Partager Paris and More ... MADRID

El Prado Madrid

Another really nice thing about living in Paris, ... is that you can go to so many other European cities easily and cheaply.  I was reading Bonjour Paris's article the other day about her trip to Berlin;  and thanks to her great article I had a much better time in Madrid!  Thank you, Bonjour Paris!  How is that you wonder?  I took her advice and left in the afternoon, instead of the early morning, arriving in Madrid just in time for a drink before dinner.  Madrid is, like Berlin, about  2 hours away.  Flights are numerous, so usually there is a flight available every couple of hours, departing from Orly Airport.  Once we landed, we took a taxi to the hotel, a bit expensive as the airport is out from the city.  There is a bus/metro available, but ....  We stayed at one of the larger business hotels, which was nice for wifi, happy hours, and right next to a metro stop.  The city's  transportation system is excellent, cheap, safe, and runs late (around 1am).  I bought a 10- ride pass that was less than 10 E, and used it on buses and metros alike.   The city is a great one for exploring on foot, too, especially when the weather is nice.   I had lots of items on my list to visit, a special guide book with 12 different tours ... much more than I could do in 3 days, so I decided to choose one big event per day, and the rest of my time would be "par hasard".  The pressure was off!  

There are several museums in Madrid which should be visited, the Prado and the Reine Sofia, are two not to be missed.  They are housed close together with the Royal Botanical Gardens (El Real Jardin Botánico) sitting between them.  What a lovely place to go and loose yourself!    There are special discount days and times, so take a look on the internet before you leave.  


The shopping is great, (especially the Rastro on Sunday mornings), the architecture is stately, the people are warm, the city is colorful, the restaurants stay open almost all the night ...  and the white wines are just divine!   It is only 2 hours from Paris .....


A great restaurant to try :  Dantxari (be hungry !)
www.dantaari.com

PPxx

El Real Jardin Botánico