MADRID
Plaza Mayor : Today's Plaza Mayor wasn't in the original walled city of Madrid; it was just outside one of the gates in the 12th century Christian walls. Having developed into an unpaved and basically unconstructed market square, it was finally included inside the city walls in the 15th century.
It was first built up in 1619, Plaza Mayor was used for celebrating royal weddings, bullfights, trials for the Inquisition and other important ceremonies. It has also been a market square and centre of commerce and artwork. Plaza Mayor. Metro Sol (Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3) Metro Ópera (Line 2 y Line 5 . Open to the public.
Royal Palace : The Palace dates back to the 9th century, when it was a rudimentary defensive fort constructed by the Islamic Kingdom of Toledo. This fort was subsequently used by the Kings of Castile. The fortress gave way to the building of an Alcázar in the 16th century.
A devastating fire tore through the Alcázar and left the Royal Family of King Phillip V homeless on Christmas Eve in 1734. The King soon ordered a new Palace built on the exact samesite and what rose from the ashes was the current Royal Palace. The new Palace was completed in 1755 and King Carlos III moved in 1764. Calle Bailén s/n. Metro Ópera (Line 2 y Line 5) Mon-Sat 9.00am to 6 pm. Sundays and holidays 9.00am to 3.00pm.3.50€ - 9.00€
Prado Museum: The first actual attempt to create a museum in Madrid was made by King José Bonaparte just after the construction of the world famous Louvre Museum in France but the project was nipped in the bud in 1809 and the first brick was not even laid.
King Ferdinand VII finally brought the project to a mature stage at the ongoing requests of The Royal Academy of Fine Arts. What is today known as the Prado Museum was opened in 1819 as the Royal Museum of Art and Sculpture. The Prado Museum contains the world’s greatest assembly of Spanish painting – speciallyworks by Velazquez and Goya – Ranging from the 12th to 19th centuries. Paseo del Prado betweenPlaza de Neptuno and glorieta de Carlos V. Metro Banco de España (Line 2). Tue-Sat9.00am to7.00pm. Sundays 9.00am to 2.00pm. Mondays closed. Sundays free to EU residents.
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía: The story of this building dates back to the 16thcentury when it functioned as a public hospital. After being declared Monument of Arts in 1977 it went through several renovations between 1980 and 1988.In 1986 it was first open as Reina Sofía Center of Fine Arts and in 1988 it finally became the National Museum Reina Sofía by Spanish royal order, replacing the Spanish Museum of Contemporary Arts. The Reina Sofia’s collection gathers works from the late 19th century and includes some of the works by Picasso (Guernica), Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró among others. Plaza Santa Isabel, 52. Metro Atocha (Line 1) Mon-Sat 10.00am to 9.00pm. Sundays 10.00am to 2.30pm. Tuesday Closed. Cost: 3.01€ ( 50% off when presenting your sudent’s card. Free entrance on Saturdays and Sundays from 2.30pm.
Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas: Sin lugar a dudas el escenario más representativo de la escena taurina madrileña. En ella se dan cita las personalidades y los mejores eventos de éste arte típicamente español. Calle Alcalá 237. Metro Las Ventas (Línea 2). Precios temporada 2005: 4.50€ - 95.00 € Visitas guiadas: 5.00€ - 10.00€
Parque del Retiro: Undoubtedly the most important and famous park in Madrid, it was designed for Felipe IV at the beginning of the 17th century, this urban forest continues to attract madrileños and visitors as a social meeting point throughout the year.Calle Alcalá (Int. Alfonso XII) Metro Retiro (Línea 2). Open to the public.
Sabatini Gardens: The gardens of the Royal Palace (Jardines de Sabatin & Campo del Moro) were open to the general public by King Juan Carlos I in 1978. These gardens were not designed by Sabatini himself (obviously not since they were constructed in 1933 and Sabatini lived in the mid 18th century) but instead were laid out in the exact location of the now non existent Royal Stables designed by Sabatini in the late 18th century. Calle Bailén s/n. Metro Plaza de España (Línea 2 y 3) y Metro Ópera (Línea 2)
Puerta del Sol: Puerta del Sol was one of the eastern gates in the city walls built around 1440. At this late date, the walls weren't built to defend against attacks, but instead to control people and merchandise entering the city, mainly for taxation but also to decrease the possibilities of plague. Today "Sol" is a bustling square, filled with cars, buses,people and more people. The pedestrian shopping streets on the north side are usually jammed packed in the afternoons. It is also where the Kilometer "0" marker is, from which the six radial highways in Spain count their distances. Puerta del Sol. Metro Sol (Línea 1, Línea 2 y Línea 3)
El Rastro: Madrid’s celebrated flea market stablished in the middle ages, has its hub in the Plaza of Cascorro and sprawls downhill towards the Real Manzanares. Madrileños come in search of a bargain from the stalls which sell a huge range of wares- anything from new furniture to second hand clothes. The wide range of goods and the lively crowds in El Rastro make it an ideal way to spend a Sunday morning.Open on Sundays and holidays from 9.00am to 3.00 pm.Calle Ribera de Curtidores. Metro La Latina (Línea 5)
Puerta de Alcalá: The Puerta de Alcalá was originally constructed in 1599 to welcome doña Margarita de Austria (wife of King Felipe III) to Madrid.On December 9th, 1759 King Carlos III entered the city through the gate but was not very pleased with it and felt it was not worthy of such a noble entrance. In 1764 Carlos III ordered the gate to be torn down and decided to construct a new gate to serve as the entrance to Madrid from the "Camino de Aragón" ("Road to Aragón"). The Puerta de Alcalá that we know today was completed in 1769 and it quickly became one of the most important symbols of Madrid. Metro Retiro (Línea 2)
| THE WEATHER |
Due to its geographic location within the Iberian Peninsula and high altitude the climate of Madrid is characterisedby its warm dry summers, cool winters and the lack of rain.During Winter temperatures range from 0 to 15 degrees centigrade, while in Summer there have been registered temperatures that reach 44 degrees centigrade. Although rains are not necessarily plentiful during most of the year’sthey can be abundant and unpredictable specially in summer and fall seasons.
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| SUNSHINE |
Madrid is a sunny place and, even in the depth of winter when the temperatures plummet, there are usually a few hours of sunshine to brighten the skies. At the heights of the Madrid summer you can expect an average of twelve hours of blistering sun a day, so come prepared with a hat and a high factor sun cream, and avoid the midday sun.
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Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Ago |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Average . hours |
6.5 |
7.5 |
8.5 |
9.0 |
9.5 |
10 |
12 |
11.5 |
8.5 |
7.0 |
6.0 |
5.5 |
RAINFALL
Madrid has two main rainy periods – one from March to May, and the other from October to December. During the Autumn, the skies tent to open in shorts thundery bursts, bringing the year’s highest rainfall. Summers are dry and hot, and you are very unlikely to see much rain from June to September.
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Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Ago |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Milimeters |
40 |
35 |
45 |
50 |
53 |
25 |
15 |
20 |
30 |
55 |
50 |
53 |
Inches |
1.6 |
1.4 |
1.7 |
1.9 |
1.8 |
1.1 |
0.5 |
0.6 |
1.2 |
2.0 |
1.9 |
1.8 |
TEMPERATURE
Scorching hot summers and freezing winters make Madrid a place of extremes, with averages giving scant indication of the heights and depths of temperature the city can achieve. For many people, the most comfortable months to visit Madrid, in terms of milder temperatures, are June and October.
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