10 Things to Do in Madrid’s City Center, Madrid, Spain

Madrid is one of those cities I constantly long to go back to. I can see myself living, working and eating here. I’m in love with the Spanish way of life, the ‘duende’ you’ll hear many of them speak of. Madrid’s city center is a great place to get an idea of what Madrid is about and it can easily be explored on foot. After you’ve explored the city center, you can head out into the other areas like El Rastro La Latina, Lavapiés etc. Here’s my best 10 things to see and do in the center.

El Retiro Park is a green escape in the center of Madrid. I like to start off with an early morning stroll through the park, admiring its 18th century style. The Crystal Palace is a beautiful glass structure overlooking the pond. It’s a great place to sit and have a picnic lunch or read a book if you get tired of the busy streets.

The Prado museum has over 9000 artworks and is the largest art gallery in the world. You can spend hours here, getting lost in the exhibitions. Goya’s Black Paintings are haunting images and a must see. I also enjoy the romanticism of Rubens’ paintings, one of the most famous is probably The Three Graces, which you can see in the museum. If you love art you can include visits to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum. Together with the Prado these three museums are known as Madrid’s Golden Triangle of art. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).