Bitesize Travel Review | Madrid

Sunday, January 13, 2019



I've never really wanted to be a travel blogger, but I do LOVE to travel! Damian and I are lucky enough to get to go to some beautiful places so I thought I would do some simple, bitesize posts about the places we visit. First up our whistlestop trip to Madrid in October 2018. This trip was organised just so I could see two of my favourite pieces of art which both happen to be in Madrid.

Flights: Aberdeen to Heathrow (British Airways)-----Heathrow to Madrid (Iberia)
             Madrid to Heathrow (Iberia)-----Heathrow to Aberdeen (British Airways)
             £324* return for 2 people



Accommodation: Ibis Styles Prado on the Calle Del Prado- Central Madrid
                            £21** for 2 nights










Things to see and do:

Museo Reina Sofia- Entrance fee: 10 euro
Must see: Guernica by Pablo Picasso, The Great Masturbator by Salvador Dali

Museo Nacional Del Prado- Entrance fee: 15 euro (beat the ticket queues by buying from the small kiosk situated across the street from the main building).
Must see: San Jeronimo el Real is a gorgeous church sat atop a hill alongside the Prado. Whilst you stand in the entrance queue look to your left and you will see this absolutely beautiful building looking down on you. The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, and The Last Supper by Vincente Juan Masip.

Caixa Forum- Entrance fee: Free (4 euro for specific exhibitions)
Must see: The Vertical Garden by Patrick Blanc.
We also saw the History of Disney exhibition at the Caixa forum but sadly it ended on November 4th.

Puerto Del Sol
Puerto Del Sol is a big public square with shops, restaurants, and street entertainers. We spent a good wee while here, spending all our money in shops we don’t have here in Aberdeen. The Sephora here in particular is great if you like Sephora in general but if you want more concession stands (particularly if you are cruelty free) then I recommend heading to the one on Calle de Serrano.




Top Tips:
Don't forget that whilst Madrid is in Spain, it is a very northernly city and thus the weather will not be what you call traditional Spanish. When we went in October it was actually warmer at home in Aberdeen-so pack accordingly.

If you don't speak (or read Spanish) I would recommend planning your inner city travel ahead of time as all of the information in the train stations is (rightly so) in Spanish, and can take some time to figure out.

There are so many things to see and do even in just a small section of the city so I highly recommend planning at least 3 days. We went for just 2 and it was nowhere near enough time.

Buy Churros! and eat them fresh! There really is nothing yummier than a freshly cooked churro dipped in caramel sauce-our favourites were from Maestro Churrero just off of Calle de Atocha.
       


*Flights were cheaper than normal as I was kindly given access to British Airways media rates.
** We only paid £21 for our hotel for the 2 nights as Damian had accrued a LOT of loyalty points with Accor Hotels from staying with them for training through his new employer. Actual price was £221 for 2 Nights.


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