Madrid Vacation Starts Here

"Your vacation in Madrid means great food, fun, and adventure."

If you've never been on a Madrid vacationbefore, then you are in for a series of pleasant surprises. Madrid, the capital of Spain, is a vibrant city that is both modern and historic, as European cities often are. You'll find all the amenitieshere, including superb shopping outlets, museums, parks and restaurants. Some travelers book their airline ticketsand hotel in Madridtogether on a discount site like Orbitz, Priceline or Expedia, while others choose to piece it all together themselves, adding on a city tour, rental car or museum admission if they please. There are many decisions to make, but deliberate quickly -- Spain awaits!

A Vacation in Madrid Means a Big Bang for Your Buck

A Madrid vacationis one of the most affordable trips you can take. Since so much of Spain's wellbeing depends upon its vital tourist dollars, government plans and tourism incentives have been ramped up to entice foreigners with a few dollars to spend. Even if you feel you don't have much money socked away in the bank, it's hard to say "no" to a $579 round-trip flight from www.bt-store.com or pass up on a $19/night room at an exciting backpacker's hostel. If hotels resortsare more your taste, you'll be happy to know you can find a fully furnished Manhattan-style apartment for less than $80/night too! Here you'll find some travel informationto ensure you get the most from your trip.

Madrid Amenities You Will Love

Often the best spots to vacationare the ones with ample amenities, a lot of unique culture and a diverse array of activities. You will certainly find all of these things if your travel plans include Madrid, Spain. The nation's capital city houses historic architecture, busy restaurants, unique shops, bars and cafes in Puerta del Sol and Plaza de la Villa. The tree-lined boulevard of Castellana is a bit more relaxing, with coffee shops, art galleries and botanical gardens. The best shopping, architecture and movie houses can be discovered along Gran Via, a popular Madrid street. Madrid de los Austrias is a charming and romantic nook of a town, where wrought-iron porches, cobbled alleyways, street lamps and old buildings sit beside the opera house, the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor. Furthermore, there's upscale shopping in Salamanca, rowboats in the lush playground known as Retiro Park and scores of lively nightclubs in Moncloa and Argüelles. Adventure and variety await in Madrid!

Madrid on a Budget

Madrid is the capital of Spain, housing 3.3 million in the city centre and 6 million in its metro region. Travelers considering a vacation here will be happy to know that rental cars aren't necessary, since the inexpensive metro system is one of the best in all of Europe. There is something for everyone in the Madrid neighborhoods. Malasaña houses alternative pubs, bars, cafes and novelty shops. Lavapies is both cosmopolitan and hippy at the same time, with African and South American influenced shops, Indian restaurants and some of Spain's best coffee houses. The bohemian neighborhood of La Latina offers excellent tapas restaurants, micro-brews and the El Rastro flea market. Moncloa, near Universidad Complutense, is a student hangout with cool shops, cheap food and budget-priced drinks. Chueca is the gay district of Madrid, with trendy art galleries, cafes and high-priced shops. Another rich area of Madrid is historic Salamanca. Huertas is a popular tourist destination, with a high concentration of popular hotels, restaurants and pubs. Read on for more travel tips to help you get the most bang for your buck in Madrid!

Eating is a big part of any vacation, especially when you're traveling outside of the United States to a faraway land, with its own unique culinary experiences. You won't feel completely foreign when you see Pizza Hut, Burger King, McDonald's and Starbucks, but you'll definitely want to resist the temptation to go with your comfort zone and try something new. Madrid, Spain is known for exotic dishes like Cocido Madrileño (meat and chick pea stew), Potaje de Garbanzos (chick pea stew), Cochinillo Asado (roasted sucking pig), Bocata de Calamares (fried calamari sandwich on French bread), Tortilla de Patatas (omelet, onion and potatoes), Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce), Huevos Rotos (eggs fried over French fries) or Porras (thick battered churros, eaten with coffee). Often travel professionals at your hotel concierge can direct you to some of the area's best restaurants.

