{"id":6036,"date":"2023-08-04T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghostaroundtheglobe.com\/?p=6036"},"modified":"2023-08-04T17:42:04","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T13:42:04","slug":"how-to-best-enjoy-marvelous-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ghostaroundtheglobe.com\/how-to-best-enjoy-marvelous-madrid\/","title":{"rendered":"How to best enjoy marvelous Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How to best enjoy marvelous Madrid<\/h1>

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Despite being Spain\u2019s capital and the country\u2019s largest city<\/strong>, Madrid is much less visited<\/strong> than Barcelona. A shame as Madrid is a wonderful city to explore<\/strong>! Let me share some great ways to enjoy marvelous Madrid!…\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Key highlights & top things to do in Madrid<\/span><\/h2>\n

I will not bore you with a long list of Madrid\u2019s highlights, you can find these on any city map. Instead, in this post I will share some of the <\/span>must-visits and lesser known activities to include in your wider Madrid itinerary<\/b>!…\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Enjoy the San Isidro festivities in Madrid<\/span><\/h2>\n

We arrived in Madrid following the <\/span>Ghost around the Globe post about La Mancha<\/b><\/a>, where we celebrated the <\/span>San Isidro festival<\/b>. Madrid\u2019s celebrations concluded a few days later and its <\/span>processions and festivities are a true spectacle to witness<\/b>. Especially as here most visitors <\/span>dress in traditional garments.\u00a0<\/b>\"Madrid<\/a><\/p>\n

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As described in my La Mancha<\/strong><\/a> post, the San Isidro festivities take place around <\/span>mid May<\/b>, I highly recommend visiting Madrid (and the surrounding region) around that time, just before the hot summer starts.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Should you explore Madrid by bicycle?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Usually we explore cities by foot, but to mix things up a bit we booked a<\/span> cycling tour through Madrid<\/b>. As with many other cities (for example Berlin<\/strong><\/a> or Bangkok<\/a><\/strong>) exploring by bicycle is always fun<\/strong>! However, unfortunately Madrid does not have the most convenient infrastructure for cyclists. <\/strong>This results in a lot of waiting time at traffic lights. There are various cycle tour operators, but from what I witnessed\u00a0the vast majority of clients are Dutch<\/strong>. (What can I say? We Dutch just love our bicycles!)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Top Tip:<\/span> <\/b>A cycling tour through Madrid is a nice activity and lets you easily explore all highlights and neighborhoods. However, in Madrid’s case it is likely better to discover by foot<\/strong> (potentially combined with metro).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the key highlights you will definitely pass on your cycling tour (and can visit later) are <\/span>Palacio Real de Madrid<\/b>, <\/span>Catedral de la Almudena<\/b>, Gran Via<\/strong>, <\/span>Plaza Mayor<\/b>, <\/span>Madrid City Hall<\/b>, various Museums and likely the (mainland) Europe\u2019s oldest barbershop<\/strong> (El Kinze de Cuchilleros) next to the World\u2019s oldest restaurant<\/strong> (Botin).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Top Tip:<\/b><\/span> Various attractions with paid entry fees are<\/span> free during the last hour(s) of the day <\/b>(and on public holidays)! So do research and, if there are no crazy cues, save up for some extra tapas money!\u00a0<\/strong>For example we visited the Palacio Real<\/strong> for free at the end of the day!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Find the Devil in El Retiro Park<\/span><\/h2>\n

A nice part of the cycling tour is riding through <\/span>El Retiro Park<\/b>. When visiting in May the <\/span>Rose Garden<\/b> is growing beautifully!…The park also houses the <\/span>Palacio de Cristal<\/b> and <\/span>The Great Pond<\/b> which served as the setting for mock Sea Battles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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However, what I found most interesting is that El Retiro Park houses the <\/span>World\u2019s only prominent sculpture dedicated to the Devil<\/b>, which stands at <\/span>666 meters<\/b> above sea level. The statue represents the Fallen Angel being exiled from paradise, sculpted in 1878 for the Paris World Fair. <\/span>The true reasons why Duke of Fernan Nunes in 1877 ordered the placement here seem unknown.\u00a0<\/span>The base of the statue depicts a snake with 7 heads, symbolizing the 7 sins. This statue could be straight out of a Dan Brown Novel\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Live on Tapas and Vermouth\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

When in Spain, it is no punishment to adjust to the local cuisine!… So make sure to get your fair share of tapas and vinos in<\/strong>! Some of the best places to enjoy your hora de tapas:<\/span><\/p>\n