Travel plan idea blog

Travel for Madrid's Plaza de Cibeles

Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles:

I chose this photo of Plaza di Cibeles at night for the first entry in my new category of inspiring pictures – pictures that make you want to start planning your next vacation.

We actually have a couple of Madrid and Spain vacation itineraries here. There’s the Madrid to Malaga travel itinerary and the Discovering Spain travel itinerary. Both begin in Madrid.

Madrid inspires people to travel because it’s gorgeous. Madrid has preserved its historic neighborhoods even while its modern transportation system makes it easy to get around. You see the awesome Plaza de Cibeles pictured here. What else do you have to see and do in Madrid?

The Teatro Real (Royal theatre) is called the Real. This is a restored 1850 Opera House and is home to the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. If you’re a music buff like me, someone who still regrets visiting Italy and never seeing an opera in one of the famous opera houses, this is a must. There’s a museum here, but I really want to go for the music.

The huge Royal Palace of Madrid on (Bailén Street accessible from the Ópera metro station) is open to public when not in official use. King Juan Carlos doesn’t actually live there, but the palace is somtimes used for official business. Many visitors claim that you need more than one day in Madrid’s Royal Palace to begin to appreciate it. Personally I’m most eager to see the La Real Armería (the Royal Armory) museum where they keep medieval weapons and armor.

The Buen Retiro park (Park of the Pleasant Retreat), near the Prado museum, has its own list of tourist attractions. Alfonso XII, has his Mausoleum and statue near Estanque del Retiro (a pretty artificial lake where you take a boat ride). There you can find puppet shows, various street performers, and fortune tellers.

Then (still in Buen Retiro park) there's Palacio de Cristal (inspired by The Crystal Palace in London) and Palacio de Velázquez both designed by Ricardo Velázquez Bosco. You might also be interested in seeing a one-of-a-kind: 'El Angel Caído' is the only statue in the world honoring the fallen angel Lucifer. The Forest of the Departed (Bosque de los Ausentes) is a memorial to the 191 victims of the Madrid terrorist attacks on March 11, 2004.

I mentioned that the Prado Museum is near the Buen Retiro park (Park of the Pleasant Retreat). The Prado Museum is another must see tourist attraction, renowned for having one of the world’s best art collections. The Prado Museum is part of Madrid’s Golden Triangle of Art. The triangle is completed with Madrid’s modern art museum, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and an art museum in a palace, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

So while that picture of Plaza de Cibeles blew me away, there are really tons of reasons to go to Madrid. It's time to start saving my money.

Posted by James Trotta at March 26, 2007 4:45 PM