Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The best transportation bargain is the
Tourist Travel Pass.
Pass holders can
use any public transport in the Madrid region for an unlimited number of trips during
the pass validity.
The
Madrid Card
makes sightseeing more convenient. It includes free admis-
sion to 40 museums in and around Madrid; use of Madrid Vision tour bus as often
as you like; the Discover Madrid program, and much more. It also includes dis-
counts in selected shops and restaurants. Prices: one day, €45; two days, €55;
three days, €65; five days, €75. Visit
www.madridcard.com
.
Sights/Attractions/Tours
Some “don't-miss” sights include
Puerta del Sol
(Gate of the Sun), the center of
the old town and the terminus for the city's metro lines and many of the buses. Six
of Spain's national freeways radiate from Kilometer Zero, a stone slab buried in the
pavement from which all distances are measured in Spain.
El Oso y el Madrono,
the bush and the bear statue, is Madrid's emblem.
Proceed southwest along
Calle Mayor
to
Plaça de la Villa,
with two stunning
buildings dating from the 15th century—the
Casa
(house) and the
Torre
(tower)
de los Lujanes.
Continuing to the right of Calle Mayor and beyond the Plaça de la
Villa, turn into the alleyway leading to
San Nicolas de los Servitas
to visit Mad-
rid's oldest church.
Going north along the
Calle del Arenal,
one can view a famous El Greco at the
Church of San Gines or visit Joy Eslava, the city's trendy disco. Farther on are the
Royal Palace and the Opera House.
Other significant landmarks include the
Palacio Real
(Royal Palace).
Tel:
91
454 87 00;
Hours:
1000-1800 Monday-Sunday. One of the best-conserved palaces
in Europe, it's filled with paintings, frescoes, clocks, furniture, and porcelain. Met-
rostop: Opera; bus Nos. 3, 25, 39, and 148.
Plaça Mayor,
behind Calle Mayor, is
an exquisite 17th-century arcaded square.
The incomparable
Prado Museum
at Paseo del Prado (
Tel:
913302800;
Fax:
91 330 28 56;
www.museoprado.es
.
Hours:
1000-2000 Monday-Saturday,
Search WWH ::
Custom Search