Madrid, the capital and the largest city of Spain takes pride in its great cultural and artistic heritage. Along with this, Madrid happens to be a modern and contemporary city with some of the liveliest nightlife in the world. Tourists find no dearth of places to visit in Madrid. One of the best known ad busiest places in this city is the Puerta del Sol (Spanish for “Gate of the Sun”). The square is famous for its clock whose bells mark the traditional eating of the Twelve Grapes and the beginning of a new year. The New Year’s celebration has been broadcast live on TV since 31 December 1962.

The plaza is located right in the heart of Madrid and happens to be the centre for the local transit system, a favourite meeting spot for locals, a visible area for festivals or political demonstrations, and a opportune location for tour guides, street performers, pickpockets and anyone else looking to take advantage of all the tourists on hand. Immediately to the southwest of the square lies the Plaza Mayor; the Palacio Real, the official home of the Royal Family, is further west. Parliament and the museum district are to the east and the train station Atocha is to the southeast.

There are a number of architectural works to be seen in this plaza. There is the the Statue of King Charles III on horseback, facing the Royal Post Office. In front of the building of Royal Post Offcie is Kilometer Zero, a plaque showing the point where the measuring of national highway system begins. On the east side of the plaza is the famous Bear and the Madroño Tree Statue, a bear climbing a madroño tree, which is the symbol of Madrid. Nearby the giant neon Tío Pepe sign sits above the plaza and is a famous fixture of this area.

Being the hub of the transport network of Madrid, this square connects several commercial and recreational areas together. The square happens to be a shopper’s paradise with various shopping establishments in and around the area, like the several El Corte Inglés department store buildings in Preciados Street, La Mallorquina cafe, and numerous, ever-changing restaurants. The area remains active late into the night and early morning since nearby bars and dance clubs often only start entertainment at 1 am. Street music is also common in the area. Side streets close to the square also contain residential flats, some small offices, and tourist hotels.

The Lazaro Museum in Madrid originally belonged to Jose Lazaro Galdiano, a writer, editor and financer, who built up an extensive art collection, together with many unusual items, during his stay from 1862 to 1947. The museum is open from Wednesday to Monday from 10.00 hours to 16.30 hours for an entry fee of €4.00.

The 3 storeyed museum impresses the visitors with its grandeur and the ceilings which are painted with beautiful murals. Each floor abounds in articles like silverware, jewellery, ceramics, furniture and even ivory trinkets. El Greco’s works are here, as too are paintings by Gainsborough and Reynolds. You can see little known works of Goya, alongside the English painters, Constable and Turner, and 17th century works by Spanish artists like Velázquez, Ribera and Murillo.

There’s also an extensive library with hundreds of books about art and magazines published by Lazaro Galdiano. It’s open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 09:00 – 14:00; and Tuesday and Thursday from 09:00 – 14:00 and 15:00 – 17:00. The library is closed from 15 June – 15 August in the afternoons. The museum shop mainly features copies of the art magazine ‘Goya’. Also worth visiting are the beautiful gardens which surround the museum.

The museum is only 5 minutes walk from the metro of Gregorio Manañón. You can take a metro, Gregorio Manañón (Orange Line, L7) or (Dark Blue Line, L10).

The city of Madrid offers a vast and varied choice of open green spots where you can escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and relax for a few hours. The choice ranges from hundreds of little public parks dotted around inside the city limits and still some larger ones outside the city limits. Here are some of the choicest parks and gardens in Madrid:

Retiro Park
The Retiro Park stretches for a huge 350 acres of land which features Estanque del Retiro, a large artificial lake, and the Mausoleum of Alfonso XII. The park also has a host of other attractions like exercise machines, ladders and swings, statues. follies and (shallow) ponds apart from boating on the lake, painting and photo exhibitions, kiosks and cafes with ice creams. The park also features the Palacio de Cristal glass pavilion, the El Angel statue, the Bosque de los Ausentes and the Auditorio de La Casa Encendida for regular exhibitions, classes and shows.

