5 Unusual Attractions in Madrid
02. Jul, 2008 
7 Comments
GUEST POST: While I am on the road this week and exploring Madrid, I’ve arranged for some of my favorite travel bloggers to share their travel stories and advice here. So enjoy, give our guest bloggers lots of love and be sure to check out their site listed on the bottom of the post.
Right now, almostfearless.com writer Christine is likely getting settled in her new apartment in Madrid. While she’s trying to find the basics like the local grocery store, the nearest metro stop and a good tapas bar, here are some of the more unusual attractions in Madrid:
Real Madrid Museum and Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
Even if you loathe football, or soccer for that matter, a trip to Santiago Bernabeu, replete with stadium tour and visit to the Real Madrid Museum, is a great way to touch the heart and soul of civic life in Madrid. The fortunes of the most famous team in club football has inextricable links with the denizens. If lucky enough to secure tickets to a match, even better. To be sure, a visit to the other Madrid club, Atletico, may be even more unusual, but who in their right mind would want to do that?
Círculo de Bellas Artes
Since 1880 this multidisciplinary center of culture has been a haven of artistic expression. Known as the CBA, the center is non-profit, always a good sign to tourists on a budget, but nonetheless offers some of the best performances and exhibitions in this most cosmopolitan of capitals. From photography to dance, film to sculpture installations, the doors to the CBA are always open to visitors who want to stray off the beaten path.
La Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas
The “toro” or bull, is the familiar national emblem of Spain. A symbol of power, strength and virility, the bull is also the central figure in the national pastime. If you recoil at the thought of being a spectator at a bullfight, all the more reason to experience the event in person. Especially in Madrid. This is Spain after all and a more authentic affair there could not be. Las Ventas is among the most historic sites for this “sport” in the world, let alone Spain, and hosts the premier San Isidro festival every May and June, when the best matadors and most formidable bulls square off in titanic tests of will.
El Rastro
A flea market on steroids, El Rastro is part destination, part event. Since a humble inception in the 15th century as a commercial trail for merchants to hawk wares, El Rastro now draws locals on the hunt for unusual items not available at large conventional malls, thrift-retro threads, antiques and curio objects. Open every Sunday, come between 9 and noon before the rush to haggle for bargains. Beware of pickpockets and when hunger strikes, head to the nearby La Latina district for authentic tapas.
Barrio Retiro
City ‘hoods are areas of universal neglect among tourists who forget about the beauty of pedestrian life. While central Madrid and the museum district are fine places to visit – the Prado is a must of course – the barrios of yore deserve a stroll. Retiro is not only the first area of settlement in Madrid, it also has the most diversity. If you long to escape from the plethora of ubiquitous restaurants with second-rate patatas bravas and tortilla, spend a day in this cool little district and witness gentrification in progress. The architecture is splendid in spurts and the streets offer a welcome respite from the madness on Gran Via.
About the Author:
A teacher mother and Roald Dahl nurtured a love for composition. A cryptic bloodline primed a mad wanderlust. A fateful encounter with an octogenarian Kiwi scribe on an overnight train in Basque country however, led Ian Harrison to combine the two. Ian Harrison is now working as an inspirational travel writer for On The Go Travel Blog by RatesTogo.
Im not much for bullfights myself but i do love wondering around Barrio Retiro on a sunny day.
El Rastro is a great spot. Not only for shopping but people watching too.
I went to the Bernabeau stadium and it was a thrill. I took the tour and it was well worth it for me. The location of the stadium is nice also, with many restaurants nearby. The Vicente Calderon stadium cannot compare to the Bernabeau, but at least I managed to watch Atletico Madrid play a match there. Madrid is my favorite city to visit out of the European cities I’ve visited, simply magnificent.
Anthonys last blog post..What’s in a Name
This makes me want to hurry back to Madrid!
Theresas last blog post..Mission Impossible: Planning the South America Itinerary
I don’t like those bullfights in Madrid. I don’t think it’s fair to torture an animal like that.
Madrid Spains last blog post..Madrid Spain
i dont like the bullfights cause its mean how they r mean 2 the bull but morocoo is a pretty cool place. Im doing a project on morocco.
You are a very smart person!