Quick guide with information on Madrid
This quick guide with information about Madrid may be useful if you are visiting here. Now that the good weather is beginning, you want to go for a walk and Madrid at this time of year is more beautiful than ever to visit. We delight in accompanying tourists and seeing how they enjoy the good weather and the history of our city.
We hope that these tips and quick guide will help you enjoy your visit much more and run with some advantage.
Madrilenians take things easy:
When you are traveling, you have to get used to the rhythm and way of life of each city. In Madrid, customer service is not characterized by excessive speed. Sometimes you may have to be patient and let yourself flow with the rhythm of the locals. The service in restaurants is good in general, but sometimes you will have to get up and go to the bar to pay, since the waiter does not seem to know that you want to pay. But instead he will always be willing to strike up a good conversation about last night’s soccer game or to help you if you need to know any directions.
Foods:
Breakfast is quite frugal, but generally people take time between 10 and 11 am to take a break from work and have a coffee. In Madrid the time to eat is between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. You will find many bars or restaurants in Madrid closed between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., when they reopen to offer dinner.
Tips:
The tip in Madrid, and in general in Spain, is not a rigid percentage as in other European countries. Therefore do not worry if you leave less than the famous 10%. And in taxis you are not expected to leave something. In hairdressers yes, you can leave a euro or two to the person who has treated you.
The night:
The night in Madrid is very lively and it is a pleasure to go out for “tapas” in the center, especially in the Barrio de las Letras, the Austrias or La Latina neighborhood. You will find so many bars and restaurants that you will not know which one to choose, although by asking you will find out the specialties of each one. Of course, in most of them you can order Iberian ham, omelette, paella or squid.
Museums:
They all tell you: you can’t leave Madrid without having seen the Prado Museum. But that is already a matter of taste. Of course, if you like art, the Prado (Paseo del Prado s / n) is the place to visit. But if you lean more towards modern art, then we recommend the Reina Sofía Museum (C / Santa Isabel, 52), which has nothing to envy to contemporary art museums in the rest of Europe. These are the two most important museums, but you also have great exhibition rooms at the Caixa Forum Foundation (Paseo del Prado, 36) at the Mapfre Foundation (Paseo de Recoletos, 23).
Transportation:
If you are in a hurry in Madrid, do not hesitate. Take the metro, which is one of the best in Europe. Fast and reaches everywhere. The lines are identified with different colors. If you are going to stay for a few days, it is best to get a ticket for 10 trips that costs about 12 euros. If you have a lot of time you can take the bus so you can see the city while you travel. The problem is that if you don’t know the city a little it is more difficult to know which one to take or where to get off. Although surely if you ask there will always be a good local to advise you.
Attractions:
It all depends on tastes, but in general the sites most sought after by tourists are the 18th century Royal Palace and its Almudena Cathedral, where Prince Felipe was married. The Plaza Mayor, from the 15th century, where one of the first markets in the city was housed. Next to this square, there is the Mercado San Miguel, an old market, today transformed into an exclusive gourmet place where you can taste Spanish delicacies. You can also visit the famous Puerta del Sol where is the statue of the bear and the strawberry tree, symbol of Madrid. And if you like football, you cannot miss the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, the playing field of Real Madrid of course, on Avda. De Concha Espina 1, metro line 10, Santiago Bernabéu stop.
Madrid is infinite. It takes many days to go through it and discover some of its secrets. If you want to see its main attractions in a relatively quick time and have a good time, you can hire any of our Madrid segway tours on this website. Or ask us on the phone +34 637 263 886.