The best places to visit in Madrid, Spain -> Destinations

  Plaza Mayor, a large square in downtown Madrid is very popular among tourists and locals alike. Rectangular market has a uniform architecture, very similar to market Vosges in Paris.      In the Middle Ages it was just a market place of consumer goods outside the city walls. In 1560 King Philip II asked Juan de Herrera, architect of the Escorial to transform the church fair in a real small square. Only in the year 1617, during the reign of...

   Almudena Cathedral in Madrid took over 100 years to be built. It was finally consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993. Shortly after King Philip II assigned Madrid the capital of Spain in the year of 1561, he wanted to build a cathedral for the new capital. Because of political turmoil and strong opposition from the Archdiocese of Toledo City, which was then a much larger city, the construction of the building was constantly delayed. Finally, in 1868 a congregation devoted to t...

  Plaza Puerta del Sol is the perfect starting point to explore the city of Madrid. This bustling market, is centrally located one of the most lively places in town.     Puerta del Sol is now the historic heart of Madrid, but last place was at the eastern edge of town. Market name comes from the east gate of the city that existed here in the 15th century. Gate was probably named after the sun painted on it - Puerta del Sol or the Sun Gate. Presen...

  In Parque in Montana, near the city center is located one of the most surprising sights in Madrid, the Templo Debod. This authentic Egyptian temple was built in the fourth century BC Debod village, located 15 km from Aswan. Debod Temple was dedicated to the gods Amon and Isis.     After building the great dam at Aswan, between 1960 and 1970, many historical monuments were in danger of being flooded. Spanish engineers helped the Egyptian governm...

  In the middle plaza called Plaza de la Independencia is located one of the most popular tourist attractions in Madrid: Puerta de Alcala - Alcala Gate.     In 1764 King Charles III, to pay the Italian architect Sabatini to build a large gate to replace the old baroque 16th century built by King Philip III. King believed that bears the mark of the eastern border town was too small for important link to Aragon.    ...

  AZCA, central business district of Madrid is located along Grand Avenue madrilenian Paseo de la Castellana, north of downtown.      The area is bordered by a complex where there are plenty of ministries, Ministers Nueva, in the south and the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congregos in the north. AZCA neighborhood development began in 1969 in an effort to create a new business district outside downtown that had become very crowded.  ...

  The most beautiful of the many market squares in Madrid is the Plaza de Cibeles. Crowded market is surrounded by majestic buildings. The center is located at Fuente de Cibeles. This fountain named after CIBE (or Ceres), goddess of the Romanian nature, is one of the most important symbols of Madrid. Represent the goddess Cibeles fountain in a chariot drawn by two lions. It was built between 1777 and 1782 by Ventura Rodriguez. Every time Real Madrid team win a trophy, fans gather ar...

  Palace Santa Cruz is one of the best examples of architecture in Madrid Habsburg. Building with two towers of red brick is located in the Plaza de la Province, near the Plaza Mayor, Madrid city center during the Habsburg rule.     Habsburg rule began in 1516 when Carlos I (also known as Charles V outside of Spain) came to the throne. His successor Philip II moved the Spanish capital Madrid in the year 1561. This domination of the Habsburg dynas...

   Hosting some of the most valuable collections of European, Museo del Prado is actually a large royal court, with angular design, stone columns and the main entrance framed by huge stairs. In the museum are available to the public over 8600 paintings, 5,000 drawings, 2,000 prints, 1,000 coins and medals and 700 sculptures and fragments.      Permanent collections: Illustrating the cultural movements of the 12th century to early 19th century...

  Palacio Real or Royal Palace is the largest and certainly one of the most impressive palaces in Europe. Has over 2,000 rooms decorated in the most luxurious as possible, 50 of which can be visited. It is located in the historic center of town east of Madrid and very close to Plaza de Espana.      Shortly after the Royal Fortress burnt down on Christmas Eve since 1734, King Philip V wished to replace the fortress with a palace built of ston...

  Parque del Retiro Buena is the most popular park in Madrid. Can be very crowded especially on weekends when families come to Madrid for a ride through the park and musicians, painters, astrologers, jugglers and street artists animates crowd.      Retiro Park was created to be a royal park, the palace belonged to the Real Sitio del Retiro Buena. In 1632, the palace was built by King Philip IV as an oasis of relaxation for the royal family. ...

  Plaza de Espana is one of the largest and most important markets in Madrid. One sunny day of summer is filled with vendors, tourists and locals.      Market is located at the end of superb Gran Via, one of the busiest streets in Madrid. Green Square is surrounded by streets and yet is still a very relaxing place during daytime. A large fountain and a beautiful statue which honors him by the Spanish writer Cervantes adorn the small square.&...

  The only street that should not be missed on a trip to Madrid is the Gran Via, a veritable exhibition of 20th century architecture. This lively street and one of the most important shopping areas of the city. Also here are also a lot of hotels and cinemas. But what makes this street is exciting architectural design of large buildings. A ride on a crowded street must not forget to head higher from time to time to admire the lavish decoration of the most important 'Edificios'. ...

  In the Plaza de la Moncola, near Park Oeste even near the center of town, there is a big triumphal arch, Arco de la Victoria - Victoria acre.     Arch seems older than it really is. Franco the dictator built in 1956 as a tribute to his nationalist army that defeated the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Arco de la Victoria is known as the Puerta de Moncloa, a name that is preferred by those who no longer wish to remember the...