{"id":1678,"date":"2013-10-01T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2013-10-01T08:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/news\/?p=1678"},"modified":"2024-05-31T16:58:29","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T15:58:29","slug":"the-perfect-weekend-in-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/trips-for-two\/food-drink\/the-perfect-weekend-in-madrid\/","title":{"rendered":"The Perfect Weekend in Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Spain\u2019s capital and the country\u2019s largest city, Madrid is a must visit European destination. Book a room in one of our hotels in Madrid<\/span><\/a> and you\u2019ll have an affordable base from which to enjoy the art, architecture and amazing shopping, eating and sightseeing opportunities that this Spanish gem has to offer \u2013 all under glorious sunshine. Here are your city highlights:<\/p>\n

Culture<\/b><\/p>\n

Madrid is crammed with spectacular examples of art and architecture, with the Museo del Prado, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Museo Reina Sofia making up the city\u2019s cultural \u2018Golden Triangle\u2019 \u2013 don\u2019t miss the stunning Picasso \u2018Guernica\u2019 at the latter. Also unmissable are the majestic Palacio Real (Royal Palace) and the breathtakingly ornate interior of the Teatro Real opera house.<\/p>\n

Sightseeing<\/b><\/p>\n

Those who love to shop will be spoilt for choice at both ends of the scale, from the famous El Rastro antique market to the gleaming designer boutiques of the Salamanca district. If you can stomach it you can experience a bullfight at the 20th<\/sup> century Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, or simply spend some time wandering \u2018the old city\u2019 district for a less controversial taste of traditional Madrid.<\/p>\n

Family Fun<\/b><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re visiting Madrid as a family, you\u2019ll find plenty for all ages to enjoy together. Football fans will want to head directly to Real Madrid\u2019s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where tours are available, whereas families with a head for heights could ride the Teleferico Madrid cable car, or head to the top of the Faro de Madrid tower, for breathtaking views over the city.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also find a wealth of green spaces providing a breath of fresh air in this busy city. Why not make the most of the sunshine and take a picnic to the Parque del Oeste, where you can sit among the roses and take in views of the beautiful Palacio Real. The Jardin Botanico is another green city highlight.<\/p>\n

Nightlife<\/b><\/p>\n

As a cosmopolitan city, Madrid has plenty going on after dark. Try a flamenco club for a different clubbing experience \u2013 Cardamomo is a good one. The Huertas and Santa Ana district is the best for bars, with the Plaza Santa Ana square being a particular hot spot.<\/p>\n

Food<\/b><\/p>\n

Breakfast: <\/i>Breakfast in Spain has a French feel, with flaky pastries and strong coffees on the menu. Try La Mallorquina for fat croissants eaten overlooking the central Puerto del Sol.<\/p>\n

Lunch: <\/i>What could be better for lunch in one of Spain\u2019s sunny cities than a park picnic? Pick up some goodies at the Mercado de San Miguel and head to the Parque del Oeste to enjoy al fresco.<\/p>\n

Tapas: \u00a0<\/i>Tapas is, of course, big news in Madrid, with tapas bars and restaurants on every corner. La Torre del Oro is one of the best known, and nicely central on the Plaza Mayor, or head to the Chueca area and take your pick!<\/i><\/p>\n

Dinner: <\/i>It\u2019s traditional to linger over tapas and drinks if out for the evening, but if you fancy a proper sit down affair Madrid has an amazing array of restaurants to suit all budgets. Sobrino de Botin holds the title as the world\u2019s oldest restaurant, and don\u2019t forget to finish your night with the classically Spanish hot chocolate and churros dessert, available at restaurants, bars and \u2018hole in the wall\u2019 eateries city-wide.<\/p>\n

A whirl of colour and culture, Madrid is well worth a visit. Book your Travelodge room for a bargain break in this bustling city.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Cibeles<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Spain\u2019s capital and the country\u2019s largest city, Madrid is a must visit European destination. Book a room in one of our hotels in Madrid and you\u2019ll have an affordable base from which to enjoy the art, architecture and amazing shopping, eating and sightseeing opportunities that this Spanish gem has to offer \u2013 all under […]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[581,1820],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-drink","category-spain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}