Dateline Discovery

Everything feels distinctly alive in one of Europe’s largest and most popular capital cities.

From the chatter and clanking of the curb-side cafes to the thumping of the beat from the neighborhood nightclubs, few places feel as vibrant at all hours as Madrid — even in those lazy weekday afternoons.

SUNDAY

After landing at Madrid–Barajas Airport, we decided it would be best to take the Metro, the city’s subway line, to our hotel. Thus, we stopped at the ticket machine just outside the station, which is in the airport itself, and loaded it with a single-trip ticket to our destination, the Tirso de Molina stop, which was three lines and two changes away.

Having made quick work of the subway system, we checked into the Hotel Cortezo (Calle del Dr. Cortezo 3). Our room was not particularly spacious, but we quickly unpacked our things, grabbed our itinerary and headed for the doors as it was already shortly after 2 p.m.

Because it was Sunday, because it started to close within the hour and because we were nearby, we made our way down to the Rastro, a traditional outdoor flea market where a variety of items can be bought from locals who have set up tents. Although it was presented in a number of guidebooks as being part of the local Sunday tradition, and a place where good deals on a number of goods could be had, I found it to be little more than, well, a flea market. There was the usual assortment of cheap clothing, souvenir mugs and magnets and leather goods available for purchase over several blocks, sprawling down Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores (and even a few side streets).

From there, knowing we were about 15 minutes away, we scurried along to the Reina Sofia, which we knew is free to visitors from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sundays. Admittedly not art historians in any sense, we forgave the rest of the collection and instead made our way to the second floor to see Picasso’s Guernica, a recognizable 25-foot-wide mural considered one of the most powerful anti-war pieces ever commissioned. The museum, which opened just 25 years ago, is the home of several other works by Picasso and Dali and is mainly dedicated to Spanish art.

We spent about 30 minutes inside before retracing our steps in search of food. Right at the end of the Rastro flea market, near a small community park, was El Capricho Extremeño (Calle de Carlos Arniches 30). Known for its variety of open-faced sandwiches, we strayed from the adventurous and each bought the Iberian ham and cheese and a Coke, paying €11 altogether for a quick pick-me-up. There are few places to stand in the restaurant itself (and nowhere to sit), so we retreated to the park, no more than half a block away, and took up a bench with plenty of others who had the same idea.

What To Know
Date of visit: Nov. 3 to Nov. 5, 2017.
Airport location: Ten miles northeast of the city. There’s a Metro station in the airport, but getting anywhere in the city itself will likely require a connection.
Walkability: 7/10. The heart of the city is very well-centered, but if you need to get to the outskirts — or cross it in a pinch — the Metro is fairly helpful.
English: Widely spoken at the tourist sites, but the locals aren’t guaranteed to know it.
Must-See Attraction: For something that seems distinctly Spanish, check out the Las Ventas bullring.
Traveler’s tip: Businesses, and especially restaurants, tend to close in the afternoon and remain open late — sometimes really late — so plan your meals accordingly.

Much of the rest of the afternoon was a line-’em-up, knock-’em-down tour of historic Madrid sights. Two blocks away from the park was the Puerta de Toledo [Toledo Gate], a large stone arch completed in the 1820s that signaled the start of the road toward the city of Toledo. We headed north from there, stopping at the Plaza de la Paja [Thatched Square], a small, medieval square lined with pavement cafes and the Muralla Arabe [Arab Walls] and Parque Emir Mohamed, where one could see the remains of the historic walls of the city, before visiting La Catedral de Almudena [Almudena Cathedral], a Catholic church that began construction in 1883 and wasn’t finished until 1993.

A five-minute walk north led us to the Palacio Real [Royal Palace], which is rarely used by the royal family and, therefore, leaves many of its 3,000 rooms open to visitors. That was not the case when we went, though, as the palace was closed for the week because of official state business. That was no bother, as we merely crossed the street to wander through the Plaza de Oriente [Eastern Square], where the statue of King Felipe IV was the first ever cast featuring a man on a rearing horse, and, nearby, the Plaza de la Villa [Town Square], Madrid’s oldest square and the city’s main marketplace in Muslim and early medieval times.

Our plaza jaunt wrapped up with strolls through two of Madrid’s most famous squares. The Plaza Mayor [Old Square], the location of rituals of public penance during the Spanish Inquisition in the 1500s and 1600s, has also hosted bullfights and carnivals and, each December, the city’s Christmas market — though during our visit, it was set up as a book festival. Finally, the Puerta del Sol [Sun Gate], a quick five-minute jaunt east along Calle Mayor, is the heart of the city, the home of the annual New Year’s Eve celebrations and home to the famous neon Tio Pepe sign and the statue of El Oso y El Madroño, the bear and the strawberry tree, which has become the symbol of Madrid.

From there, we hopped back on the Metro and made our way north to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, home of Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid. Tickets for games can be easy to come by, but they require some planning; first, because the schedule revolves around television windows, the specific days and times of games aren’t announced until, at most, a month before, and secondly, because Real Madrid wins, well, everything, they do happen to sell out fairly quickly.

After briefly taking in the atmosphere outside the stadium, where vendors sold the usual allotment of snacks and team gear, we made our way inside, spooked by the lengthy security lines in front of our designated gate. We took our seats in the fifth deck — not the highest one can go, but close enough — and watched Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid defeat visiting Las Palmas 3-0.

