Things to do/see in Madrid

[LC926]

Hi All
I'm off to Madrid at the Weekend with the Mrs for our anniversary.
Just wondered if anyone has any recommendations for restaurants or things we simply must see/do.
We haven't got a massive budget so keep the suggestions real please.
Only thing planned so far is a tapas crawl on the Sunday.

Cheers
Paul

[LC926]

[Kneetrembler]

Prado Museum for Art.

Plaza Mayor, but be very careful of Pickpockets in the tourist areas.

Botanical Gardens

The best Tapas and the cheapest are in the area around the University.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Strangely, but it's true, the main post office is amazing. Do not be tempted to eat in Plaza Major, much better places a few streets away. (good place to sit for a beer though)

Ohhh..the Market Hall just round the corner is absolutely fab. Great place to eat & drink. (buy bits & bats from all the stalls, totally brill..best part of the City.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Here:

[LC926]

That's great thanks, just the sort of things i wanted

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

there's also a whole street of brothels..

...but that's a different story

[S7Paul]

The Royal Palace is an absolute "must do", but I'd advise you to get there early. The Almudena Cathedral opposite is worth a look too (including the crypt underneath it). While you're in that part of the city, the Museo Cerralbo is also very good.

I got fed up with the art galleries after a while - there's a limit to the number of miserable paintings of similar subject matter (the crucifixion being one of the most numerous) that you can take in one weekend. I actually preferred the Thyssen-Bornemisza gallery to the Prado. As mentioned above, the Botanical Gardens are nice.

Quite close to Atocha station is the Royal Tapestry Factory (Real Fabrica de Tapices), where they show you how the huge tapestry wall hangings, and handmade carpets, are made - still using the same methods as used hundreds of years ago. This is a bit off the beaten track, so probably won't be at all crowded.

And if you just want a stroll in nice surroundings, the Retiro Park is huge.

[ChasW]

If you are into football visit the Bernabau Stadium. I went on a business trip a few years ago and had lunch in reasonably priced restaurant that overlooked the pitch. No game on of course but they were preparing a platform to welcome Christiano Ronaldo. It's in a quite decent part of town, a bit like Chelsea, but on a larger and more magnificent scale

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

I've just remembered..

...a guided tour of the Bull Ring was also very interesting

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Did you get to St Miguel Market?

[LC926]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

Did you get to St Miguel Market?

We did indeed, a fab place but it was soooo busy, we didn't get a drink, just wandered as best we could and gave up. It really was packed. But a great atmosphere.

Out of all the bars we visited...and there were quite a few we really liked the atmosphere in the Museo de Jamon places. I know its like having a beer in a butchers but we liked them. The strange thing was the age range, it was odd seeing relatively old ladies ordering at the bar and having a good time. Something you just don't see over here.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

LC926 said:

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

Did you get to St Miguel Market?

We did indeed, a fab place but it was soooo busy, we didn't get a drink, just wandered as best we could and gave up. It really was packed. But a great atmosphere.

Out of all the bars we visited...and there were quite a few we really liked the atmosphere in the Museo de Jamon places. I know its like having a beer in a butchers but we liked them. The strange thing was the age range, it was odd seeing relatively old ladies ordering at the bar and having a good time. Something you just don't see over here.

Coolio