And, of course, we have some more suggestions to coast you through the weekend. Since it’s the festival of San Isidro the city will be crawling with art from symphonies to rock ’n’ roll to puppet theater...
If there is any lingering doubt in your mind that Real Madrid qualifies for cult status, simply visit their store. I assure you; you’ll come away a changed person. From infant pacifiers to women's underwear, they have managed to brand every product on the planet. Although some items are available on line and others at the stadium, this is the most complete collection of Real Madrid paraphernalia in the known universe. Now, if you’re guessing that you can find t-shirts, polo shirts...
by Justine Bayod Espoz
Another first-class Melía hotel in Madrid is the Princesa, which is more centrally located than the Melía Castilla. On the periphery of the historic center, the Princesa is very close to the Oeste Park and Plaza España. Plus a nice bonus in the area for foreigners is the complex...
by Justine Bayod Espoz
The Villa Real Hotel is located in prime tourist area, just steps away from the Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza art museums and a few blocks from Puerta del Sol. A guest at this hotel will not have to rely on public transportation to see...
At the Vlla Real Hotel you don't have to leave the premise in order to see great art. The in-house collection includes everything from Ancient Roman sculpture to Modern Warhol Portraits. See review for more.
Justine Bayod Espoza
The most centrally located and luxurious of Melía’s hotels in Madrid is the Gran Melía Fénix. Situated to one side of Plaza Colon, the Gran Melía Fénix sits on the doorstep of both the exclusive Barrio de Salamanca and Paseo de Recoletos....
by Andrew Poole
Far from the “Roses are Red, Violets are blue” simplicity of most “love stories”, Elegy...
Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley star in Elegy, the adaptation of Philip Roth's short novel, "The Dying Animal". See today's review for more.
Anna Bogutskaia
What do you live for? What would you die for? These are questions that The Countefeiters...
La Latina is affordable, artistic and fun. By day it's a lovely barrio for a stroll, in the evenings a great place for nightlife, and on Sunday it erupts in to the "Rastro" one of the biggest flea markets in all of Europe. Photo by Quico López.
The Royal Botanical Gardens in Madrid are are great complement to the action-packed days and nights in this 24-hour city.
by Heather Hart
Hey girls - love designer clothes but can’t handle the designer price tags? Looking for something truly unique? Make your way over to Trendy Tube, Triball’s highly...
by Sean McNamara
The six-hour southbound bus ride passed quickly, as my anticipation for Sevilla’s famous spring Feria (Fair) grew and the monumental silhouettes of Andalusian bulls floated over the hills. Socibus, the company that shuttles travelers...
Preparing for La Feria de Sevilla - dance, drink, food, horses and more. See for more article info. Photo and story by Sean McNamara.
Has the recent weather left you a bit blue? If it's a bit cold for terrazas or a walk in the park, don't forget your shopping options.
Opened in September 2004, the Palacio del Retiro is one of Madrid’s newest luxury hotels. It is located in a stunning building right off of the Retiro Park, just steps away from Cibeles Fountain and the Puerta de Alcalá, two...
The Thyssen Bornemisza Museum containing work from Gothic Italian to American Pop Art is just minutes away from the AC Palacio del Retiro Hotel. Don't miss the hotel's Turkish baths! See review for details.
In Madrid, when does spring officially begin? For optimists it’s the budding of delicate leaves, for pessimists it’s the banging of annual construction. For the vast majority, however, spring is the beginning of terrazas (sidewalk cafes)...
Calle Argumosa is lined with terrazas cafes serving juice, coffee, beer, wine and sangria. A couple of hours on this magical street will cure whatever ails you.
Roberto Wonka and the Chocolate Facory? Yes, that is a fountain of chocolate you are looking at. If you're seeking a quick lunchtime or evening escape in Madrid, try the current market in the Plaza de la Luna just off Gran Via. Roberto and his molten chocolate are waiting for you. For more information on Roberto's company, Chocolate Fondue (weddings, parties, conferences...), call 619 928 242.
