Villas & Apartments in Madrid
One of Europe’s biggest cities,
Madrid is an extremely inspiring and exciting place to visit.
Madrid-Barajas Airport is just 20 minutes from the city centre so you’ll soon be in amongst the action if you are arriving by plane. There are plenty of hotels and hostels available to travelers of all budgets. There is also alternative accommodation available for those looking for something different. Short-stay apartments, villas and guest rooms are also options for a different kind of stay in the Spanish capital. There are plenty of interesting ways to see Madrid and perhaps staying in an apartment will broaden your opportunities to experience a different side to Madrid.
Fun Facts
According to FIFA,
FC Real Madrid is the world’s most successful football club.
Madrid
Tapas originally evolved from a 13th century law that required stage coach drivers to eat something with their wine to prevent them getting too drunk.
Madrid enjoys more cloudless, sunny days than other country in Europe.
Some of the oldest universities in the world are located in Madrid.
Madrid at a glance
Located smack-bang in the centre of Spain, the capital city of Madrid is a thriving, metropolitan city with a wealth of exciting things to see and do. Like
New York, Madrid is known as the city that never sleeps and the nightlife is the stuff of legend. Madrid is located on a plateau and is 667 metres above sea level – it’s the highest capital city in the world. Madrid’s location is fairly unique and the city experiences an odd mixture of extremely hot weather and very cold weather. People living in Madrid often describe the weather as
9 months of winter then 3 months of hell!
Things to do in Madrid
What to do in Madrid? In our opinion you’re spoilt for choice – the city is full of great attractions and thankfully most of them are outside. Madrid is known for its many pretty squares and we recommend you take time to explore as many as you can. These squares have lot of history and have been used as locations for bull fighting, festivals and executions. We recommend
Plaza de Cibeles for its beautiful architecture,
Puerta del Sol for the many street entertainers working there and
Plaza Mayor which is popular with tourists and locals alike.
Madrid also has a great deal of beautiful city centre parks.
Retiro Park is among the world’s most stunning parks and is a favourite with locals. Covering 350 acres, the park contains a lake and also a palace. The park is located on the edge of the centre and is a great place to retreat away from the hustle and bustle of Madrid. Most people are surprised to hear that there is an ancient Egyptian temple in central Madrid. The
Temple of Debod is located in the
Parque del Oesta park and is well worth a look. The temple was rebuilt in Madrid after the state of Egypt decided they no longer had room to house it.
Madrid has a number of impressive museums that are worth your time. The biggest of these is
Reina Sofia Museum which specialises in contemporary Spanish art. It’s most famous piece is without a doubt Picasso’s ‘
Guernica’.
The Prado Museum is also worth a mention and is considered one of Spain’s greatest museums. It contains a huge collection of European art including 7,600 paintings and 1,000 sculptures. A little known museum that is worth checking out is the
Sorolla Museum. It houses a collection of post-impressionist and early 20th century art by
Joseph Sorolla and is loved by those who seek it out. The architecture of the museum is a particular talking point and was in fact Sorolla’s Madrid residence.
Madrid, but not as you know it
Madrid has many hidden treats for those willing to head off the beaten track. It’s a city of endless surprises and we highly recommend you explore Madrid’s less busy streets for snapshots of what it is really like to live in Spain’s capital. To get you started, we’ll recommend a few places we’ve discovered that are definitely worth your time.
Casa de Granada, located on Calle del Doctor Cortezo, certainly has an exclusive feel to it. The bar is located on the top floor of an apartment block and the entrance is the same entrance residents use for the building. To enter you must ring the bell and entry is only permitted to groups of less than four people. Another of Madrid’s hidden treats is its
Giant Sculpture Park (Parque Juan Carlos). The sculptures are very impressive and it is a great place to hang out or ride a bike. It is located to the North-East of the city centre and is easily accessible by bus. For those who like partying, we know a great late night restaurant.
Laidy Pepa serves pasta and is open all night – why not visit after going to a night club? You feel like you are in quite a special place when you are surrounded by fellow partiers eating pasta at 6am!
Getting around
As we mentioned, Madrid Airport is just a short distance from the city centre. Several buses operate between the airport and the city and the journey takes 20 minutes. Public transport within Madrid is clean, safe and reliable. There are 13 metro lines and 170 bus lines serving Madrid and all tourist attractions are easy to get to. Madrid is also well connected by bus with the beach towns surrounding
Valencia and the beautiful town of
Salamanca to the west of Madrid.