A spare day in Madrid

[ozimax]

Hello folks.

We're heading off to Europe next week for 5 weeks. (BTW, QF was far and away the cheapest option at the time I booked; we're flying QF1 to Rome via LHR, and back QF2 ZUR-LHR-BKK-SYD).

Can anyone give a suggestion as to what to do in Madrid for maybe half a day eg we fly out at 8pm, bound for Dublin. The time is early March so I imagine the weather will be coolish.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[adrian]

Depends what you are interested in. There is the Prado museum, if you like that kind of thing. It is very easy city to just walk around and get a feel of the place.
Getting from the airport is simple - there is a train station at MAD, and it is clean, fast and cheap....

 

[amaroo]

For a half day I would also select the Prado - they have an exhibition from the Hermitage until 25th March. We went in Dec & really enjoyed the museum.

For a full day I would go to Toledo a UNESCO World Heritage site - we also did this in Dec and absolutely loved it......30 mins on high speed train & one of the most beautiful places you will see.

 

[SYD]

If it is not a silly question - how long are you in Madrid for? Noting that you a going to Rome and returning from Zurich. It's kind of out of the way - but not a bad place to be none the less!

I would do the Prado and generally wander around - most of the sights, Royal Palace, Cathedral, Plaza de la ville, Gran Via, Puerta del Sol, Prado, Reina Sofia, are all in a relatively compact area connected by metro if necessary. Along the way, have a nice lunch / tapas somewhere.

 

[Happy Dude]

There's always a lengthy queue for the Prado, so unless you want to spend a chunk of your half-day waiting in line, I'd skip that. Madrid is a great city for walking and even better for eating. It'll be too early for the bars but perfect time for a long lunch at an asador with plenty of rioja. You might even get the first of the milk-fed spring lambs. Sleep it off on the way to Dunblin....wherever that is.

 

[tuapekastar]

Prado is closed on Mondays (well it was when I visited MAD). There is a hop-on/hop-off bus - I know it is a bit 'touristy' but it does get you around some key sights quite quickly, which may suit your situation. I jumped off at (I think) Puerta del Sol and had a nice big beer and maybe some tapas.

 

[pat25d]

Segway tour?

Did one through madsegs and it was great fun!

 

[ozimax]

If it is not a silly question - how long are you in Madrid for? Noting that you a going to Rome and returning from Zurich. It's kind of out of the way - but not a bad place to be none the less!

Not a silly question at all. We're in Rome for a week, then we fly into MAD and make a quick transit (via fast train) to Valladolid. We then return from same to Madrid on the Monday morning, but don't fly out to Dublin (sorry, Dunblin was a typo) until 8pm. I guess we'll have about 5-6 hours to kill.

Thanks so much for the advice. I think we'll just store our bags and then wander around the city. Maybe the tourist bus seems a good idea.

Again, many thanks.

Segway tour?

Did one through madsegs and it was great fun!

I will investigate. This seems like fun.

 

[medhead]

If your into it, I'd go to Reina Sofia to see Guernica and then wander up to Plaza de Sta Ana for lunch/tapas. These are central located just off the Calle de Atocha. There is also Plaza Major right near there, which is well worth seeing. The Royal palace is then also close to the Plaza Major, also worth a look if you have time. All within walking distance.

 

[ozimax]

If your into it, I'd go to Reina Sofia to see Guernica and then wander up to Plaza de Sta Ana for lunch/tapas. These are central located just off the Calle de Atocha. There is also Plaza Major right near there, which is well worth seeing. The Royal palace is then also close to the Plaza Major, also worth a look if you have time. All within walking distance.

This sounds great. I think we get into Chamartin station (from Valladolid) on the Monday morning. I assume there is a good rail system in Madrid, so we will seek out the places you have suggested. Many thanks.

 

[medhead]

This sounds great. I think we get into Chamartin station (from Valladolid) on the Monday morning. I assume there is a good rail system in Madrid, so we will seek out the places you have suggested. Many thanks.

You might have guessed from the name that it is close to Atocha station. I didn't use the metro, but I think it is pretty good. I'm not sure if baggage x-ray is used for metro, but definitely was used for long distance trains in 2007.


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[ozimax]

You might have guessed from the name that it is close to Atocha station. I didn't use the metro, but I think it is pretty good. I'm not sure if baggage x-ray is used for metro, but definitely was used for long distance trains in 2007.

No, I didn't guess at all, as I have no idea what Atocha station is!