Real Jardín Botánico
Standing on the southern end of Retiro are the Royal Botanic Gardens which features some very rare species for over 200 years now and has over 30,000 trees and plants within its collection. There is a 2 euroweenie entrance fee.

El Capricho
Created in the French baroque style, the site has a number of squares and fountains and green parades. There is an artificial lake with islands in the middle and a proper maze which unfirtunately is not open to the public. The park is open only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 9.00am until 9.00pm in the summer and closing earlier in the winter at 6.30pm.

Parque del Oeste
Located at the city’s western boundary, the park is quite popular with joggers, strollers and lovers. The space has some good terrace cafes standing down the main avenue that separates the city from the park.

Parque Juan Carlos I
Named after Juan Carlos, the park spans to 160 hectares of land, 1,900 metres of river de ra, lake covering 30.000 m2 and 13,000 metres of walks featuring sports centres, kids attractions, open air sculpture museum, botanic research areas, olive groves and specialist dog-walking part.

Madrid is one of the most popular tourist sites and is thus, filled with a number of places worth visiting. This article lists 5 of these amazing attractions that must be visited.

Prado Museum- it is located on street Paseo del Prado. One of the most famous art museums, the Prado contains masterpieces from the 12^th to the 19^th century. It attracts a large number of tourists and is worth a visit. The works of Goya, Rubens and Murillo are amongst the masterpieces on display. Its exhibitions both temporary and permanent are excellent and worth seeing.

It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays and public holidays. However, it is closed on public holidays that fall on a Monday. Its timings are from 9 in the morning to 8 in the night. On 24 December, 31 December and 6 January its timings are from 9 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon.

Its entry fee costs 8 Euros. The entry is fee for those over 65 and EU students under 25. It is also free for unemployed, disabled, teachers and official guides. Non-EU students under 25 pay 4.00 Euros. Also the entry is free on Sundays and a few other special holidays.

Its contact number is (0034) 91 330 2800

El Rastro – this is a gargantuan market located on street Ribera de Curtidores and adjacent streets. It is Madrid’s oldest flea market and thus, attracts a large number of tourists. The items purchased here are reasonably priced and good quality too. They range from clothes and accessories to CD’s and kitchen equipment. The hustle bustle and the smells and the colors prove to be a real treat! You’ll get a taste of real Madrid here.

It is open on Sundays and holidays. Its timings are 09:00 – 15:00. As for transport you can take the metro – Puerto de Toledo (Green Line, L5) or Tirso de Molina (Light Blue Line, L1). After that it’s a 5 minute walk.

Retiro Park – this park is near Plaza de Independencia. It is a serene sight. Its atmosphere is good for calming you down. Hosts of people are seen strolling down its path on Sundays. On Sunday’s you’ll also see Punch and Judy shows, tarot card readers and stalls selling candy floss. It is the best place to relax. There are several cafes along its sides if you don’t want to walk. Here you can listen to the blooming talents of excellent musicians who haven’t been discovered by the industry yet.

It is open from Monday – Sunday. Its timings are 06:00 – 22:00 in winters and 06:00 – 00:00 midnight in summers.

Palacio Real – this enormous building is located on street Bailén. It is an old imposing building, constructed in 18^th and 19^th century. At this time it is the residence of the Spanish Royal family, although they only use it for state occasions. Its architecture is mind-blowing. The open space and sheer size is enough to impress anyone. Tourists are even allowed entry to enjoy the lavish halls and rooms including the throne room which features remarkable architecture. The Royal Armoury and Royal Pharmacy can also be visited. A guide can give you as many details as you want regarding this place. A guided tour through this palace will be very much worth your time.

Its open on Sundays and holidays. Its timings are 10:00 – 18:00 from October-march and 10:00 – 20:00 from April – September.

As for transport you can reach this place by the metro – Opera (Red Line, L2), or (Green Line, L5). The official website is www.patrimonionacional.es. The entry fee is €10.00 without guide and €17.00 with guide. Children under 5 go free. Also for pre-arranged school groups, old age pensioners, students and the handicapped the fee is €5.00.