Madrid

The capital of Spain, located in the heart of the country, it is 646 meters above sea level. It is the biggest city in Spain with a population of over three million. Although it is a capital city it is far away from being a boring bureaucratic city. It won't take too much to realize the characteristics of the city with its dense culture, artistic activities, and very lively nightlife. It is more than a capital city, which includes awesome palaces and parks.

                                            

When you walk through the streets/parks/palaces such as Puerta del Sol, the commercial street Gran Vía, Prado Avenue, Paseo de la Castellana, the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), the Royal Palace, Park Retiro you will witness the history with each step.

There are almost hundreds of art centers that you can visit, such as the famous Museum Prado, The Reina Sofia, The Thyssen-Bornemisza, CaixaForum, and more...

Must be seen/done:

• Watch flamenco in Madrid.
• I don't support watching bullfights but if you are interested in this is the right place. It is still worth seeing the arena from the outside.
• visit the Rastro (Madrid's weekly flea market).
• visit Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Don't miss the below places:

• Royal Palace (An amazing palace in the center of the city).
• Plaza Mayor (Marvelous square)

                                                

                                                    

• Puerta del Sol (Madrid's most central and the best-known square. Pretty touristic and crowded so be careful to the pickpockets)

• Gran Vía is the most famous and the most central street which makes you look around when you pass through it.
• Templo de Debod. (An authentic 2nd Century BC Egyptian temple in the middle of Madrid!)
• Madrid Cathedral. (Madrid's largest and most important church.)
• Plaza de la Villa. (Incredibly historic square, home to the 15th Century Torre de Lujanes, 16th Century Casa de Cisneros, and the 17th Century Casa de la Villa.)
• Puerta de Alcalá.
• Plaza de Cibeles (Central square where Real Madrid celebrates championship wins and is home to the Bank of Spain).
• Plaza de Oriente (Beautiful square located in front of the Royal Palace).
• Puerta de Toledo
• Check inside of the biggest train station called Atocha,  there is a vivid tropical garden there.
• Walk in the Park Retiro (especially on Sunday mornings it has a different effect).
• Madrid gives the opportunity to try different tapas types. Also, you can eat in the world's oldest restaurant (Botin).
• Hop-on, Hop-off Sightseeing Bus Tours offers to see the most important sights and monuments in 2 hours.

Madrid Metro is one of the largest and oldest metro systems in the world, which is especially remarkable considering Madrid's population of approximately 3.5 million to 6 million with the metropolitan area. You can find more information about Madrid's metro at http://www.metromadrid.es/es/index.html

                                        

There are several one-day trip options from Madrid. Segovia (90km away from Madrid) and Toledo (75km away from Madrid) are must-be-seen cities protected by UNESCO.