Next time you’re headed off on a day trip from the Atocha train station make sure you arrive early enough in order to enjoy all that this historic Madrid landmark has to offer. Yes, really...
Atocha Station in Madrid comes complete with a... tropical forest inside. The rare mix of French architecture, swaying palms, cafes, candy shops and, yes, even night clubs ought to keep you entertained while you wait for your next train. See review for details. Photo by Kike - also see his websites 1 & 2.
Museums in Madrid are some of the best in the world. Whether you want to check out Spanish classics at El Prado Museum, contemporary art at the Reina Sofía Museum, or a bit of both worlds at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, our comprehensive guide to museums in Madrid will give you an informative overview.
The Westin Palace Hotel sits directly across from Madrid’s Ritz Hotel, just on the other side of the Neptune fountain. Even...
Just minutes away from the Westin Palace Hotel is the world-famous Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza featuring works by all the European masters. Don't miss Dali's beautifully intriguing and lengthily titled, "Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate Minutes before Waking." Whether Salvador woke on the "right" or "wrong" side of the bed that particular morning is still disputed; however, all can agree it was definitely the "surreal" side.
Pick up any Madrid guidebook and you’ll find Plaza Mayor listed as one of the “must see” historical sites. No doubt the article will be accompanied...
Artists in Plaza Mayor capture Spanish life on canvass. Photo by Kike - also see his websites 1 & 2.
Igor Mitoraj continues to display his sculpture along Paseo del Prado just down the street from the Madrid Ritz - near Atocha Station at the entrance to Retiro. Sponsored by Caixa Forum.
by Andre Nakazawa
Anything with the word “grand” in its name had better live up to this lofty title. The main thoroughfare of Madrid, Gran Via, does just that. Conceived in the mid 19th century...
For more infomation on Gran Via, its history and its monumental architecture, see our article. Photo by Kike also see his websites 1 & 2.
Although the Real Jardín Botánico (Royal Botanic Gardens) may sound like a destination for those who travel by horse-drawn carriage and not sleek, modern jet, it shouldn’t be overlooked when...
The Real Jardín Botánico is in full bloom and waiting for your visit.
by Andrew Poole
It's only natural that my experience in Jazz Bar starts off on a great note, “Wow, 5.50 for a cocktail! Que Bueno!”
“That’s not all,” continues the bartender, “Since I’m from Colombia, I mix every...
March was a busy month full of tapas bars, restaurants and flamenco.
For a peek into the real flamenco scene, see our feature, Flamenco 101- A Lesson in Life . For suggestions on where to catch a bit of flamenco action, see our flamenco page.
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by Jolijn van der Zanden
Perhaps you remember that last year MAP Magazine tried to encourage you to smudge the windows of metro line 1 to see the remains of the Chamberí...
by Phil Stark
The Pepe Botella café takes its name from Napoleon’s alcoholic brother, José Bonaparte, who was King of Spain during the French Occupation. Nicknamed “Pepe Botella” by the Spanish...
Salamanca is a city that boasts a world-famous 13th-century university, Cathedrals, and Roman architecture - not to mention huge tapas and great discos. How can you resist? See review. Photo by Andre Nakazawa.
by Ben Dornan
Tucked away behind the imposing Plaza Mayor on calle Cuchilleros you can find the Belgian Beer Café. If you're a fan of the arts of the Flemish master brewers then this place has to be a regular stopping-off point. They have an excellent selection of beers on tap and in bottles...
by Sydney Kunz-McCarthy
Naked people, crying people, minotaurs, guitars, his women and himself: the 400+ piece Picasso exhibit at the Reina Sofia gives a fascinating perspective of the artist as he saw himself. The works...
If anything can reignite the sheer terror of Biblical events, it’s Easter in Spain. Between Palm and Easter Sundays...
