Spanish Version
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Things to do in Madrid
- Learning Spanish in Madrid
- Students' opinions
Reasons to study Spanish in Madrid:
THE CITY:
- Population: 3.600.000.
- Location: centre of Spain (in the autonomous region of the same name).
- Madrid is a city full of differences where modern architecture mixes well with old town character.
- Madrid is the major city and the capital of Spain, and home of the Spanish Royal Family.
- Spain's airport, Madrid-Barajas International, is 13km northeast of Madrid.
THINGS TO DO IN MADRID:
- Madrid has an extraordinary collection of museums (Museo Reina Sofía, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Museo del Prado, etc) and art galleries.
- The most popular and authentic of Madrid's parks - Parque del Buen Retiro, with 119 hectares and 15.000 trees. If you need to rest, take a stroll or just lie on the grass that is the right place.
- Madrid nightlife is an important: you can find hundreds of pubs and bars; traffic jams at 4 a.m., lights, shows, etc. There are several districts around the city, each one with its own particular style.
- Madrid has over 54.000 shops, where you can find everything you are looking for.
- El Escorial is a famous monastery, where most of the kings of Spain are buried, is situated near Madrid and is a must-visit.
- Lots of Spanish cities can be visited without travelling for hours on end. In one hour you can reach the cities of Ávila, Toledo, Segovia, and the town of Aranjuez.
More information about Madrid
Madrid is located in the heart of the Iberian Peninsula, in the centre of the Castilian plain - 643 meters over the sea level with a population of over 3 million. It plays a key role in both the banking and industrial sectors. Most of its industries are sited in the Southern part of the city, where important textile, food and metal working factories are grouped. Madrid is also a very cosmopolitan city while having a great business centre, Public Administration, Government, and Spanish Parliament headquarters, and the home of the Spanish Royal Family. Madrid is distinguished by an intense cultural and artistic activity. It also has vast green areas and a continuous flow of architectural structures, business people and students. Madrid nightlife is predominantly energetic with much gathering around in its thousands of traditional bars. If you're looking to enjoy a unique experience Madrid is the place you are looking for.
Madrid origins can be traced to the times of the Arab Emir Mohamed I (852-886), who ordered the construction of a fortification on the left bank of the Manzanares River. Afterward Madrid became the subject of a dispute between Christians and Arabs until Alonso VI conquered it in the 11th century. At the end of the 17th century, a protective wall was erected to protect the city´s new distant areas, tracing the roads of Toledo, Segovia, and Valencia. During the 18th century, the great “arteries” of the city, such as the Paseo del Prado and Paseo de las Acacias were built under the reign of Carlos III.
Plaza Castilla, Madrid
The grand metropolis of Madrid can trace its origins to the times of Arab Emir Mohamed I (852-886), who ordered the construction of a fortress, on the left bank of the Manzanares River. Later it became the subject of a dispute between the Christians and Arabs until it was conquered by Alonso VI in the 11th century. At the end of the 17th century, a defensive wall was built for the protection of the new outlying areas, tracing the roads of Segovia, Toledo and Valencia. During the 18th century, the great “arteries” of the city, such as the Paseo del Prado and Paseo las Acacias were designated under the reign of Carlos III.
In the 19th century, Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon´s stepbrother, also known as Pepe Botella) commenced the reform of the Puerta del Sol and its surrounding areas. The Gran Vía, a long commercial street was constructed as an east-west avenue at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1950's the Paseo de la Castellana, a north-south avenue, was enlarged and modern buildings were erected on it, housing the major financial organizations. Remains of the remote past are mostly the Baroque and neoclassical structures of the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the Plaza Mayor (Main Square) and the Palacio Real (Royal Palace), and others described later during our city tour.
Plaza Mayor, Madrid
Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid
Fiestas and celebrations in Madrid
The famous celebrations of San Isidro, on the 15th of May, are accompanied by typical Madrid traditions - fair and dances organized on the meadow of San Isidro, where the people of Madrid dance, sing and enjoy themselves next to their patron saint´s hermitage. In the meantime, there are opera and ballet shows as well as traditional bullfights at Las Ventas´s bullring.
