Top 10 Madrid

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

TOP 10

MADRID

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

Unmissable museums & galleries Great walks and itineraries Best restaurants & cafés Most fun places for children Greatest paintings in the Prado Best hotels for every budget Finest tapas & local delicacies Best areas to shop or to browse Liveliest bars & clubs Insider tips for every visitor

YOUR GUIDE TO THE 10 BEST OF EVERYTHING

TOP 10

MADRID

CHRISTOPHER & MELANIE RICE

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

Contents

Left Parque del Retiro Right Puerta del Alcala

Contents Madrid’s Top 10 Produced by Sargasso Media Ltd, London Reproduced by Colourscan, Singapore Printed and bound in Italy by Graphicom First American Edition, 2003 07 08 09 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Published in the United States by DK Publishing, Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Copyright 2003, 2007 © Dorling Kindersley Limited Reprinted with revisions 2007 All rights reserved under International and ,/.$/. .%79/2+ Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No -%,"/52.% -5.)#(!.$$%,() WWWDKCOM part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited

A Catalogue in Publication record is available from the Library of Congress ISSN 1479-344X ISBN 978-0-78949-187-9 Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy of quality or popularity is implied. All 10 are, in the editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit.

Palacio Real

8

Museo del Prado

12

Plaza Mayor

18

Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales

20

El Rastro

22

Museo ThyssenBornemisza

24

Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

28

Parque del Retiro

32

Museo de América

34

El Escorial

36

Moments in History

40

People and Places of La Movida

42

The information in this DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide is checked regularly. Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices, gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London, Great Britain WC2R 0RL. Cover: Front – Alamy Images: Sergio Pitamitz main; DK Images: Kim Sayer bl, cl. Spine – DK Images: Kim Sayer. Back – DK Images: tr, Kim Sayer tl; Max Alexander tc.



Museums and Galleries

44

Around Town

Architectural Sights

46

Around Paseo del Prado

Spanish Theme Shops

48

Parks and Gardens

50

Children’s Attractions

52

Religious and

72

Contents

Left Calle Serrano Right Terrace café

Salamanca and Recoletos 78 Downtown Madrid

86

Royal Madrid

96

Cultural Fiestas

54

Old Madrid

102

Entertainment Venues

56

Chueca and Malasaña

114

Sporting Venues

58

Comunidad de Madrid

124

Nights Out

60

Spanish Dishes

62

Bars

64

Practical Information

132

Tapas Bars

66

Places to Stay

142

Restaurants

68

General Index

148

Streetsmart

Left Plaza Mayor Right Cibeles fountain

Key to abbreviations Adm admission charge Free no admission charge  Dis. access disabled access



MADRID’S TOP 10 Palacio Real 8–11 Museo del Prado 12–17 Plaza Mayor 18–19 Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales 20–21 El Rastro 22–23 Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza 24–27 Centro de Arte Reina Sofía 28–31 Parque del Retiro 32–33 Museo de América 34–35 El Escorial 36–39 Top Ten of Everything 40–69

MADRID’S TOP 10

Madrid Highlights 6–7

Palacio Real

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The former residence of Spain’s Bourbon rulers boasts more rooms than any other palace in Europe. With priceless collections of tapestries, clocks, paintings, furniture, even Stradivarius violins, there is something here for everyone (see pp8–11). !ROUNDŽ-ADRID

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Madrid’s Highlights Madrid’s three world-class art museums and two royal palaces alone would set the pulses racing, but there is more to this exciting and diverse capital than its tourist sights. The fashion boutiques of the Salamanca district showcase Europe’s top designers and are just the tip of a shopping iceberg, perfectly complementing the informality of the fascinating El Rastro market, while Madrid’s world-famous tapas bars vie for attention with gourmet restaurants and humble tabernas in a city which never sleeps. To simply watch the world go by, head for the supremely elegant Plaza Mayor.

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art gallery is Madrid’s obvious must-see. The outstanding collections of Spanish and European painting reflect the taste of royal connoisseurs (see pp12–17).

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