If you’re an art/museum person I’d go to the Prado.

Depends on the things that you like. I would go to the Vicente Calderon or Santiago Bernabeu to watch a soccer match.

I had 2 days in Madrid so I went to El Museo del Prado and also to the Bernabeu. There was no match that day but at least they let you do a tour inside the stadium.

If it’s your last day in Europe, why not a relaxing walk around the city? A nice cafe where you can start digesting everything before the awful post trip depression?

edited for stupid spelling

desilu98 writes:

quote:will be in madrid for 24 hours before catching my flight home…

any suggestions on what to do/see?

You’ll need to be at aeropuerto de Barajas 2.5 to 3 hours before your flight. Will that reduce your stopover to 21-hours?

What day/date will this be? Some museums are not open Mondays. I would start at the Plaza de España, cross to Plaza de Oriente & Plaza de Opera; walk to the Palacio Réal and take a tour if time allows.

Somewhere in here I think it would be dinnertime: the place I prefer is a Taberna directly across C,/Mayór from the Ayuntamiento. The cook is Asturiana and she is good.

My next objectives would be the Puerta de Alcalá, Plaza de Cibeles (Metro: Banco de España), then south on Paseo del Prado to the Museo del Prado where I would spend an hour or two. Time permitting, I would continue south to Plaza de Atocha & Centro de Arte de la Reina Sofia.

I’m not very knowledgeable about evening entertainment. It depends on when you’re going to be there: Buy a newspaper and see what’s happening.

For breakfast the morning of my departure I would catch a (M-115?) bus from Avda de America to Barajas Pueblo and have Chocolate con Churros at Toribio’s (on the town Plaza). I think the M-101 from Canillejas also terminates in Barajas but it goes via Barajas airport.

I was in Madrid for 2 days and I didn’t see anything

I was so tired from backpacking that I used it to recooperate.
I wish i had done more

I loved the Museo Thyssen Bornemizma (sp?) and the Parque Buen Retiro (sp?). I went to all three major museums in Madrid and this was my favorite, and the Parque is spectacular.

gabrielann143 writes:

quote:I loved the Museo Thyssen Bornemizma (sp?) and the Parque Buen Retiro (sp?). I went to all three major museums in Madrid and this was my favorite, and the Parque is spectacular.

I guess I should have said: Metro-Retiro that has an exit on c/Alcalá right at the Puerta de Alcalá, the Arch at the main entrance to el Parque del Buen Retiro; but I just visit Retiro Park on Sundays when all the street performers are out and about. Our last trip we sat and listened to a young Cantaor de Flamenco there for about 20-minutes.

I must confess that I have never actually visited the Thyssen collection; although I remember when Miss Spain ’62 (Carmen Cervera) married Thyssen.

Eddie is always full of GREAT ideas – REALLY! Take his advice seriously.

As others have said, 24 hours (or 21 hours when considering the return trip to the airport, re-checking in, security line(s), etcetera) isn’t much time. But as an example, my sister recently visited me here in Madrid – for ONLY 24 hours – arriving in the late afternoon and leaving in the late afternoon the next day. We did little more the first night than go out for tapas and drinks and then returned home early for a movie and wine. The next day we slept a little late and then went to the Museo del Prado for most of the morning. After that we simply walked around the Retiro Park and rented a small rowboat for about 30 minutes. After rowing around the lake a bit, we had lunch at a lakeside terrace. Now, it was about 1:30pm and seriously time to get her bags and get back to the airport by 3pm. Of course, you can do more things by night than we did if you don’t value sleeping much.

But some of the best things to do in Madrid is simply WALK. As Eddie said, you can start at the Plaza de España and walk up the Gran Vía to Opera and the Royal Palace, then to the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol. From there, you can walk through the old Huertas neighborhood and then to Plaza de la Cibeles and then to/through the Retiro Park to the Atocha Train Station and walk around inside in the kind of Botanical Gardens.

Have a great time during your short visit to Madrid. Hope it’s enough of a taste to make you want to return soon.

Saludos, MadridMan
—
Madrid, Spain & MORE @ http://www.MadridMan.com

The Center Reina Sofia is one of my very favorite art museums in Europe.

MadridManDotCom writes:

quote:Eddie is always full of GREAT ideas – REALLY! Take his advice seriously.

Thanx for the vote of confidence, MM! I agree wholeheartedly with your suggestion about walking: Been there; done that!!

quote:… As Eddie said, you can start at the Plaza de España and walk up the Gran Vi­a to Opera and the Royal Palace, then to the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol.

But that’s not what I wrote! Plaza de Opera is just past Plaza de Oriente across the Avenida from the Palacio Réal & at the foot of c/Arenal. You won’t get there walking up the Gran Via from the Plaza de España. Walk in the direction Don Quixote is looking and that will get you close.

I agree about walking…the parks…the streets…I thought Madrid was a great place to wander around. Go to Casa Mingo and have some roasted chicken and cidra while you’re at it haha. I wish I had some of that now..

Yeh I went to the Prado – I went on a Sunday so it was free entry, to be honest I got a bit overwhelmed with all the amazing artwork that I only managed to last a couple of hours.

I also went to the main park which was a great experience, there were people out playing drums and acrobatics as well as residents of the city out enjoying the park, it was a really great day for me

Here are some pics I took of the park http://www.flickr.co…

1 day in madrid good to prove real man, fight bull, drank tequla and get out of sh1thold

I like the centro Reina sophie gallery…it has a lot of Picasso’s art, including Guernerica (?) and a good selection of Dali’s

Catch a match at the Santiago Bernabeu !

If I were you I go with a map and try to see one or two things in Madrid. 24hs is not enough but you can’t miss El museo del Prado and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.
My boyfriend and I have visited those museums and we just love them. Try to go to a tipical spanish restaurant so you could taste the traditional food… that’s something you can’t miss when you travel.