We stayed 10 days at the Canopy by Hilton Madrid Castellana in the heart of Madrid’s AZCA financial district. Also steps from shopping and access to the metro train station.
After checking out the neighborhood, we caught the metro train to city center. Coming out of the train station we arrived at the Puerta de Sol, which is a pedestrian plaza full of tourists all around. This is the main starting point for everything. You’ll find iconic buildings in either direction, like the Museo Del Prado, Plaza Mayor, or the Mercado San Miguel.
We started with the hop on/off sightseeing tour bus. The red line allowed us to see the majority of the beautiful sights of the city. A day later, we visited the Museo Del Prado, which has over 100 rooms to view. Without realizing it, we spent 5 hours in the museum. Afterwards we found a very good Chinese restaurant a few blocks away.
Another day was spent at the Parque Del Retiro, one of the largest city parks in Madrid centered around a beautiful lake where you can rent a row boat. For those wanting to walk around, there are so many pathways to take you could almost get lost. There are several statues throughout the park and one of the entrances is lined with a row of statues. There is one section that had peacocks roaming freely. I believe they like getting their picture taken, especially since the one spread its eye-spotted tail train when I turned to take a picture of it.
On a visit to the Plaza Mayor with stumbled across the Mercado San Miguel, which is a huge food court selling tapas. I sampled about 4 different food items (crab roll, empanadas, fried shrimp and calamari mix). All of it was good, I wished I could have tried more. From here we walked to the palace.
The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish royal family and is used primarily for state ceremonies. Standing in the courtyard, you see the massiveness of the building. The inside was just as stunning. On the outside of the palace is the cathedral museum, and around the corner is the cathedral. The museum was closed but we were able to walk through the beautiful cathedral.
Madrid is such a beautiful city full of the vibrant colors and grand historical buildings. My type of city and one you should add to your list of places to visit.
