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Madrid, Spain's capital city, has many grand, ornate buildings, some superb museums, and the mother of all late night party scenes - and not just for the young ones. Madrileños of all ages just love to walk, talk, drink and smoke late into the night.The city center is small, well signposted, the natives are friendly - apart from some harassed bar/restaurant staff, the metro/tube is efficient and the tap water is drinkable.
Madrid is on Continental time 6 hours ahead of New York and seven hours ahead of Chicago. In 1996, members of the European Union agreed to observe a "summertime period" from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. The clocks are an hour ahead of solar time (GMT) in winter, and two hours ahead in summer. The clocks change twice during the year. Check the "Time Ticker" for current time in Madrid.
Madrid's Barajas Airport (MAD) is situated approximately 15 KM (7m) from the city center and has three terminals
Since June 1999 Barajas Airport has its own Metro station, situated between Terminal T2 and Terminal T3. The trains leave every 5 minutes from 6.00am to 2.00am. Cost: 145 pesetas one-way. Tip Consider buying a 10-trip ticket at 760 pesetas, valid for both the Metro and city buses, since you will undoubtedly be using the Metro again during your stay.
AresMobile is a chauffeur-driven meet and greet service which can be reserved in advance from our website. You will be met at the airport in the arrival hall by your chauffeur who will speak English (or other languages if specified) and whisked away to your final destination. Personalized chauffeur-driven tours and excursions with hourly rates can also be arranged. Prices range from 45 euros.Advantages Fully personalized luxury service. Disadvantages For the fortunate few - may be out of your budget.
A passport is required, but a visa is not required for tourist or business stays up to 90 days. Individuals who enter Spain without a visa are not authorized to work. For further information concerning entry requirements for Spain, travelers should contact the Embassy of Spain at 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20037, telephone (202) 728-2330, or the nearest Spanish consulate in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, or San Juan. For further information on entry requirements in Andorra, travelers should contact the Andorran Mission to the U.N., 2 U.N. Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10018, telephone (212) 750-8064. Students planning to study in Spain should be aware of a recent change in Spanish immigration laws, which require applications for student visas to be submitted a minimum of 60 days before anticipated travel to Spain. In an effort to prevent international child abduction, many governments have initiated procedures at entry/exit points. These often include requiring documentary evidence of relationship and permission for the child's travel from the parent(s) or legal guardian not present. Having such documentation on hand, even if not required, may facilitate entry/departure.
Since 1 January 2002 the EURO (€) is the official currency of Spain (together with 10 other European countries. It is divided in 100 cents. Coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents; and 1 and 2 EURO (€). Notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 EURO (€). Most shops, restaurants and hotels accept all major Credit Cards. As of printing, one Euro equals around 1.29 USD
Traveler's checks are hardly accepted at all, but there are no problems with credit cards in shops, restaurants, gas or petrol stations and hotels. ATM's (Automatic Teller Machines or cash dispensers) are very common. Exchange facilities are available at Barajas airport, most banks and also along central streets like Gran Vía.
There are two different tax rates in Spain - 7% and 16%. You will pay 7% tax on your hotel and restaurant bills, as well as other items considered "essential". This tax is not refundable.
Most physical items purchased in shops will be taxed at the 16% rate. If you are from outside the European Union a minimum purchase per establishment is required to reclaim this tax. Make sure you obtain a proper invoice ("una factura"), to be stamped by the Customs Officer at the airport when leaving the country. The banks at the airport should then be able to refund the tax specified on this stamped invoice.
Most shops open between 09.30 and 13.30h in the morning and 17.00 to 20.00h in the afternoon on weekdays. During the summer months, many establishments will stay open much later in the evening. On Saturday opening hours are restricted to the morning shift and Sunday is literally the day of rest.
Larger establishments, department stores and supermarkets will stay open all day (Saturday included) and are allowed to open on the first Sunday of every month.
Banks open a little earlier in the morning, around 08.30h, but close for the day at 14.00h. Some branches open on Thursday evening (e.g. Caja Madrid) or Saturday morning. Each bank normally has a small plaque outside its offices indicating any special opening hours.
If you are bringing any electrical appliances to Spain (e.g. laptop computers, travel irons, etc.) you should bear in mind the voltage and type of plug used here. Spain uses the 220V voltage level and a frequency of 50Hz. Check that your electrical appliances will work with this voltage. You may also need a plug adapter. Spain uses plugs with 2 round pins (see image). Plug adapters are available at stores selling electrical goods and at most international airports.
