Madrid – The Place for Art Lovers
If you are planning to go on holiday to Spain, and if this is your first time in Spain, then Madrid should definitely be your first stop! It is the capital of Spain, the largest city in Spain – and enjoys more than 2, 700 hours of sun a year – that works out to about 250 days! No wonder over 6 million tourists visit Madrid each year. Madrid is well known for being a centre of art and culture.
Best time to Visit:
Spring is definitely the best time to visit Madrid, especially in April, May, and June or even in October, when the Festival de Otono (Autumn Festival) takes place. The Festival is hosted by the province of Madrid every year and is the best music, theatre and dance festival in Spain.
Famous Art Galleries :
Art lovers will enjoy visiting Madrid, because you can find many well known museums, art galleries and castles with outstanding art collections. There are about 150 private art galleries. One of the most famous art galleries is the El Prado Museum, which has more than 1 500 great works of art.
The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza is also well known, and here you can find a collection of European paintings from the 13th Century to modern times. The Museo de America has the finest collection of pre-Columbian art.
Other Tourist Attractions:
The top attraction in Madrid is the Puerta Del Sol which is the center of Spain. Other tourist attractions are the 3,000 room Royal Palace ( Palacio Real ) and a number of beautiful churches, such as The Almudena Cathedral, The Basilica de San Isidro (The Basilica was designed as a twin-towered Baroque church by the Jesuit architect, Pedro Sanchez), The Real Ermita San Antonio de la Florida. The Panteon de Goya is the tomb of the famous Spanish artist, Goya.
In addition, visitors would like to see The House of Seven Chimneys which now houses the Ministry of Culture and The Palacio de Cristal (Crystal Palace) Warner Brothers Movie World is another attraction not to be missed!
For the kids there are so many places which the kids will love visiting. Some of them are The Aquapolis-Villanueva, one of the largest open-air water parks in Europe. The most popular place is The Zoo Aquarium De Madrid, where you can see more than 3,000 animals, and children can also enjoy The Marine Aquarium, The Parrot Club and The Dolphinarium.
Restaurants and Shopping:
There are so many restaurants in Madrid offering food from different parts of the world. Apart from Spanish food, you can also eat Italian, American, Japanese, and Thai, Middle Eastern dishes, Mediterranean and French food. You can also find vegetarian restaurants. You can shop to your heart’s content in the various malls and shopping centers in Madrid.
Various agencies in Madrid organize sight-seeing tours both inside and outside of Madrid. It is definitely a place worth visiting, so plan your trip with your family as soon as possible and enjoy a lovely holiday.