Madrid!!
Madrid!! What a wonderful city!
Really though, I loved every inch of this city. From the moment I stepped out of the train station, I felt that I was somewhere really amazing. From world class art museums to Christmas markets and amazing shopping, Spain's capital has it all! The first time I visited was only for a couple hours to catch a flight in October, but I returned with two of my friends in mid December for Christmas break.
It was pretty dang cold when we got there, so for anyone wanting to visit remember to pack accordingly. We stayed with a friend who happened to be studying there at the same time, so I don't have any recommendations for hostels unfortunately! What I would recommend is wearing some good walking shoes; we racked up a good 14 miles in one day just walking around the city!
One of my favorite things about Madrid is that a lot of the neighborhoods have this wonderful cozy feel, like everyone there knows each other, even though you're in a huge city! There are tons of great places to sit and grab a beer or some tapas or you can spend hours walking up and down the shopping districts (be careful though, remember you have to fit everything in your suitcase).
We spent a good amount of time checking out the popular tourist sites, including the cathedral, the crystal palace, the many parks and of course El Prado art museum. El Prado houses tons and tons of very famous pieces, from Salvador Dali, Picasso, Goya and many many more. However, I enjoyed even more La Reina Sofia art museum. It was there that we really saw some amazing Picasso pieces. Both museums are a must when visiting Madrid!
Since we were there right before Christmas time, we also got to see a lot of the wonderful Christmas markets! These are a great place to find locally made gifts and souvenirs for yourself or anyone back home if you happen to be going home for the holidays. Afterwards, we found a charming little bar called Gran Clavel where we tried a classic Spanish style vermouth!
Overall, I can't recommend this city enough. There is so much amazing history to see, but it also has the feel of being really modern and diverse!
Really though, I loved every inch of this city. From the moment I stepped out of the train station, I felt that I was somewhere really amazing. From world class art museums to Christmas markets and amazing shopping, Spain's capital has it all! The first time I visited was only for a couple hours to catch a flight in October, but I returned with two of my friends in mid December for Christmas break.
It was pretty dang cold when we got there, so for anyone wanting to visit remember to pack accordingly. We stayed with a friend who happened to be studying there at the same time, so I don't have any recommendations for hostels unfortunately! What I would recommend is wearing some good walking shoes; we racked up a good 14 miles in one day just walking around the city!
One of my favorite things about Madrid is that a lot of the neighborhoods have this wonderful cozy feel, like everyone there knows each other, even though you're in a huge city! There are tons of great places to sit and grab a beer or some tapas or you can spend hours walking up and down the shopping districts (be careful though, remember you have to fit everything in your suitcase).
We spent a good amount of time checking out the popular tourist sites, including the cathedral, the crystal palace, the many parks and of course El Prado art museum. El Prado houses tons and tons of very famous pieces, from Salvador Dali, Picasso, Goya and many many more. However, I enjoyed even more La Reina Sofia art museum. It was there that we really saw some amazing Picasso pieces. Both museums are a must when visiting Madrid!
Since we were there right before Christmas time, we also got to see a lot of the wonderful Christmas markets! These are a great place to find locally made gifts and souvenirs for yourself or anyone back home if you happen to be going home for the holidays. Afterwards, we found a charming little bar called Gran Clavel where we tried a classic Spanish style vermouth!
Overall, I can't recommend this city enough. There is so much amazing history to see, but it also has the feel of being really modern and diverse!
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