If you have your laptop with you, the chances are that you'll want to be using a modem to connect to Internet. Spain uses the RJ-11 telephone jack also used in USA, most of Europe and many other countries. A simple adapter should solve the problem if you're coming from a country that doesn't use this type of jack (e.g. United Kingdom).
Internet is now widespread in Spain and there are tens of different Internet Service Providers (ISP's). Access is available via the basic switched telephone network, the digital ISDN network, the high-speed ADSL protocol and various satellite and television systems. For most travelers, the normal analogue telephone network is sufficient. At the time of writing (October 2000), it is possible to sign up for free Internet access from Terra - (page in Spanish). Free access means that you pay only the cost of a local telephone call during your time online.
Finally, Spain uses the PAL television standard - something to bear in mind if you want to buy videos to take home.
Spain's national holidays are the same every year. However, each Autonomous Community may also choose either Father's Day (March 19th) or Easter Thursday as a public holiday, as well as celebrating one "Community Day", which the Autonomous Community of Madrid celebrates on the 2nd of May. Furthermore, each town or city has its own feast days to commemorate its patron Saints. In the city of Madrid these are 15th May (San Isidro) and 9th November (Almudena), although the holidays may be changed if these dates fall on a Sunday. Therefore, public holidays for the years 2000 and 2001 in the city of Madrid are as follows. (Also, see Fiestas)
On public holidays, all shops and banks are closed. Taxis will add a small surcharge to the fare on these dates. If the public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, you will find many Spaniards talking about "doing a bridge" (haciendo puente). This involves taking the Monday or Friday off as well in order to enjoy a 4-day long break.
The city of Madrid is located at almost the exact geographical center of the Iberian Peninsula, at a latitude of 40 degrees 25 minutes north, 3 degrees 42 minutes west. It will come as a surprise to many of our readers to learn that Madrid is situated further west than London, Liverpool or Edinburgh.
Built on a series of small mounts, between which Madrid's rather inadequate River Manzanares flows, the city's average altitude is 654 meters above sea level, its highest point being 694 meters. At a height of 655 meters, the average barometric pressure is 706.7 mm.
The average annual temperature in the shade is 13°C (55°F). In the colder seasons, the minimum temperatures often fall below freezing point, although in the city itself it rarely snows. During the peak summer months the temperature can easily reach 40°C (104°F), but this is made slightly more bearable by the low humidity levels. Having said all this, Madrid's climate is one of the healthiest in Europe because of its privileged position, at a short distance from the Somosierra (to the north and northeast), Guadarrama (northeast) and Toledo (south and east) mountain ranges. Madrid receives the pure mountain air from these Sierras, some of which, like Guadarrama, offer almost year-round winters sports centers.
Madrid's municipal boundaries enclose an area of 607 km2, whereas the Autonomous Community of Madrid occupies nearly 8000 km2 and consists of 178 municipalities.
According to official census data from the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall), the population of Madrid (within municipal boundaries) was 2,905,136 on 1st January 1999.
Winters in Madrid tend to be cold and dry. With little cloud cover and sweeping northerly winds, the temperatures may drop as low as -10°C (14°F) during the night, although the sun's rays soon warm up the city in the day hours, making it not uncommon to experience a 20°C change in temperature in less than 24 hours.
After spring makes it's entrance and the clocks go forward in March, the whole city seems to become a much more joyous place. More daylight hours and flowering parks make Madrid the ideal city to visit and wander through. Bring waterproofs when coming in April, though, since what rain there is tends to fall in this month and early May. As the Spanish saying goes, "En Abril, aguas mil" (In April, a thousand waters).
Summer in Madrid means blistering heat, reaching its zenith in late July and the month of August. Madrid virtually closes in August, the Madrileños escaping from the concrete to Spain's coastal areas and many bars, restaurants and some museums shutting shop for the month.
Autumn is a particularly attractive season, bringing golden colors to Madrid's parks. The warm temperatures normally continue through to late October, making this time of year one of the most recommendable for visiting the city.
In Madrid, as in the most of Spain, Castilian Spanish, the official language of Spain is spoken. English is spoken mainly on tourist areas.
The best food from all around the country arrives in Madrid every day - fresh fruit and vegetables, meats, fish and shellfish. This means that the restaurants and markets have access to the freshest and most varied produce. The food here, therefore, can be of the best quality in Spain.
What the tourist should bear in mind more than anything are the eating hours in Spain. Lunch and the evening meal start much later than in many other countries.
The Spaniards tend to start the day with a light breakfast. However, don't be surprised if you're here on business and your fellow Spanish workers exit the office en masse around 10.30-11.00h. They will be popping round to the nearest café or bar for a quick cup of coffee and croissant or cake.
