Whether you are planning your next summer holiday or looking to schedule a last-minute winter city break, Madrid should be one of the first destinations on your list.
One of the most culturally significant and fascinating Spanish cities, it offers a multitude of activities that are sure to appeal to every conceivable taste.
With cheap flights and quality accommodation all but guaranteed (you can see Spain’s hotel ratings here), all that is left is for you to plan a fun and exciting trip to the nation’s capital.
A Brief Guide to Madrid: Culture, Cuisine and Chaos: With this in mind, here is our brief (but hopefully useful) guide to Madrid and the elements that make it such a unique place
Embrace Madrid’s Art and Museum Culture
Madrid is known as a footballing city, but it also has a strong cultural heritage. There are a number of huge museums that narrate its fascinating history, along with small and independent galleries that showcase unique artwork. Madrid’s art triangle is well worth a visit, for example, comprising of the Museo Del Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. With those with more unusual or contemporary tastes, Madrid’s CaixaForum is a vertical garden that presents art in an entirely new and engaging manner.
Enjoy Local Cuisine
The local cuisine is delightful in Madrid, and this alone is worth the trip. Tapas is the show-stopper in eateries around town, as these light, delicious and endlessly satisfying dishes are indicative of the region’s atmosphere and fresh, natural produce. Casa Gonzalez is one the most popular tapas bars in Madrid, with its rustic façade, smartly tiled interior and wonderful menu of conserves, cheese and charcuterie. TriCiclo is an option for more contemporary tastes, as it delivers internationally-inspired tapas dishes that presents a wider range of ingredients in a simple and unpretentious manner.
Visit Madrid’s Vast Parklands
As a modern metropolis, you would not expect Madrid to feature quite so many vast and open green spaces. You will therefore be surprised during your visit, however, with parks such as the huge Casa de Campo spanning a staggering 1,700 hectares (6.6 square miles to you and me) and offering everything from lakeside boating to kayaking. To put this in perspective, the Casa de Campo is five times bigger than New York’s iconic Central Park, while it is also one of many outdoor spaces that draw millions of visitors on an annual basis.
French Escapade in Spain…
Jackie and Valerie love France, and might have started as French Escapade, but their trips now cover so much more. Some of them are women only, some are for artists (or budding artists), some focus on cooking. I loved their latest newsletter which focused on Spain, so thought I would share some of it… Why […]
To be a Pilgrim… Walk the Camino
Camino de Santiago is the name of any of the pilgrimage routes, known as pilgrim ways, to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain. Pilgrims (peregrino) have walked these ways for over 1,000 years, following the simple scallop shell signs, and often with a Pilgrim’s staff. The pathways are very popular with modern walkers – […]
Women of the American Resistance
Love this article by travel writer Karen McCann: I’m going to spend the summer talking with the women who are driving the American Resistance: Leaders, behind-the-scene workers, lifelong political activists, first-time protesters, Pussyhat knitters, people with disabilities doing online activism, neighbors, friends, and women who are finding creative ways to mount effective protest in some […]
Walk the Lighthouse Camino – Camino dos Faros
VakanShe is a company that offers Adventure travel for women, they have some great tours on offer, and their latest is an invition to walk the Camino dos Faros – or the Lighthouse Camino. We are looking for a group of women to join us on this amazing 200km long trek along the Atlantic Coast of Galicia […]
Lisbon as a Solo Woman
When deciding to travel the world, you’ll find most travelling guides to be family or couple oriented. Unfortunately, this leaves a single traveller at a disadvantage. In order to rectify this recurrent mistake, here is a short and simple overview of a place you should visit as a solo female traveller. Lisbon, the largest and […]
