features a uniform

architecture, very similar to the contemporary Place des

Vosges in Paris. It is a large square, measuring 120m long and 90m wide (394ft x 295ft). It was surrounded by wooden buildings, at one point up to six stories high. Fires destroyed all the buildings around the Plaza Mayor three times in history: in 1631, 1672 and 1790. Each time they were rebuilt, the last reconstruction after a design by Juan de Villanueva is what we see today.

Museo del Prado:

Located in an 18th building designed by Juan de Villanueva,

the Prado is considered one of the most important art

galleries in the world. It houses masterpieces by Velázquez,

Goya, El Greco, Zurbarán, Ribera, Titian, Raphael, Botticelli,

Fra Angélico, Rubens, Bosch, Van der Weyden, Poussin,

Lorrain, Watteau, Rembrandt, Dürer and Mengs, among others.

Paseo del Prado.

Metro: Banco de España & Atocha.

Open: 9 AM to 7 PM; Sunday 9 AM to 2 PM. Closed: Monday.

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza:

This museum houses a splendid collection ranging from

primitive Flemish to contemporary works. More than 800

paintings and sculptures, carvings, tapestries and other

items are displayed.

Villahermosa Palace, Paseo del Prado, 8.

Metro: Banco de España.

Open: 10 AM to 7 PM. Cloed: Monday.

The royal Palace:

The Royal Palace in Madrid is actually used (but not owned) by

the king of Spain for state ceremonial activities. The palace

was built on the site of a former alcazar that burned down in

1734. It took 26 years to complete. A visitor to the palace today

gets to see 50 of its 2800 rooms. While the palace is impressive in size alone, I was really amazed by the broad range of styles used to decorate the rooms. No two rooms appear to have been done in the same manner.