A combination of the score and the impending 11:15 p.m. dinner reservation forced us to dart for the exits as soon as the final whistle blew, and even then, once we made it back to the Metro station, the platforms were packed. We backed out of there and made the ill-advised decision to try to instead hail a taxi — something that was made impossibly more difficult by the 80,000 spectators who had now flooded out of the stadium behind us.

Fortunately, after nearly 20 minutes of trying, we caught one who zipped us directly to Restaurante Sobrino de Botín (17 Calle Cuchilleros), which is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest restaurant in the world. Mentioned in an Ernest Hemingway novel and where the artist Francisco de Goya once worked, it is famous for its roast suckling pig — and the various cuts of beef aren’t bad, either.

MONDAY

A hectic first day led to a more relaxed start to our second day as we walked 15 minutes from the hotel to the Real Jardín Botánico [Royal Botanical Garden], just south of the Prado and home to more than 30,000 plants from around the world. Keeping with the garden theme, we walked across to the Retiro, Madrid’s main park, which boasts roughly 15,000 trees over 300 acres, to see the Ángel Caído [Fallen Angel], the only monument to the devil in the world, and the nearby Palacio de Cristal [Crystal Palace].

We then headed over to the Prado, but after much debate — and seeing how many people were in the line to get in — we decided to pass on the €15 tickets and took a risky gamble that it would be less crowded during the evening, when it was free. Thus, we returned to the Retiro and this time walked north, along the Estanque Grande [Large Pond], and exited near the Plaza de la Independencia [Independence Square], which has the Puerta de Alcalá [Alcala Gate], the first modern post-Roman triumphal arch built in Europe, at its center.

From there, we took a leisurely stroll westward along the Gran Vía, Madrid’s answer to New York’s Broadway or Paris’ Champs-Élysées, which is lined with upscale shops and restaurants. Rather than indulging, however, we headed to 100 Montaditas (22 Calle Mayor, but several locations) for lunch based upon a friend’s recommendation and had, well, 100 different types of little sandwiches and other tapas, many for €1 each.

A bit of misfortune struck next as we wandered over to the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, a royal convent that opened in the 16th century and has been a museum since 1960. The only English tour of the day was already sold out — something we should have known — and even the Spanish tours were unavailable until the evening.

That left us with a free hour, and what better way would there be to spend it than to head over to Chocolatería San Ginés (5 Pasadizo San Gines)? The cafe, which opened in the 1890s, is considered the home of the best churros in the city — and while it’s a little kitschy, catering more to tourists these days than to locals, one dunk of the golden brown dough into gooey chocolate is all you need to forget that.

With our indulgences fulfilled, we thought it best to trudge a mile back to the Prado, knowing that the lines were likely to still be long. We arrived shortly after 5 p.m., an hour ahead of the free entry, and were stunned to find out just how many people had the same idea; by the time security finally granted us passage, the line had snaked around the far side of the building, easily hundreds of people long.

Visitors are only given 90 minutes to tour the gallery before it closes, and thanks to a guide we prepared in advance, we were able to grab a map and hit 10 highlights. Here goes: Start at Room 12 for Velasquez’s masterpiece Las Meninas, then see Titian’s Carlos V at the Battle of Muhlberg in Room 27. Walk to Room 29 for Rubens’ Three Graces, to Room 19 for Tiepolo’s Immaculate Conception and to Room 16B for Rembrandt’s Judith at the Banquet of Holofernes. Then go to Room 9 for Ribera’s Jacob’s Dream and Room 8B for El Greco’s Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest. Now head downstairs to Room 57 for Flandes’ Crucifixion and Room 56A for Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights. Finish with Goya’s chilling The Third of May 1808 in Room 64.

That circuit still took us more than an hour, so from there, we scurried off to Cardamomo (15 Calle Echegaray) for dinner and flamenco inside a cozy cabaret theater. As with many seemingly traditional cultural performances, this one also catered significantly to tourists, but the dancers and singers were top-notch.

TUESDAY

With an afternoon flight, and two long days already, we had just two stops to hit after checking out of our hotel. First, we took the Metro to Las Ventas, a neighborhood in the northeast of the city, to visit the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, the largest bullring in Spain and the third-largest in the world. The season was over, which means the audio tours allowed visitors into the ring itself, as well as through the tunnels and into the infirmary and the chapel.

Our last stop was straight across the city, back near the Palacio Real, to the Parque del Oeste [West Park] and the Temple of Debod. An Egyptian temple that dates back more than 2,000 years, it was disassembled and given in appreciation to Spain after archaeologists from the country helped save Abu Simbel from flooding when the Aswan Dam was built in the 1960s. Entry is free; for the best experience, claim a spot in the evening to watch the sun go down.

Verdict: As one of the largest cities in Europe, and one that remains warmer than many others for longer stretches in the year, Madrid is a place that will attract plenty of tourists — even on weekdays and distinctly in non-tourist season. Still, it’s a place that distinctly feels alive, with its residents resolutely proud of their home and their country.

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Disclaimers: All products, services and experiences were paid for and arranged by the author and the vendors named herein had no editorial oversight of this piece. All photographs were taken by and remain the property of the author; contact for republication rights.