Lunch never starts before 13.30h and can be as late as 15.00 or 15.30h. An excellent way of enjoying good, cheap Spanish food at lunchtime is to sit down for a "¿menú del día". This is a fixed price menu offering several choices of first and second courses with a drink, bread and desert or coffee included for around 1000 pesetas. Restaurant waiters will often just assume you want to eat "a la carta" offering you the more expensive menu options, so make sure you always ask the question "Hay menú?" (Is there a fixed menu?). At the weekend the fixed menu will be more expensive, but usually includes larger or more elaborate dishes.
Dinner in Spain starts any time after 20.00h, and many restaurants will not open until 21.00h. In the summer, some families will not sit down for their evening meal until as late as 23.00h - so be prepared to wait! If you've had a good menú del día at midday, why not follow the Spanish tradition and go for a paseo or evening stroll, visiting the occasional bar and sampling some tapas instead of a formal dinner?
At almost all restaurants, service is included, but it is common practice to leave a 5-10% tip, as it is with taxi drivers (depending on how you liked the driving!). Cinemas and theaters will have staff show you to your seat - here a few coins is the norm. Tipping is not obligatory anywhere, but much less in bars or cafeterias. However, if you leave a small tip it shows your appreciation of the service - a good rule of thumb here is a few coins per round of drinks. Never leave tips in pubs or discotheques.
The Metro System Madrid's Metro system is cheap, extensive and efficient. The red, blue and white icon indicates metro stations. The metro is made up of ten lines and covers most of the city. Prices are 135 PTAs for a single journey and 760 PTAs for ten journeys. Ten-ticket passes are also valid on the buses. Monthly passes, which cost 4275ptas, can also be used on the buses and on the Cercanías trains within the city. Monthly passes can be purchased in Estancos where you'll need your DNI card (for Spaniards) or your passport (for non-Spaniards) and a passport-sized photo. The official website for the Madrid metro is Metro. Metro Information Center: C/ Cavanilles, 58, 28007 - Madrid. The metro runs from 6AM to 1:30 AM, after which travelers have to rely on night-buses (called 'buhos', meaning owl) or taxis. More than one person on a journey can share the ten journey tickets for travel.
Taxis Taxis are plentiful and reasonably priced and drivers are on the whole fairly honest. On busy streets they can be found and flagged down at virtually any time of the day or night. All official taxis are painted white with a red diagonal stripe across the front doors. The meter starts at 170 PTAs and there are surcharges for things such as extra passengers, pickup from a phone call, pickup at the airport, loading of luggage etc. Make sure the meter is running, otherwise you risk being overcharged. When taking taxis from the airport, train and bus stations, it is advisable to use the official taxi ramps as roaming touts who offer lifts are often on the look out for an easy rip-off. There are many different taxi companies - for addresses and phone numbers, see the information section. Taxi telephone numbers: 91 405 55 00 / 91 447 51 80 / 91 445 90 08
This majestic square was originally planned by Felipe II and his architect Juan de Herrera, but was inaugurated in1620 during Felipe III's reign, whose statue sits proud in the very center of the square. Juan Gómez de Mora gave it its rectangular form, and after it had suffered three fires Juan de Villanova completed the work in 1853 by joining the four sides. The square has been called Plaza Mayor since the 15th century, but was built on the site of the old Plaza del Arrabal and served as a market square until the late19th century. 
This statue was originally placed to one side of the square and is the work of Ventura Rodríguez in 1781. It has been changed several times since the original work and represents the Goddess of fertility, earth and harvests on a lion-pulled chariot. 
This statue is the work of Juan de Mena based on drawings by Ventura Rodríguez. It represents Neptune on a shell-shaped chariot pulled by sea horses.
The Royal Palace was built on the site of the old Alcázar, the Moorish castle destroyed by fire in 1734. Juan Bautista Sacchetti initiated the project in 1737 and Francisco Sabatini and Ventura Rodríguez terminated the works. It is surrounded by the beautiful Sabatini and Campo del Moro parks. The palace itself contains furniture, tapestries, paintings and ceramics as well as other important works of art and frescos by Tiépolo.The countless bars, disco bars (with a dance floor, but which don't charge on the door) and discos in Madrid open, close and change names with alarming frequency. The city's nightlife is becoming a little more sedate during the week (with fewer people venturing out, and places closing around 2am), but at weekends the scene can still last the full 48 hours, depending on your stamina. Madrileños still love to tour the bars and discos, so you might find yourself in a place that's semi-empty one moment, and packed to the gills the next. A feature of most of the venues that are really exclusively gay is that they have backrooms. Safe sex is accepted practice these days.