Madrid Food Fit For Royalty

Eating is a crucial component of any vacation and Madrid travel is no exception. The Spanish are known for their use of spices like saffron, pinchitos, paprika, bouillons and sea salt. They use some of the world's best olive oil to cook their dishes and combine rice with meat and vegetables in sumptuous feasts. The Spaniards are also very good at using every part of an animal, much to the chagrin of visitors with sensitive stomachs. Those with adventurous palettes and strong stomachs may want to try local favorites like Oreja (pig's ears) Callos a la Madrileña (tripe with beans), Sopa de Ajo (garlic soup), Bacalao a la Madrileña (salted cod in a sauce) or Rabo de Toro (stuffed cow or bull's tail). Madrid novelties aside, you won't want to leave the city centre without trying manchego cheese, manzanilla wine or croquetas and Madrid dipping oil.

Your Madrid vacation wouldn't be complete without sampling some local cuisine. You may try olives from Campo Real, white garlic from Chinchón, beef from the Guadarrama Mountains, asparagus from Aranjuez or Madrid's home-harvested virgin olive oil. Travel professionals often recommend taking a culinary/food and wine tour to get the best local dining experience. Trip Advisor travelers highly recommend the "Adventurous Appetites" tours (www.adventurousappetites.com), which takes you to several different venues to sample tostadas, tapitos, pinchos, prawns, olives, salads, meats, cheese, tapas, sherry, manzanilla wine, mojitos and coffee.

Naturally, after eating all that rich food, you'll need to walk around and see the sights of Madrid. At the ultra-modern Cosmo Caixa (science museum), you'll catch a glimpse of how the Earth was created, how tornadoes work and play with interactive exhibits that will keep the kids busy for hours. Visit a zoo, an amusement park, a garden and a bullfighting school at Casa de Campo, which is the "Central Park" of Madrid. At Casa de América you will see stunning 19th century architecture and, the locals warn, you may even see a ghost! Capricho de la Alameda de Osuna is one of the most tranquil settings in bustling Madrid. As a hideout for Napoleon's soldiers, these well-manicured gardens are fit for a duchess (the Duchess of Osuna, to be exact). Nuestra Señora de la Almudena is a neoclassical cathedral built in the 19th century, which tops many Madrid travel plan itineraries. Similarly, the art museum at Basílica de San Francisco el Grande cannot be missed.

Madid Spain a Shopper's Paradise

A vacation is also a great opportunity to go shopping and find newfound treasures to take back home. Madrid travel offers numerous fashion boutiques, specialty shops and shopping districts to choose from. Calle Preciados and Calle Montera are only accessible by foot and showcase both women's and men's apparel. Calle Serrano is home to the most sophisticated designer boutiques and art galleries. Similarly, Calle Goya and Calle Alcalá are popular designer shopping streets. Calle Princesa and Calle Bravo Murillo have a number of great clothing and shoe shops. In El Rasto, shoppers will find more than just clothing, as pet accessories, furniture, art and books can also be purchased here. Another eclectic area is Calle Gran Vía, which is bustling with clothing shops, cinemas and popular hotels. La Vaguada is the region's largest shopping mall, with over 300 stores in a small area, as well as a cinema, bowing alley and several trendy cafes. As you can see, there is much to do in Madrid, Spain!

Madrid Vacation Tours

According to the Travel Channel's travel tips, there are a number of excellent tours you can add to your Madrid vacation. If you want to see many of the sights in a short amount of time and gain a general understanding of the Madrid layout, bus tours are the way to go; visit www.madridvision.es/en/index.php or www.madridguidedtours.com for more information. If you'd rather get some fresh air and exercise, a walking tour might be more your speed; check out www.walksofspain.com, www.esmadrid.com/descubremadrid_en/portal.do or www.madrid-museum-tours.org. Many travelers highly recommend Segway tours as a unique and fun way to see the city; the most popular tours are from www.madsegs.com. Lastly, you can hook up with a tapas tour to taste your way around the city through www.walksofspain.com, www.madridguidedtours.com or www.madrid-museum-tours.org.

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Textiles and tourism are the two major industries of Madrid, Spain, so you'll find lots to do and many items to buy on your Madrid vacation. Of course, there is still always a place for the frugal traveler, according to the author of www.dirtcheapmadrid.com, a blog that covers all the bargains you can find in the city centre. You can stay in a hostel or you can stay in luxury hotels. You can fine-dine and drink until your heart's content or you could look for a "tasting" tour that numerous tapas bars and restaurants. You can pay full-price to see the museums at your leisure or you can schedule carefully to dash through during the free hours. Your Madrid travel plan can be anything you want it to be! For more information, visit the city's official site at www.esmadrid.com.