Here's something you don't see every day - it's a vertical garden. Not flat like the botanical…read moregardens nearby. This garden is a dramatic four-story (78 feet!) tall green wall near the CaixaForum building. Facing south, the garden gets near constant sunlight as it moves across the sky. And yes, it sure gets hot in Madrid. But you'll find yourself much cooler with a visit to the garden. Worth admiring the 250 different species of plants that survive and thrive without soil. It is an ever-changing, living piece of art. [Review 12542 overall, 2332 of 2019.]

Meanwhile, the companion in some ways of the other review I just wrote, of the Palace of the Stock…read moreExchange in Portugal, this tour is definitely of a gaudy palace built by royalty with a whole *lot* of stolen gold and jewels, so I was glad to learn that it isn't *still* owned by the royal family, it's owned by the state and mostly used for state functions, other than its purpose as far as tourists are concerned, being a museum of a fraction of the riches Spain owns (and not a coincidence, presumably, that they also built a museum of *more* of the riches owned by Spain, on display right next door, for a combined, reduced price.) The self-guided tour is worth it if you like seeing a bunch of super ornate architecture, furniture, artwork, etc. We got snippets of the actual tour as we passed each other at various points - I was happier being able to walk through the route at our own pace, which took about an hour. I felt sorry for the people whose tickets were for any time the following day, though, as it was randomly closed all day the next day we were in Madrid a few months ago, which I gather isn't an altogether rare thing to happen, that they take reservations and then close last minute. We got in in the nick of time, it seemed. By the way, if you have bags, you do have to leave your bags downstairs in a locker at a small additional fee. It was small enough I do remember exactly how much it even was, though, so it clearly wasn't a big deal.

Palacio Real de Madrid is probably my favorite palaces we've seen on our travels…read more I loved that they had these massive air purifiers so it didn't smell stale or dusty (it was incredibly comfortable), but I also adored the absolutely gorgeous purple wallpaper and how much care had been taken in the decor inside the building. Absolutely do a tour if you have a chance as ours gave such a clear impression of the space and added such a nice depth to our visit. It was one of my favorite things we did while in Madrid, and I can't recommend visiting Palacio Real de Madrid enough.

Another visit that was high on the list of things to do in Madrid…read more I bought passes that came with an English guide. I enjoyed having that, but you could easily come through on your own without a guide and be fine. Our guided tour was about 90 minutes, but you could also stay as long after as you desired. We ended up staying about another hour to catch some of the things the tour didn't stop at. Note that you cannot take photos inside. It also seems to get pretty busy early, so it might be a good idea to go fairly early or closer to closing. Would highly recommend the Prado.

I know the Prado is acclaimed as one of the world's best museums, and its global reputation rests…read moreon the depth of classic European paintings from the 12th to the 19th century. No argument about that, but unlike the Louvre, it doesn't offer the breadth of art one would expect from such a vaunted museum. The curators apparently have no interest in expanding their collection because it engenders unmanageable foot traffic. That also explains why photography is prohibited in the galleries. I ended up buying postcards to have a visual remembrance of my favorite masterpieces collected by centuries of Spanish royalty. Consequently, the Spanish masters are represented by familiar masterworks like Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor) by Diego Velázquez (Photo 4), as well as The Naked Maja and The Family of Carlos IV (Photo 7), both by Francisco de Goya. Other European masterworks are represented like the impressive Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch (Photo 6) and The Judgment of Paris by Peter Paul Rubens. Beyond this scope, there are intriguing artifacts to peruse like the Leoni Renaissance Sculptures (Photo 3). Truth be told, you need to add the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Museo Reina Sofía to get a more complete picture of Madrid's artful treasures. RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/ElhwJIbGWS