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Spain : Madrid - October 2007

Country Code: Dial for Spain

Spain’s centrally located capital is a melting pot for migrants from the regions while immigrants from all over the world are continually adding to the cultural mix. But ever more inventive, international influences happily haven’t squeezed out the city’s down-to-earth madrileño charm, as Sarah Morris reports

Getting around

Barajas Airport

Bus: There are regular buses from the airport to Avenida de America (which connects with Metro lines 4, 6, 7 and 9) until 11pm. The journey takes between 30 minutes and an hour (emtmadrid.es).
Train: Terminal 4 is covered by line 8 of the metro system. The journey to the city centre takes about 45 minutes and a single ticket costs €2.
Taxi: The journey to the centre takes around 20 minutes and costs around €28 (which includes the taxis’ airport charge of €5,25).
Tourist information: The main office is at 27 Plaza Mayor (tel. , www.turismomadrid.es) but there’s also an information stand at Terminal 1.

The Austrias

Take a leisurely stroll through the oldest part of the city, named after the Habsburg kings who built the impressive Plaza Mayor. Wander around the side streets between Plaza Cebada and elegant Plaza del Oriente, home to the opera house, the royal palace and its gardens.

Sleep soundly – Both the Hotel Palacio San Martin (5 Plaza de San Martin, tel. , intur.com, rooms from €180) and the Hostal Oriente (23 Calle Arenal, tel. , rooms from €38) sit in the heart of this evocative area.

Culture vultures – Taste the medieval atmosphere at the 16th-century convent Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (3 Plaza de las Descalzas), which is still a working order for the Barefoot Royal Sisters.

Must eat – Take a tapas crawl around the bars of Cava Baja, Cava Alta and El Almendro, sampling everything from elaborately topped toast to hearty fried potatoes served with pisto (ratatouille).

Dance the night away – Live floor shows make Berlin Cabaret (11 Costanilla de San Pedro) one of the city’s most entertaining clubs.

Shop til you drop – For flamenco music, instruments or dresses, visit El Flamenco Vive (7 Calle Conde de Lemos).

Chueca

Once run down, Chueca is now one of the city’s most vibrant districts, the heart of the gay community and home to the funkiest restaurants and shops.

Sleep soundly – Just off Gran Via, Petit Palace Ducal (3 Calle Hortaleza, tel. , hthoteles.com, rooms from €150) combines a boutique feel with useful mod cons such as free internet access. The Hostal Benamar (20 Calle San Mateo, tel. , rooms from €35) is a good, clean budget option.

Culture vultures – Check out Spain’s contemporary art scene at Galeria Edurne (22 Calle de la Libertad).

Must eat – For creative Mediterranean cooking and bargain set lunches, try El Armario (4 Paseo del Prado, tel. ).

Must drink – Colby (52 Calle Fuencarral) is a chilled spot for a cocktail.

Dance the night away – Pictures of Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar are among the photos on the wall at Mito (3 Calle Augusto Figueroa), which attracts both gay and straight clubbers.

Shop til you drop – Óptica Toscana (70 Calle Hortaleza) is an intriguing opticians inside a former grains and pulses shop. Here spectacles nestle inside dozens and dozens of wooden drawers that still have their original labels.

Salamanca

Madrid’s pijos (posh people) hang out here. See how many fur-draped ladies and children dressed like little Lord Fauntleroy you can spot.

Sleep soundly – For chandeliers, marble and general class, make it the Hotel Wellington (8 Calle Velazquez, tel. , hotel-wellington.com, rooms from €180). The 10 rooms at Hostal Arco Iris (27 Calle O’Donnell, tel. , hostalarcoiris.com, rooms from €38) are bright, breezy and refreshingly light compared to some of Madrid’s other budget hotels.

Culture vultures – An often overlooked treasure, Museum Sorolla (37 Paseo del General Martinez Campos) is the former mansion and art studio of painter Joaquín Sorolla. Dubbed ‘the Spanish impressionist’, both Sorolla’s paintings and his Moorish gardens are well worth a visit.

Must eat – Wine lovers should lunch upstairs in Lavinia (16 Calle José Ortega y Gasset, tel. ), a shop selling Spanish wine. You can enjoy any of the 4,500 bottles on sale with your meal at no extra mark-up.

Must drink – Cervecería Santa Barbara (70 Calle Goya) is something of a Madrid institution. Head here for beer and prawns.

Dance the night away – Spot Spanish celebrities at stylish nightclub Fortuny (34 Calle de Fortuny).

Shop til you drop – Ekseption (28 Calle Velazquez) offers a large range of designer labels under one roof.

Compiled by Sarah Morris