The Conde Duque has been converted from an old military building to house a library, exhibitions,…read moreconcerts and conferences. It is currently undergoing some renovation work - so parts of it are a building site - but there is still plenty to see. There is a display of contemporary Spanish art and several gallery spaces with changing exhibitions. I loved the exquisite carvings of Alonso Cano. There was no information in English unfortunately.

My favorite part at Conde Duque is the library. As a…read morestudent I was looking for a quite, convenient, beautiful designed place in the center of Madrid and this perfectly fit to my needs. The library, which focuses on Music and art, offers a nice space with many young people around and free wifi. In order to get you Free Wifi you have to register at the entrance (its free) and you will get a member card which will serve you while here. The only problem I found was that the library is closed from Saturday 14:00 till Monday. So if you look for a weekend library, this is not the perfect place.

When I traveled to Madrid, I stayed in this neighborhood, and loved it! It is very centrally…read morelocated, close to Plaza Mayor, the Palacio de Real and much more, and has a lot of colorful local flavor. There are plenty of shops, cafes, and winding tiny streets branching out from the main roads. There always seems to be something going on, but it still feels very quiet in many areas. As a female solo traveler, I am always very concerned with the safety of the neighborhoods that I stay in. I always felt safe here. I walked around at night every evening that I was in the city, and never had any problems of felt unsafe - that being said, of course you must take precautions and always use common sense. But in general, I felt quite safe. Great area!

this is a vibrant, colourful neighborhood in the southwestern part of madrid's city centre. as…read moresoon as i stepped out of the underground station, i immediately saw many colourful murals, painted on the sides of various buildings. there are plenty of plazas here to relax, play, stroll, jog, or play ball. just be careful in the evenings, as there are some questionable streets and alleys that aren't very well lit. personally, my favourite thing to do here was to eat! the street called "calle cava baja" is well known for their restaurants, cafes, and tapas bars, and you could actually go "tapas bar" hopping by having the "house tapas" and a drink at one bar, and moving on to a second, and a third, so on and so forth until your belly is full! most of the tapas bars are very reasonably priced and open quite late. accessible via the la latina and tirso de molina underground stations.

I love Madrid, it is a busy city with many neighborhoods, many things to see, much stimuli,…read moreeverywhere. I got a nice apartment through Booking.com about 4 blocks from Puerta del Sol, in the center of town. The neighborhood was quiet, clean and nice, with lots of nice tapas bars, restaurants and grocery stores. I usually take those Free tours by Foot and so I did. It was a great way to see the city...For about 2 hours, I got to see and learn about the main cultural sites of the city. After the tour, I had time to just explore..... Madrid, is cheerful and vibrant at all hours, it is famous for being an open city with all kinds of people from anywhere in the world. In addition to its famous museums, busy streets dotted with all kinds of shops, restaurants with world cuisine and unbeatable nightlife, Madrid will surprise you with its tranquil historic spots that charm everyone walking by. Here you'll find traditional family-run, century-old bars where friends meet up for a drink, every style of neighborhood and cultural centers that offer up an alternative type of tourism....every neighborhood also has a small local market that is always busy with people and it has local vendors with lots of produce, soaps, crafts, etc.... Anyone in search of culture will find some of the most important museums in the world, such as the Prado, Reina Sofía or Thyssen. Some of them offer free entry during certain times of the week or the month, so be sure to check that out. Walking around Madrid means coming across iconic spots such as the stunning Royal Palace, the Plaza Mayor with 400 years of history, the buzzing Puerta del Sol, the famous Gran Vía full of shops, or the four tallest towers in Spain. Each neighborhood offers a different experience: La Latina is ideal for tapas, Las Letras has the perfect combination of literature and fine dining... But Madrid also means relaxing in enormous green spaces such as the Retiro Park (which together with the Paseo del Prado boulevard have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List). When it's time to eat, Madrid has many different options, each more appealing than the last. On the one hand, traditional bars where you can discover the old-fashioned, unpretentious atmosphere known as 'castizo', and why tapas are so much fun. On the other hand, there are cutting-edge restaurants with Michelin star ratings and traditional markets that have been turned into new gourmet spaces, such as San Miguel, which has become a true gastronomic shrine. I found the San Miguel market a bit of a tourist trap. Everything was in English and the prices were high and the portions small...for example, I got a small plate of Paella, for about $10 US and the plate was about the size of an appetizer plate (like 4" diameter). At dusk, some of the city's viewpoints will surprise you with unique sunsets, at the Temple of Debod or the rooftop bar of the Círculo de Bellas Artes. And at the end of the day... nightlife in Madrid is legendary with live music. One of my favorite cities to stroll around and to eat churros, chocolates, pastries and paella.

