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Madrid's Top Attractions

Madrid's Top Attractions

Chueca

Chueca (Pronounced Choo-aye-ka) is Madrid's gay village, located adjacent to Gran Vía in the heart of Madrid. Over the last 20 years it has changed from being a run down ghetto where drugs and prostitution were rife and has now, thanks to us gay folk moving in, become one of the most desirable areas of Madrid. (Why do we always do that? We make our own area too expensive for us to live in!) Chueca is a tightly compact area centered around Chueca Square (Plaza de Chueca) and is easily accessible from Chueca metro station which exits in Chueca Square.  One of the first things that is going to strike you is just how gorgeous those young Madrileños are. They are really cute! Another great thing is that age restrictions don't apply in Spain as they do in the UK or North America, that is, you'll see young guys with mature guys all the time and it doesn't mean they are rent boys. It's the way the Spanish are. They don't limit themselves to only going with guys around their own age. Chueca

Gran Vía

Gran Vía is the main street in Madrid, with Chueca just behind those buildings in the photo. It is home to some of the world's most famous restaurants, entertainment venues and high end shops.  By day its a bustling shopping centre and by night the party goers take over. Having been displaced from Chueca, it is now home to much of Madrid's prostitution and drug dealing, so caution should be exercised at night. Keep to the tourist area and don't wonder off down unknown side streets. Gran Vía

Puerta del Sol

The Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) is one of the most well known and busiest places in Madrid. This is the centre (Km 0) of the radial network of Spanish roads. The square also contains the famous clock whose bells mark the traditional eating of the Twelve Grapes at the beginning of a new year. The New Year's celebration has been broadcast live on TV since December 31st 1962. Puerta del Sol

Parque del Buen Retiro

The main park of Madrid, Spain, the Jardines del Buen Retiro or Parque del Buen Retiro (literally "Gardens" or "Park of the Pleasant Retreat"), or simply El Retiro, is a large and popular 1.4 km² (350 acres) park at the edge of the city center, very close to the Puerta de Alcalá and not far from the Prado Museum. A magnificent park, filled with beautiful sculpture and monuments, galleries, a peaceful lake and host to a variety of events, it is rightfully one of Madrid's premier attractions. The park is entirely surrounded by the present-day city. It is also one of the main gay cruising spots of Madrid, especially around the Fallen Angel statue, which is the only statue in the world dedicated to Lucifer. (The Devil) Retiro

Prado Museum (Museo del Prado)

The Prado Museum is a museum and art gallery. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century through the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection. Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture, it also contains important collections of more than 5,000 drawings, 2,000 prints, 1,000 coins and medals, and almost 2,000 decorative objects and works of art. Sculpture is represented by more than 700 works and by a smaller number of sculptural fragments. Banco de España

Thyssen/Borremisza Museum (Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza)

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is an art gallery. It is known as a part of the "Golden Triangle of Art", which also includes the Prado and the Reina Sofia galleries. The Thyssen-Bornemisza fills the historical gaps in its counterparts' collections: in the Prado's case this includes Italian primitives and works from the English, Dutch and German schools, while in the case of the Reina Sofia the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection includes impressionists, expressionists, and European and American paintings from the second half of the 20th century. Banco de España

Reina Sofía Museum (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía)

The Reina Sofía Museum is Spain's national museum of 20th century art. The museum was officially inaugurated on September 10, 1992 and is named for Queen Sofia of Spain. It is located near the Atocha train and metro stations, at the southern end of the so-called Golden Triangle of Art (located along the Paseo del Prado and also comprising the Prado Museum and the  Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The museum is mainly dedicated to Spanish art. Highlights of the museum include excellent collections of Spain's two greatest 20th century masters, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Certainly the most famous masterpiece in the museum is Picasso's great painting Guernica. The Reina Sofía also has fine collections of the works of Juan Gris, Joan Miró, Julio González, Eduardo Chillida, Antoni Tàpies, Pablo Gargallo, Lucio Muñoz, Luis Gordillo, Jorge Oteiza, José Gutiérrez Solana and many other significant artists. Atocha

Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid)

The Royal Palace of Madrid also called Palacio de Oriente, (Eastern Palace) is the official residence of the King of Spain. King Juan Carlos and the royal family do not actually reside in this palace, instead choosing the smaller Palacio de la Zarzuela, on the outskirts of Madrid. However, the Palacio Real de Madrid is still used for state occasions. The palace is owned by the Spanish state and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional agency. The palace also has the distinction of being the largest royal palace in Western Europe in size, with over a combined area of over 135.000 m² and more than 2.800 rooms. The palace is located on Bailén street, in the western part of downtown Madrid, east of the Manzanares River, and is accessible from the Ópera metro station. The palace is partially open to public, except when in official use. Ópera

Templo de Debod

The Temple of Debod is an ancient Egyptian temple which has been rebuilt in Madrid. The temple was built in southern Egypt very close to the first cataract of the Nile and to the great religious center dedicated to the goddess Isis, in Philae. In the early 2nd century BC, Adikhalamani (Tabriqo), king of the country of Meroë, started its construction by building a small chapel dedicated to the gods Amon and Isis. Afterwards, different kings of the Ptolemaic dynasty added new chambers around the original nucleus. The Roman emperors Augustus, Tiberius, and perhaps Hadrian, completed its construction. In 1960, due to the construction of the Great Dam of Aswan and the consequent threat posed to several monuments and archeological sites, UNESCO made an international call to save this rich historical patrimony. As a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the temples of Abu Simbel, the Egyptian state donated the temple to Spain in 1968. Plaza de España

Madrid Flea Market (El Rastro de Madrid)

El Rastro de Madrid or simply el Rastro is the most popular open air flea market in Madrid. It is held every Sunday and public holidays during the year and is located along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores, between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda de Toledo, just south of La Latina metro station. A great variety of products (new and used) can be found at el Rastro. A number of antique shops in the local area are also open on Sundays. La Latina

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