Madrid - BlogETrotters

Day 1 - Old Madrid

Unless you want to visit the major art galleries first, the best place to start exploring Madrid is the Puerta del Sol Square, officially considered the center of the city. Before you start, we advise you to stop at La Mallorquina to have breakfast with a delicious pastry and coffee.

Go up Calle de Preciados and take the second street on the left, leading you to Plaza de las Descalzas. Here, you can admire the baroque portal of the Caja de Madrid Palace, built by the will of King Philip V in 1733 and located in front of the Convent of Descalzas Reales. Continuing south, you’ll reach the San Ginés Church on Calle de los Bordadores, built on the site of one of Madrid’s oldest Christian places of worship, dating back to at least the 14th century. Behind this church is the magnificent Chocolatería de San Ginés, revered by churros and chocolate lovers. Continue to Calle Mayor, cross it, and you’ll arrive at the splendid Plaza Mayor.

After having coffee in the square, head back to Calle Mayor and proceed west to the historic Plaza de la Villa, where the sixteenth-century Ayuntamiento (City Hall) of Madrid is located. On the same square, you’ll find the Casa de Cisneros, built in the 16th century, and the Gothic Casa de los Lujanes, one of the oldest buildings in the city.

Then, take the street alongside the left side of the Casa de Cisneros. Once you reach the end of Calle del Sacramento, cross it, go down the stairs, and follow the cobblestone Calle del Cordón to Calle de Segovia. You’ll almost be in front of the Mudéjar-style tower of the fifteenth-century Iglesia de San Pedro El Viejo.

Continuing along Costanilla de San Pedro, you’ll reach the San Isidro Museum, next to the Iglesia de San Andrés, which, for a time, held the remains of Madrid’s patron saint, San Isidro Labrador. From here, you can cross Plaza de la Puerta de Moros and head southwest to reach the Basilica de San Francisco el Grande

From San Francisco el Grande, wander through the small maze of alleys that once made up the Moorish quarter to emerge on Calle de Bailén, where you’ll find delightful terraces. The Ventorrillo Bar (Corral de la Moreria) is probably the terrace in the happiest position, on the edge of the Jardines de las Vistillas. This is a magnificent place to relax while enjoying views of the Sierra de Guadarrama.

After a refreshing beer, follow the viaduct north to reach the Cathedral of Our Lady of Almudena, the Royal Palace, and the Plaza de Oriente, adorned with statues, fountains, and hedge mazes. The eastern side of the square is bordered by the Royal Theater.

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The northern end of Calle de Bailen runs along the Senate. The Senate Palace represents the 17 regions of the country and the Spanish enclaves in North Africa (Ceuta and Melilla). It was converted in the 19th century from a sixteenth-century monastery, underwent significant modifications in the 1840s and again in the 1950s. The modern extension facing Calle de Bailén was built between 1987 and 1991. Continuing from Plaza de España along Calle de Ferraz, you’ll reach the Cerralbo Museum, where you can explore a curious collection, and then the Temple of Debod, an ancient temple transferred here from Egypt.

Return to Plaza de España; the eastern side marks the beginning of Gran Vía, a long avenue reminiscent of the boulevards in Paris. Approximately halfway down Gran Vía, you’ll notice the imposing Telefonica building, easily identifiable as it sits on a hill. At the eastern end of Gran Vía stands the superb dome of the Metropolis Building. Continuing east along Calle de Alcalá, you’ll arrive at Plaza de Cibeles, the beloved roundabout for Madrileños. Approaching this square, you’ll see the proud late nineteenth-century building housing Banco de España on the right, while on the left, you’ll notice the gardens of the majestic Buenavista Palace, now the headquarters of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense.

Cross Paseo del Prado to reach the Prado Museum, or continue to Calle de las Huertas (across the tiny Plaza de Platería Martínez). The seventeenth-century Convento de las Trinitarias, where the writer Miguel de Cervantes rests (unfortunately not open to the public), is located. Turn right along Costanilla de las Trinitarias and head north along Calle de San Agustín to Calle de Cervantes, where you’ll turn left. At number 11, you’ll find the Casa de Lope de Vega, the famous Spanish playwright. At the end of Calle de Cervantes, turning left into Calle de León, you’ll find yourself back on Calle de las Huertas. Along this street, in Plaza de Santa Ana and the surrounding alleys, you’ll find numerous places to sit and rest.

Day 2 - Parque del Buen Retiro

After a challenging tour of nearby art galleries, a great way to relax is to immerse yourself in the scaled-down Madrid version of Central Park.

Parque del Buen Retiro is a popular meeting place for families, clowns, bongo players, couples arm in arm, and walking enthusiasts. The gardens are especially busy on weekends when street performers showcase their talents. Once reserved for kings, queens, and court members, the park is now open to everyone. Visitors can also rent rowboats (€4 for 45 minutes) to take a ride on the artificial lake (estanque), dominated by the imposing structure of the mausoleum of Alfonso XII. On the western shore of the lake, you’ll notice a unique structure decorated by Singi: this is the Fuente Egipcia (Egyptian Fountain), where, according to legend, a vast fortune buried by Philip V in the mid-18th century is said to be hidden. However, park authorities have assured us that this is a purely fictional story. On weekends, around the same lake, artists, fortune-tellers, and card readers set up. A couple of structures near the park host art and photography exhibitions, particularly Palacio de Exposiciones. In the summer, puppet shows are also organized (look for the sign ‘Tiritilandia,’ which means ‘Puppetland’). The Palacio de Cristal (2 91 574 66 14; 11-20 from Monday to Saturday, 11-18 on Sunday and holidays from May to September, 10-18 from Monday to Saturday, 10-16 on Sunday and holidays from October to April), a beautiful metal and glass structure located south of the lake, was built in 1887 as a winter garden for exotic flowers. Occasionally, the palace is also used as an exhibition space.