 

[drron]

I agree with Medhead this time!The Prado had too many dark,morbid,religous paintings for us.Reina Sofia was much more to our taste.

 

[tuapekastar]

Segway tour?

Did one through madsegs and it was great fun!

I have done a segway tour (Anchorage rather than Madrid) and it was, as you say, lots of fun! It will be high on my list for any city I visit in future that happens to offer one.

 

[medhead]

No, I didn't guess at all, as I have no idea what Atocha station is!

You got me second guessing myself now, but I'm fairly certain it is one of the long distance train stations, like Chamartin, and pretty sure it is connected to the metro network. I've probably got the name wrong in some way.

I agree with Medhead this time!The Prado had too many dark,morbid,religous paintings for us.Reina Sofia was much more to our taste.

That's nice. I only went there to see Guernica - which is dark in subject, but maybe not in paint colour IIRC.


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[drron]

That's nice. I only went there to see Guernica - which is dark in subject, but maybe not in paint colour IIRC.


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Yes I dragged mrsdrron there for that too but we ended up staying most of the morning.

 

[Mr_Gimlet]

There are two main train stations in Madrid, Chamartin and Atocha. Most trains go into Atocha, but international trains like those from France and those from the north go into Chamartin. The two stations are connected by the local train system which is called Cercanias. There are only two stops between them, one of which is a massive Metro station interchange called Nuevos Ministerios - from where you can go to the airport. So transport isn't going to be a problem!

The hop-on/off bus is a great way to see the sights, but it's a pity you won't be there at night when Madrid comes alive. The Prado is closed Mondays and the Reina Sofia Tuesdays. There is also a third world class gallery in Madrid, the Thyssen bornemisza, which is also closed Mondays and is very strong on Degas and Renoir. It's not as well known as the other two but is a remarkable collection. All three galleries are close to Atocha station.
Remember as well that Spaniards eat late - 2pm is normal lunchtime - so you could do a bit of sightseeing then a long lunch. There are some great modern and traditional restaurants in Madrid, and some awesome dessert and chocolate places. Although there are lunch tapas places, it is more common early evening. As suggested above, asadors (roast meats) are a really good lunch; one of them, botin, is one of the oldest restaurants in the world (and is good though not the best). You can book more famous places online, or you can roll up at most good places but expect to wait behind regulars. The set lunches are cheap (Government rules!) and can be huge, usually with a half bottle of wine pp included.

 

[tuapekastar]

You got me second guessing myself now, but I'm fairly certain it is one of the long distance train stations, like Chamartin, and pretty sure it is connected to the metro network. I've probably got the name wrong in some way.
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You got the name correct )), and it is also the station which suffered the horrific terrorist bombings in 2004. I stayed very close to it in 2000, and walked past it on a number of occasions.

 

[ozimax]

There are two main train stations in Madrid, Chamartin and Atocha. Most trains go into Atocha, but international trains like those from France and those from the north go into Chamartin. The two stations are connected by the local train system which is called Cercanias. There are only two stops between them, one of which is a massive Metro station interchange called Nuevos Ministerios - from where you can go to the airport. So transport isn't going to be a problem!

Thanks so much, you are a wealth of information.

I tried to book some fast train tickets on the Renfe site yesterday, but (and I was warned that the online booking system is hopeless) the whole thing crashed at the end. Thankfully it didn't charge my credit card. I may try again as the prices were very cheap.

 

[Mr_Gimlet]

I tried to book some fast train tickets on the Renfe site yesterday, but (and I was warned that the online booking system is hopeless) the whole thing crashed at the end. Thankfully it didn't charge my credit card. I may try again as the prices were very cheap.

This is well known, though I seem to have been lucky. Definitely try again, the cheap fares on the RENFE site are unsurpassed and many trains do sell out - I have tried to buy tickets for day trip tourist journeys to other cities and failed miserably. The cheapest fares are Web (marked W), followed by Estrella (marked with a star). Turista is second class, Preferente is first class, and Club (only on some trains) is premium first. Make sure you can see all these fares - if there are no web fares showing for any trains, you have either gone in through the "Passengers - Timetables" link or they haven't been loaded - this sometimes happens if you are close to the 60 day opening window (you can't buy tickets more than 60 days in advance).

It's also worth registering, even if you are only doing one lot of tickets, as it crashes a bit - you will then be able to see partially completed bookings.

Edit: which journeys are you trying to book?