Whether you’re visiting as part of a family holiday, a city break with friends, or a romantic getaway with your partner, Madrid has plenty to offer for all tourists. With everything from the Royal Palace, museums and stunning parks all largely within walking distance of the city, you’ll have plenty opportunity to build up your tapas-appetite. However, if you’re not sure where to start during your stay in sunny Spain, the AA Travel Insurance team have put together a short list of some places you certainly shouldn’t leave off your itinerary.
Top Tourist Attractions In Madrid
Museo del Prado
A must visit for anyone with an interest in art, the Museo del Prado is home to some of the most well-known works of art produced in Europe between the 12th and 19th centuries. It’s worth allocating an entire afternoon of your trip to touring the museum, which can be a great way to get everyone out of the mid-day sun if you’re travelling with children. However, if you’re stuck for time it’s still worth a passing visit, if only to see Diego Velázquez’ Las Meninas – a 17th century artwork which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the life of the royal family in Spain.
Santiago Bernabéu
Even if you’re visiting Madrid outside of the La Liga season, any sports fan should make a point of taking a detour to the home of Real Madrid. With over 100 years of rich sporting history and an overflowing trophy press, it’s certainly worth booking yourself into one of the daily tours. Just make sure to hide any mementos from your visit if you go on to spend some time in Barcelona later in your trip.
Palacio Real
After a Christmas Eve fire destroyed most of the Royal Alcázar in 1734, King Philip V demolished what was left and had the Palacio Real built in its place to act as the new home of the Spanish Royal Family. The largest functioning Royal Palace in western Europe, the palace has over 2,800 rooms and offers something for both music and food fanatics, with both the only surviving Stradivarius Quartet and the Royal Kitchens available for visitors to see.
While the royal family no longer resides at the palace, the Sabatini Gardens are worth a visit alone even if the nice weather leaves you reluctant to spend any time inside.
Tapas
No visit to Spain would be complete without sampling the local cuisine and, luckily for any foodies, Madrid has plenty options to whet your appetite. If you’re unsure of where to visit, there are groups that organise Tapas tours of Madrid, but sometimes the best approach can simply be to see what restaurants you come across while wandering through the city.
Real Jardín Botánico
Whether you’re a regular gardener back home or not, a visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens is well worth it – particularly if you get some good weather during your holiday. Spread over 20 acres, the gardens are home to over 5,000 species of living plants and trees. Meanwhile, the gardens also have a collection of over a million dried flowers which can be traced back as far as the first Spanish voyages to the ‘New World’ during the Age of Exploration.
Regardless of whether your visit to Spain will include regular sightseeing tours or you’re more likely to spend your time having a siesta by the pool, it’s important to have travel insurance in place to help if anything goes wrong during your holiday. With AA Travel Insurance you can get Annual cover from as low as €20, meaning you’ll still have plenty money to enjoy Spain’s nightlife and tapas scene.
All images used under Creative Commons via Wikimedia.