When "Video killed the radio star" this wasn’t the first instance of carnage in the world of art. New mediums and technologies always...
by Andre Nakazawa
Knights in shining armor, the King on his throne and sentinels patrolling their watchtowers. Everything you assumed was mere childhood fantasy materializes in the 15th century Castillo de Manzanares el Real.
Beautifully preserved, the castle lies a stone’s...
If you were here on the 2nd of May last year (2007), you’ll remember the riots in the barrio of Malasaña: hooded activists lobbing stones and lighting fires, police in combat...
By Andre Nakazawa
Any recent stroll down the Paseo de Prado has surely been interrupted by the sight...
Collectively we have officially become city slickers. The shift in the bulk of the world’s population from rural to...
According to Así es Madrid…en el cine, an exhibition of Madrid in film, around 300 films have been shot in Madrid so far. Not as impressive as New York, London or Paris, they say...
The Festival Alternativo de las artes Escénica, in its 8th year, provides Madrid and surrounding areas with ground-breaking performances from around...
The Festival Alternativo de las artes Escénica starts today the 30th of Jan. See article for more info. Pictured is RAIO X from Brasil. Photo by Dominik Fricker .
Yes, Carrefour and MaxiDia have cheap and oftentimes decent wine. But hasn’t their lack of variety left you yearning for a store that offers more than alcohol-infused grape juice? Look no further than Bodega Santa Cecilia . This swanky yet price-friendly...
Neither the morning darkness nor the rain could hold me back. Early the day after the celebration of the Three Kings, just like every woman in the country: I woke up early, renounced my stilettos, and rushed off to war - the first day of rebajas (the sale season). The battlefield: the mall. The ammunition: Cash and cards. The goal: to procure all things bright and beautiful. If you think that rebajas are but...
Have you ever been to Rome or The Vatican and had the irrational urge to start buying up sculpture and take it home? The Bronze Lion? “I’ll take it.” The Cabeza de Apolo? “Give me two.” The Cabeza de Safo? “Yes, I’ll buy two of these as well.” Well, Diego...
Most of us, if asked to visualize flamenco, would probably conjure up the images sold to us in every tchotchke-hawking tourist trap around Puerta del Sol: castanets, brightly colored dresses, fans and shawls, images of men with guitars or the quintessential form of the foot-stamping, hand...
More than twelve rooms of flamenco art cover the visual legacy of flamenco at the Reina Sofia. See the review.
At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from Great Britain to the north of Africa and from Syria to Spain. Trajan, a Spaniard, even ruled the Empire briefly. In addition to the infamous gladiator...
The work of Luis Ramón Marín is on Exhibit until the 21st of January. See review for details.
If laughter is the cure for all ailments, then an evening with Tricicle will certainly send you home alleviated and restored to perfect health. Having been in the business of making people laugh for almost...
So maybe classic art isn’t your thing. Perhaps portraits of anemic royalty and painstakingly rendered platters of fruit don’t “speak” to you – fair enough. If you are looking for something a bit more “now”, swing by the Circulo de Bellas Artes between now and the 13th of January, 2008. Displayed in the Sala Picasso are the winners of the Creación Injuve 2007, the award for young artists. Young, in this case, refers to the under 30 set. Divided into three categories - visual arts, comics and illustration, and design – the show hosts 50 artists. Within these categories...
Ironically, as the ice caps are disappearing from the poles they are turning up in… sunny Spain? Nearly 300 tons of it, anyway. This inversion is not the wayward effect of global warming - it is all in the name of art. If you’d like to catch just a bit of the arctic this season...
Yes, you can order a coffee; yes, you can do small talk; and yes, you can get your basic political views across, but what about wisecracks, puns and general joking around. For many, humor is the one of the biggest hurdles in adapting to life abroad. Another common...
Due to his soup-can choice of subject matter and bizarre persona, the perennial question with Warhol is “Was he taking the piss?” It is, after all, a valid question for a man who actually urinated on an entire series of canvasses to achieve certain color effects...
