A Personal Manual To Lively Madrid Which Is Located In The Heart Of Spain

By Author: Maria Tillinghous
Total Articles: 33
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The Prado, The Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, and the Thyssen Bornemisza museums are surrounded by lovely foliage, and only a short walking distance from each other. They are located at the lovely Paseo des Arte, which is in the Eastern part of city. Private apartment complexes and fine dining highlight this area, and the older museums serve as background for the ambience of the bigger three. Just behind the Prado you will find the luxurious length of the rertiro gardens,covered by ponds and fountains,pavilions of glasss,and rose gardens,it is a lovely shaded place to find some relief from the summer heat.

The exhilarating barrio of Santa Ana is located just west of the Paseo del Arte and is characterized by tiled tapas bars and eateries lining it's narrow, bending streets. It is a down to earth, upbeat bohemian area, and has been since Cervantes and Lope de Vega made their mark on history. At one point in time, the theatres used to compete with the brothels for customer but even today, its a happening spot to be when the sun goes down. The crowds fight for seats and standing room in the terraces and areas encompassing ...
... the Plaza. During the calmer daylight hours, chic dogs out walking with their trendy professional owners amuse and delight the older neighbors who relax on the benches of the area.

This beautiful plaza is the heart and soul of old Madrid. It is a vast and imposing square, once used to crown royalty, to burn heretics, and now, unfortunately, home to nothing more than plastic covered menus at grimy tourist cafes. The intertwined and curvy lanes that exit the square, and the longest living lanes in the city, a distant reminder of the history of this beautiful city. Lined on either side with churches, palaces, convents, and speciality shops that make traditional guitars or sharpen your knives, all seem completely impervious to the slow passage of time. East of this place stands the Palacio Real, an elegant sample of ornate elegance, as well as the recently renewed Opera House.

These regular working category neighborhoods are positioned indiscriminately underneath the Plaza Mayor. Much of the area is poor and run down although renovation is definitely evident with its own cutting edge brilliance. People from South America and North Africa, as well as natives from Spain and young musicians that are in business for coffee shops and bars make a interesting combination Don't miss out on the notable Sunday morning flea market as well as a tapas crawl.

Dominating the northern part of the old city and connecting east and west, the Gran Via shows itself off as a wide avenue lined with extravagant, rustic cinemas, stores and banks. Two neighbourhoods north of Gran Via, Malasana and Chueca, have what could be called alter egos, during the day, they are quaint and comforting, but after sunset, the night life can get a little crazy. Hip and super trendy shops and bars, along with the famously endless nightlife, make these places among the coolest areas in Madrid.

Swanky Salamanca, in the northeast area of the city, is made up of wide avenues with chic apartments and exquisite restaurants. From the designer boutiques of Calle Serrano to seeing Ferraris outside exclusive clubs, one gets the feeling that money is everywhere in this town. Some of the nineteenth century mansions enhance the higher end surroundings, and the shiny towers that line Paseo Castellano are a wonderful point of interest for those intrigued by modern building design.