Weekend in Madrid

Picasso Tradition and Avant-garde

If you're in Madrid this summer make sure to catch the special Picasso exhibit (Picasso tradición y vanguardia) at the Reina Sofía The exhibit commemorate the Guernica's return to Spain from the Museum of Modern Art New York 25 years ago. The exhibit runs till early September. I recently visited it with my team from work, we had a private guide and it was really worth it. I'd recommend at least getting an audio guide to really get the most out of it. 

Later on

As summer is upon us why not try one of Madrid's open air terraces? Bar Atenas which plays laid-back beats to a chilled crowd can be found behind the Almudena Cathedral down a steep road called Cuesta San Vicente. Another cool terraces is at Atocha station close the the car rental area. Larios Café in calle Silva Metro Santo Domingo stays open till 5am with a café upstairs and disco downstairs. Clubs don’t really get going till after 3am and I’m a bit out of that scene now but a place called Pachá (Metro Tribunal) is pretty trendy. AVOID Joy Madrid – this is a really cheesy place near Sol. In fact most places round Sol are either cheesy or seedy.

Tapas

Plaza Santa Ana in the area known as Huertas (Metro Sol or Sevilla) is a good place to start a night out as it’s very central and very popular (a bit touristy but still worth it). You should also head to the area around La Latina (Metro La Latina).  My favourite place in La Latina is Taberna Matritum in Cava Alta, 16.  You can dine here but you can't book so just have to show up. Another long standing favourite is El Almendro, C/Almendro nº13 whcih is very close by and gets really packed at the weekends.

Shopping

You can find the big name shops on GranVia (Metro GranVia or Callao) like Zara, Mango, H&M etc but the hip area for shopping is now around C/Fuencarral just off the Gran Via. Here you can find the smaller shops and known brands like Diesel, Puma etc. If you head off this street a bit there’s loads of shoe shops around Plaza Chueca any plenty of places to stop for a drink and a tapa.

I recommend a  shop called Oliphant on C/Santa Teresa 7. It’s owned by a friend of ours called Antonio and has featured in recently in Elle magazine and the national press. Antonio describes is as "Parisian hippy-chic". It has clothes upstairs and compliments downstairs as well as a range of childrensware designed and hand made by his business partner. 

If you’re into the designer labels head to C/Serrano and onto C/José Ortega y Gasset where you might bump into Beckham. Also try C/Goya and the streets around this area like Jorge Juan which is the posh end of town (Metro Serrano). My wife really likes a shop called Homeless in C/Serrano. For the blokes try Massimo Duty for the classical look and Springfield for really cheap.

Retiro Park

When you've had enough of shopping, eating out and dancing away into the small hours a great place to unwind and relax is the Retiro Park, the green lung of Madrid  (Metro Retiro or Ibiza) just behind the Prado Museum. It's lovely on a Sunday morning just reading a paper, taking a stroll or if you're feeling a bit more energetic you can rent a rowing boat on the lake. The yearly book fair (Feria del Libro) is held here in late May early June. Most books of course are in Spanish! I recommend strolling by the lake, watching the street entertainers and having an ice cream in one of the many bars or kiosks. As always in crowded places be aware of pick-pockets. 

Street life

In Madrid  there's always life on the street. Just strolling around stopping off for a coffee or a tapa is a national past-time "to see and be seen". You'll find droves of people from the baby in a pram the the elderly gran in the streets around Puerta del Sol, central Madrid.  This area is especially vibrant on any saturday afternoon or Sunday and almost any week-night, especially in the summer or any holiday time.  Just be aware of pick-pockes as they are pretty rife in this part of town and especially target tourists.

Museums and Galleries

If you like art you should visit the Prado Museum which has more traditional paintings by artists such as Goya or Velazquez. If you prefer modern art then the Reina Sofía Museum is a must. It has paintings by Picasso, Dalí and Miró as well as numerous sculputures. Personally I prefer the Reina Sofía my favourite painting being Picasso's Guernica. However the Prado is bigger and far more famous. If you want to try something different then the Thyssen Museum is well worth a visit. You can get English audio guides in all of them.