When you browse your photo collection, are you disappointed that you don't have a better representation of the city you live in every day? It happens easily enough: when we travel...
A very wise man once said, “Never underestimate the restorative powers of jazz and cocktails”. OK, maybe no one has ever uttered exactly those words in exactly that order, but the point is - they should have. If you don’t know what I am talking about, get yourself to the The XXIV Festival de Jazz de Madrid. With over 14 clubs and countless performers participating, there is no reason to miss out. This year the festival is dedicated to the memory of...
As the weather turns cold, it’s always good to have film weekend. This weekend there is no shortage of festivals and flicks. Madrid (and neighboring Alcalá de Henares) offers a full spectrum of possibilities. For those interested in the Spanish scene, there is El Festival de Cine de Alcalá (Alcalá Film Festival). Focusing on short films by young directors, this event offers a smorgasbord...
The United States is often chronicled and critiqued, quite well, by our quieter cousins in Canada. From Marshall McLuhan, to Douglas Couplan to all the folks at Adbusters Magazine, they consistently offer perspective on the sprawling spectacle that is....
Once upon a time, there was a quaint little town by the name of Segovia, found deceptively close to the metropolitan city of Madrid. Perfectly preserved in its medieval splendor, the city of Segovia exemplifies the more traditional side of Spain. El Casco Antiguo of the city is where a majority of the historical sites are located, all of which can be found within walking distance of one another. This scenic walk begins at the ancient Roman...
I saw that the Círculo de Bellas Artes was putting on an exhibit called Leading Moments: Photography in the 20th Century and I thought: "All of the 20th century?" An ambitious goal to be sure, but an...
Isabel Muñoz is one of the most important and exciting figures in Spanish photography today. She is renowned for using one of the most difficult photo developing techniques, platinotype, using platinum paper to produce superior quality B&W photographs. Her work is a treat for the...
Nestled amidst the bustling city of Madrid is that sanctuary of modern art known as La Reina Sofia. The museum is host to a truly wide-ranging permanent collection as well as visiting exhibits from around the world. Their most notable collections include that of Picasso, especially the renowned...
Today at high noon, as many as 50,000 Madrileños, clad in white, will march to end poverty. The concept of the march, whose motto is “Zero Pobreza, Ya!” (Zero Poverty Now!)...
Strangely enough, portraits, as often than not, tell us more about ourselves than the subjects involved. Do we as a society chose to valorize religious figures, military officers, members of the royal family or average folk on the street? Furthermore do we do this through the means of photography, photorealism, impressionism or abstract expressionism...
The famous portrait "Olga In Armchair" is part of the exhibition currently in Madrid at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes.
Between the end of the 19th century and the middle of the 20th, Madrid’s favorite pastime - talking, talking, talking - was taken even more seriously than usual. Part of a proper bohemian life was engaging in tertulias, informal gatherings to chat about, of course, everything counter-cultural. The newly developed tradition of sitting down at a marble table...
Bullfighting is one of the most commented on and least understood phenomena that Spain has ever exported. And, no, we are not going to follow that first sentence up with a sober, historical explanation marveling at its raw animal power and nuanced technical splendor. We are still... struggling with a profound understanding of this sport. Stay tuned as we explore this and other aspects of Spanish culture.
Hardly have the summer festivals finished when the fall excitement begins. Starting Monday, the 15th of October, and running until Sunday, the 18th of November, The Festival de Otoño presents a vast array of theater, dance, and music to insure that autumn is every bit as exciting as summer was. The agenda covers every possible point on the spectrum of performing arts from the high-energy modern circus of “Piratas, Piratas” to more traditional...
Even after years in Madrid, I am still waiting for the day I will finally get to see a Puerta del Sol/Gran Via or any other main street in the center without holes in the ground: this city is just one massive “obra”. Madrid is changing and always has been - the Museo de Historia (formerly known as Museo Municipal)charts this chaotic process...