We recommend that you visit Gay in Spain for the latest in Madrid's Gay Scene. Also see Gay Iberia for a full listing of Spain's scene.
Shopping in Madrid is still centered on small, specialized stores, and busy food markets. For those who prefer the boutiques and specialty shops to department stores and supermarkets, then you should definitely make an effort to visit the different zones and take the time to explore the huge array of shops at your disposal. Although we can't possibly to justice to the huge numbers of shops in the city, they tend to group together. Here are some of our favorites: Berkana - Calle Gravina 11 (91 532 13 93. In the heart of Chueca, this is the first gay/lesbian bookshop in Madrid, a wonderful place with a great assortment of newspapers, a wide range of books (some in English), T-shirts, videos and postcards. Staff is helpful and friendly.
Of note: the Complutense University holds summer courses here, these often being given by eminent lecturers. Particularly close to Madrid, and the most interesting of nearby sites, San Lorenzo del Escorial is certainly worth a visit. Among other attractions is a huge monastery built in the 'herreriano' style by order of Philip II. Inside a sumptuously decorated chamber of the monastery are buried many of Spain's past monarchs. The surrounding landscape is pleasant, and during summer the moderate climate provides an escape from Madrid's sometimes stifling temperatures. Other interesting monuments are: "Casita del Infante" or "de arriba" and "Casita del Príncipe" or "de abajo", both by Juan de Villanueva, and inside there are a good collections of pictures by Lucas Jordán and Giaquinto; the "Real Coliseo de Carlos III" and the famous "Silla de Felipe II", or "Piedra de la Herrería", where Phillip II watched the progress of the works. But the best in this trip is the superb views and impressive panorama of this landscape.
The Pantheon of the Kings is situated in a circular chapel directly beneath the chancel of the Basilica. It contains the remains of monarchs and of queens who were mothers of monarchs, from the Emperor Charles V to modern times. The exceptions are King Philip V and King Ferdinand VI, who are buried in their respective foundations of La Granja de San Ildefonso and Las Salesas Reales (the Church of Santa Barbara, Madrid). The mortal remains of other members of the Royal Family are buried in the Pantheon of Infantes. Italian painters summoned by Philip II to El Escorial decorated both the Monastery and the areas of the complex used as a Palace. They include Zuccaro, Tibaldi and Cambiaso, who painted the frescoes in some of the most prominent spaces, such as the Library, Sacristy, Chapter Houses, Lower Cloister, Main Staircase and Gallery of the Battles. Among the pieces of sculpture at El Escorial are a number by Monegro. There are also several bronze figures of Christ on the Cross, by major Italian artists of the 16th and 17th centuries, including one by Bernini, but the most celebrated Crucified Christ is the figure in white marble by Cellini. King Charles II added the reredos in the Sacristy, dominated by a masterpiece of Claudio Coello, The Adoration of the Sacred Form. Also dating from the same reign is the magnificent series of frescoes on the ceilings of the Basilica and the Main Staircase, by Luca Giordano.
El Escorial is most easily reached by Cercanías trains. Departures are hourly from both the Atocha and Chamartín stations. Buses to El Escorial can be taken from the Errant departing from the Autocares Herrantz line, which depart from the bus station at Monlcoa. By car, one should take the N-VI (carretara de la Coruña).
Transport (from Madrid)
Bus: Lines 664 and 661 from the Moncloa transport terminal (AUTOCARES HERRANZ)
By road: Madrid-San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Take the A-VI, highway to Las Rozas, and then the exit to M-505; or take the A-VI highway and then the M-600 exit.
Train: Madrid-El Escorial. Suburban line C-8 (from Atocha Station)
Admission:
General: 1150 pts / 6,91 euros (Guided visit)
1000 pts / 6,01 euros (Non guided visit)
Reduced: 850 pts / 5,11 euros (For groups arranged by travel agencies.)
Minimum: 500 pts / 3,01 euros (Identity document is required)
Free: Under 5 years, arranged visits from educational establishments, Wednesday, for citizens of the European. Segovia
Segovia is also justifiably famous for its food, in particular cochinillo (suckling pig) and lamb. There are a number of fine restaurants in town, including the 'Meson de Candido' at the foot of the aqueduct (Azoguejo 5, tel.:921 428103; 'La Cocina de Segovia' P° Ezequiel González, tel.: 921 437462 and the 'Mesó n José María' Cronista Lecea 11, Tel.: 921 460270.
Segovia can be reached on the Cercanías trains from either the Atocha or Chamartín stations, or by bus from the Sepulvedana bus station on the Paseo de la Florida. By car Segovia can be reached by the N-VI, the Carretera de la Coruña.
For more information see Day Trips.
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