WELCOME ΤΟMadrid

Madrid’s Plaza Mayor, a symbol of the city and a must-see, located in the heart of Madrid, near Puerta del Sol and the Royal Palace. This enormous esplanade in the city center was begun in the 17th century by King Philip III, whose bronze equestrian statue stands in the square. Officially opened in 1620, it is rectangular in shape and lined with pillars and arches. Over the years it has been the setting for many public events, from bullfights, processions, fiestas and theatrical productions to trials of the Inquisition and even executions. The arcades are home to many traditional shops and a plethora of bars and restaurants. Some of the most notable buildings on the square are the Casa de la Panadería, with a frescoed façade, the Casa de la Carnicería and el Arco de Cuchilleros - the most famous of the nine entrances to Plaza Mayor. The Casa de la Panadería was the first to be established here, in 1590. It was initially the most important bakery in Madrid. Its remarkable façade was decorated by Carlos Franco.

One of the most important museums in all of Spain, Prado Museum Madrid is known to have the most comprehensive collection of Spanish art and one of the most outstanding collections of European Art between the 12th century to the early 20th century. The monumental building which houses the Museo Nacional del Prado is worth visiting in itself. Designed by Juan de Villanueva in 1785, the building was intended as a home for the National History Cabinet under the orders of King Charles III. Two generations later, Charles’ grandson King Ferdinand VII decided to use it as a new Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures. The name was changed to the National Museum of Paintings and Sculptures, before becoming the Museo Nacional del Prado we know today. Today, Museo del Prado has around 7,500 paintings, along with dedicated sections for sculptures & decorative arts, and print, drawings, and photographs. Prado Museum, along with Reina Sofía Museum and Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, forms Madrid's Golden Triangle of Art.

El Retiro Park, or Park of the Pleasant Retreat, one of Madrid's largest public parks, belonged exclusively to the Spanish monarchy in Madrid until the late 19th century. The park’s origins can be traced to 1505 when the royal family had a retreat built on this site. Over the decades, the monarchy expanded their park with additional gardens, palatial buildings and the great pond, Estanque del Retiro. Today, one of the most famous features of El Retiro Park in Madrid is its Crystal Palace, a remarkable glass pavilion and conservatory containing art galleries. Near the park’s north entrance is Retiro Pond, featuring a colonnade and monument honoring King Alfonso XII. A 20th-century rose garden contains numerous sculptures, including the Fountain of the Fallen Angel from 1922. In the Paseo de la Argentina, popularly known as the Statue Walk, you’ll find 18th-century statues depicting some of the Spanish kings. In addition to the Crystal Palace, other museums in El Retiro Park include the Salón de Reinos and the Casón del Buen Retiro.

This monumental basilica, close to the popular La Latina quarter, stands out for its artistic wealth that it houses inside, with an impressive collection of paintings by Spanish masters, the most famous of which is Francisco Goya’s St. Bernardino of Siena preaching to Alfonso V of Aragon. With a diameter of 33 meters and height of 58 meters, the Basilica’s great dome is the largest in Spain and the fourth largest in Europe, after those of Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Pantheon in Rome, and the Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. Declared a National Monument in 1980, the temple rises up, according to tradition, on the land that was offered to Saint Francis of Assisi following his time in Madrid in 1214 on his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. On this site, three temples were erected prior to the current one, which dates back to the 18th century and which was carried out by the Franciscan Order. The church consists of a central circular floor covered by a large dome, a main chapel and six surrounding chapels also covered by domes. Inside,these hallowed halls exhibit 49 large paintings depicting scenes from the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, by renowned Spanish artists such as Alonso Cano, Francisco Zurbarán, Antonio González Velazquez, José Moreno Carbonero, among others. as well as important sculptures in white marble.

The Sorolla Museum, which has retained the original atmosphere of the home and studio of the renowned Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Valencia, 1863 - Cercedilla, 1923), houses the largest collection of his works. It is one of the best preserved house-museums of an artist in Europe, and its garden, which was also designed by him, is a little oasis in the city and was a common subject in his later paintings. Situated in the Chamberi neighborhood, just off the busy Castellana avenue, it was the home in which the artist lived with his family from 1911 till his death in 1923. The house and all its belongings were bequeathed to the Spanish government by his widow Clotilde García del Castillo in 1925 who asked for a museum to be opened in memory of her husband. In the museum, which opened in 1932 and which retains its original decor, you'll find most of the objects Sorolla acquired throughout his lifetime including sculptures, ceramics, traditional clothes and jewelry, letters and photographs. It is also home to a remarkable collection of over 1200 of his paintings and drawings, which has continued growing since 1982 thanks to works purchased by the Spanish state.

The Temple of Debod is one of Madrid’s most beautiful hidden treasures. It sits to the west of Plaza de España, in the Parque del Oeste. This ancient Egyptian temple is from the second century B.C. and was donated to Spain by the Egyptian state for helping save the Abu Simbel temple, as well as other monuments and archaeological sites, from being buried under the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The Debod Temple was dismantled and transported to Spain, but it took two years to rebuild, since there were no reliable blueprints of the structure and some of the stones got lost during the shipment and had to be replaced. Finally, Debod was opened to the public on 20 July 1972. The shrine’s interior is free to visit and is well worth exploring. Although it isn’t as well preserved as other Egyptian temples, its walls are covered by hieroglyphics and sculptures and it also includes interesting information about Egypt’s mythology and society. Moreover, on the upper floor is a curious miniature with the various temples in Nubia. Today, it is one of the few substantial examples of ancient Egyptian architecture rebuilt outside of Egypt, and the only one in Spain.

Also known as KIO Towers (Torres KIO), are twin office buildings in Madrid, Spain. The towers have a height of 114 m (374 ft) and have 26 floors. They were constructed from 1989 to 1996. The Puerta de Europa is the second tallest twin towers in Spain. The Gate of Europe towers were designed by the American architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee. Each building is 115 m tall with an inclination of 15°, making them the first inclined skyscrapers in the world. The left tower is called Gate to Europe I, the right one - Gate to Europe II. Not to mix them up, their helipads are painted in different colors - the left one is blue, while the right one is red. To make the identification process even easier, the left tower has the logo of Bancia and the right one - Realia (the construction firm).

The National Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid houses one of the most important art collections in Spain and is a must for all those interested in art. It has thirteenth-century Gothic paintings up to twentieth-century pop art. The Thyssen-Bornemisza family collected what became one of the world's finest private art collections over several generations. The Spanish state bought it from them in 1993 and converted the early-19th-century neoclassical Villahermosa Palace into a fabulous art gallery. The museum houses the second largest collection and showcases some of the finest works of art. Spanning from the 13th to 20th Century, the permanent collection of the museum has masterpieces from the likes of Renoir, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Goya, Degas, Van Gogh, and others. A must-visit for art lovers, the Thyssen is definitely one of the best art museums around the globe.