The Fountain of Neptune is a neoclassical fountain in the center of the Plaza de Cánovas del…read moreCastillo, a roundabout in the Paseo del Prado. The sculpture in the center represents Neptune, a Roman water deity. It was made in 1781 out of marble.

Lovely by day but stunning by night. The lights hit the statues perfectly to bring Neptune to life…read more The fountain is a major landmark along the Paseo del Prado, right in front of the Museo Thussen-Bornemisza and the Museo Prado. Major tourist area, of course. If you're going to try and get a close up of the fountain, watch the traffic!

I find the Puente de Toledo is a really nice looking bridge, its style reminds me couple bridges…read morethat I've visited along in my trip. Although it wasn't so fancy compared with the other bridges I have been. But it got it's own charm. The bridge is located close to the river Río, the south-west of the city. There are bus stations and metro station around. It was quite easy to get there. I came here with my hubby, we took the bus first, decides to got off the couple stations earlier and walked to the park. So we could explore the city a bit more. This district was quite normal, not special sightseeing around, But it was quite nice to walk around and see the local life. I like the bridge and the park. It did make me a bit sad when I saw the River Río was almost dry out. But I also heard from others that have been going on for decades now. Probably that won't be here anymore. Hope not. There weren't so many tourist around this area, But quite lot local people come here for jogging, I think this is quite good place for that. I would probably do the same if I live here as well.

Retiro gets all the hype, but Parque del Oeste is quite lovely and much quieter! The views from…read moreParque del Oeste are fantastic. You can see out for miles and there's a great view of the palace. There's lots of shady spots to cool down and beautiful pathways for walking. This is an under rated park on the west side of the city that is gorgeous!

This Western Park was once a land fill, in 1909 the mayor planted gardens, installed a fountain,…read moreput in paths & monuments. We walked through the Parque del Oeste go up & back yo Casa de Campo by the Teleférico de Madrid, a gondola lift. We passed a police presence & some walking dogs.

It's always a good idea to watch where you're walking in European cities. Lots of uneven pavements,…read morerandom holes around trees and great spots where you can twist your ankle and fall on your butt. But if you're always looking down, you'll miss out on artworks like this one. Atop a building not far from the Mercado de San Miguel, this sculpture of a fallen angel is titled "Accidente Aereo" (Air Crash) and it was installed in 2005. It takes some looking at to understand this angel crashing headfirst into a building. But I found an interview with the artist Miguel Angel Ruiz Beato who explained, "Ten thousand years ago a winged man went out for a walk and when he returned, flying quietly on his back, while sunbathing, he didn't realize that in the meadow where he always used to land a whole city had grown. The result was this accident." So there's that. [Review 12555 overall, 2345 of 2019.]

Honestly, what a surprise! Did not realize that this beautiful garden existed in the middle of the…read moreAtocha Renfe station. As you walk in, it's gorgeous and right front and center in the station! Train stations can be a mega waiting game, so it's nice to have something to do there.

An amazing use of otherwise empty space, the tropical garden of the Atocha Station is a destination…read moreby itself. Beautiful landscaping regardless of weather. There are a few paths through the "jungle" and several benches where you can sit and appreciate the trees as you wait for your train to board. There were a number of people painting today. Very cool. [Review 12545 overall, 2335 of 2019.]