Not far away, the Palacio de Velázquez (@ 91 573 62 45; observes the same hours as the Palacio de Cristal) was built in 1883 for an exhibition on the mining industry and is now used for temporary exhibitions. Another building that occasionally serves a similar purpose is the Casa de Vacas (2 91 409 58 19; (3 11-22). At the southern end of the park, near La Rosaleda (rose garden), a statue dedicated to El Ángel Caído (the Fallen Angel, i.e., Lucifer) has been placed, giving the place a slightly eerie touch. The southwestern end of the park is a well-known meeting point for young homosexuals.

Day 3 - Toledo

Toledo lacks a true city center; however, Plaza de Zocodover, at the northeastern end of the old city, is a good starting point for your visit. This oddly-shaped square was once the site of an Arab livestock market, and more recently, the main market of the city. Nowadays, it is adorned with café terraces and crowded with tourists on day trips. From here, the imposing fortress of the Alcázar is just a short walk away, it will houses the collection of the Museo del Ejército from Madrid, further expanding the already extensive collection of weapons here.

This site, the highest point in Toledo, was initially a Roman military base, then an Arab fortress, and finally Christian after the reconstruction by Alfonso VI in the 11th century. Later, Charles V converted the squarely structured building into a royal palace and used it to accommodate his guests until it was damaged by a fire in 1710. The palace burned again in 1810 (by Napoleon) and was almost completely destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. When Franco ordered its reconstruction, it was transformed into the military museum you can admire today. This site, the highest point in Toledo, was initially a Roman military base, then an Arab fortress, and finally Christian after the reconstruction by Alfonso VI in the 11th century. Later, Charles V converted the squarely structured building into a royal palace and used it to accommodate his guests until it was damaged by a fire in 1710. The palace burned again in 1810 (by Napoleon) and was almost completely destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. When Franco ordered its reconstruction, it was transformed into the military museum you can admire today.

Nearby is the Cathedral, one of the richest and most majestic churches in the world. The essentially Gothic building, with some Mudéjar additions, was constructed in the 13th century on the site of a former mosque. Toledo’s role as the seat of the Church in Spain ensured the cathedral a wide array of patrons, and wealthy Catholics left their mark in the sumptuous decorations visible everywhere. It’s worth exploring all the chapels and side rooms, but the Capilla de la Tome (Tower Chapel) in the northwest corner and the Sacristía (Sacristy) deserve a bit more attention. The latter boasts a graceful vaulted ceiling and a small gallery with works by the painter El Greco (see reading on this page), while the Tower Chapel houses one of the most extraordinary monstrances in existence, the Custodia de Arfe, dating back to the 16th century. With 18 kg of gold and 183 kg of silver, this sparkling mass of metal features a staggering 260 statuettes. Other noteworthy places include the impressive main altar, the Transparente window, and the choir stalls.

To the southwest of the cathedral is the Judería (Jewish quarter), home to the synagogues of the old city and the heart of the route that retraces the life and works of the painter El Greco. The first stop is the Iglesia de Santa Tomé, where one of El Greco’s masterpieces, El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz (The Burial of the Count of Orgaz), is displayed. The painting tells the legend of the pious count’s funeral in 1323 when St. Augustine and St. Stephen appeared to bury the body in the tomb. The bearded man immediately above St. Stephen (the younger of the two saints in golden clothes) could be a self-portrait of the painter.

Continue El Greco’s itinerary and head towards the Casa-Museo del Greco. This house is not necessarily where the painter lived, but it is decorated in the style of the time. At least twenty of his minor works are exhibited here, along with paintings by his contemporaries. More works by the painter can be found in the Museo de Santa Cruz, near Plaza de Zocodover.

Born in Crete in 1541, Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco) moved to Venice in 1567 to apprentice as a Renaissance artist. Under the influence of masters like Tintoretto, he learned to paint dramatic scenes with few colors, directing the observer’s interest to the faces of the characters he portrayed, leaving the rest in relative darkness—a characteristic that later became one of his distinctive traits. Starting in 1572, he devoted himself to the study of Roman Mannerism and the works left by Michelangelo.

Theotokopoulos arrived in Toledo in 1577 with the hope of securing a commission at El Escorial, but things took a different turn as Philip II did not want him as a court artist. In Toledo, the painter began to work in a style completely different from that of local artists, attracting a wealthy clientele willing to pay high prices for his works. His high opinion of himself and his work, however, drew the hostility of the cathedral administrators, the first among many clients to drag the artist to court to justify his decidedly high fees.

El Greco enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle and took up residence on Paseo del Tránsito, where his meals were often accompanied by performances by musicians. With the decline of Toledo’s fortunes, El Greco’s economic situation also suffered a setback. Although his later works are among his most beautiful, the painter often struggled to gather the money needed to pay rent. He died in 1614, leaving traces of his presence throughout the city, where many of his masterpieces are still located.

Beyond the Casa-Museo del Greco, you will encounter the interesting Museo Sefardí, housed in the Synagogue of El Tránsito, one of the best-preserved remnants of Jewish Spain. This peculiar combination of names refers to the ‘Virgen del Tránsito,’ the name given to this place of worship when it was consecrated as a Christian church. Some breathtaking sculptures adorn the walls, and the museum is an ideal place to deepen your knowledge of Jewish life in medieval Spain.

For a glimpse into Muslim Toledo, head to the Cristo de la Luz Mosque. During the Muslim rule, there were 10 mosques in the city, but this one, a characteristic example of their style, is the only survivor. Don’t miss the horseshoe-shaped arches, both inside and outside, and the inscriptions on the interior walls.