Hidden on the side streets of Lavapiés, La Antojá is someplace you aren’t likely to stumble upon, and, if you did happen past, chances of you entering are a bit slim. Furthermore, having entered you might be tempted to spin on your heel and exit – a potential mistake.
I’m an absolute sucker for real-life photography. But I almost feel guilty going to ‘look at’ someone’s private life a photographer is publicly exhibiting. However, when it’s an awareness or fund raising exercise done in conjunction with a charity organization, it’s valid; Omar Ayyashi’s exhibition of people with HIV in Mozambique and Honduras is a perfect example.
Like all traditions, flamenco has a beautiful past to preserve and exciting frontiers to explore – the series revels in the tension between these two poles. But beyond this duality of old and new, the art itself is a miraculous blending of Andalusian, Islamic, Jewish, African, and Indian cultures.
For the next nine days the streets in the center will be turned into three separate party zones celebrating the Fiestas de San Cayetano, San Lorenzo and la Virgen de la Paloma thus making the world once again safe for “Botellon” a.k.a street drinking.
Interested in broadening your cultural horizons in a classy, unique, (and affordable) way? Don’t miss this opportunity to see some quality Spanish opera! It’s called Zarzuela, and it takes place at the Sabatini Gardens. Even better, it’s a double feature, so you get to see two great shows. But hurry, it only runs for two more Sundays, so call up that special someone and have a night on the town, MAP-style!
The next time you are heading home after your run of weekend party rituals – standing in long lines to e...
Palacios or How to Build a Metropolis. If Antonio Palacios would have had his way, you would now be living in a city crammed with cathedral-like buildings serving as hotels, art centres and government buildings. Sol would have been ellipse-shaped ...
All it takes are a few mirrors, an electronic motor or just some very strategically placed blobs of paint to leave you in awe and wondering, “How did they do that?” Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía present Lo(s) Cinetico(s), an exhibition where every painting and object seems to move. Not recommended if you are still suffering from a hangover. True, not everybody will be equally moved by modern art. A big white canvas with some black lines...
Tired of shopping on nearby Preciados, worn out by modern-day life and disappointed in that eternal struggle called "love"? There is always the option of getting away from it all and becoming a nun in the Convent of “the Barefooted Royals”. If you aren’t ready to commit to a lifetime of cleric service, you can, of course, just visit...
Vincent Van Gogh had a remarkably productive career but nothing came close to the output of his final two and a half months. In May of 1890, having recently recuperated from a mental illness, he moved to Auver-sur-Oise, France. It was here that he would end his life, but...
A Spanish living room, 70 years ago. There is no beer, no cappuccino, no hip minimalist interior, no music, and the bartenders are middle aged brothers. The first layer of presumably white paint, which was applied more than 80 years ago, was also the last. And yet there’s every reason to include La Venencia, on Calle de Echegaray, on your list of favourite hang-outs. Life in this memorable Spanish bar, where time has apparently stood still, is all about sherry. This is also the only drink you’ll be able to get - apart from the odd glass of water...
Photoespaña website Sexier than Your Ancestors I think everyone would agree that there’s a monumental difference between dutifully studying your family tree and eagerly glancing around the room considering who you might want to perpetuate that pa...
Glorieta de Montera Caballero de Gracia, 10 Bazaar Calle de la Libertad La Finca de Susana Calle Arlaban, 4 Fine Dining For Less Glorieta de Montera along with its sister restaurants La Finca de Susana and Bazaar stand out on the Madrid scene by s...
Medina Mayrit, Turkish bath and restaurant, ingeniously combines Madrid’s three major historical cultures: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. While, in many other restaurants, there is a disturbing tendency to Disney-ify cultures making them “user-friendly”, Medina has kept their cuisine and spa-facilities deliciously authentic. Before you disparagingly decide that such an experience is out of your budget, read on...