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PERMANENT ATTRACTIONS
The ¨Golden Triangle¨ of Madrid’s three main art museums - the Prado (classical), the Reina Sofia (modern), and the Thyssen-Bornemisza (private) - stand among the greatest in the world. Yet, these museums represent just a few of the amazing mixture of sites to view during your visit to Madrid. Here are just a few favorites:
Museo Nacional Del Prado
On everyone’s list of the five great art museums in the world. Great depth in Velazquez, El Greco and Goya, but also many works by Dutch artists (then ruled by the Spanish kings) and Italians (which also had much of its territory ruled from Spain at the times these paintings were done).
Paseo del Prado, 28014 Madrid,
Tel. 913 302 800. and 913 302 900;
Fax 913 302 856.
http://museoprado.mcu.es/infogeneral.html
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
Worth visiting, if nothing else, to see Picasso’s famous Guernica, brought to Spain after the end of Franco’s dictatorship. Spanish artists other than Picasso with strong representations here include Salvador Dali and Miro. Also associated with Reina Sofia are the Palacio de Velazquez and the Palacio de Cristal in the Retiro Park.
Santa Isabel, 52, 28012 Madrid
Tel: 91 467 50 62 and 91 468 30 02; Fax: 91 467 31 63
www.museoreinasofia.es
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
Showcasing one of the great private collections of modern times, Madrid won the Thyssen after being fought over by cities throughout the world. Focus is on modern arts.
Palacio de Villahermosa
Paseo del Prado, 8. 28014 MADRID (SPAIN)
Tel.: (+34) 91 369 01 51 Fax: (+34) 91 420 27 80
www.museothyssen.org
Museo Arqueológico Nacional
Besides the Altamira reproduction, this museum includes the priceless Dama de Elche statue, along with Roman and Celto-Iberian art.
Serrano 13, 28001 Madrid.
Telephone: 91 577 79 12 Fax: 91 431 68 40
www.man.es
El Rastro Market: Daily; Sun only
El Rastro, located in the Madrid de los Austrias, is given over to Madrid's bustling flea market. It's the perfect way to while away a Sunday. Once you have worked up an appetite examining an abundance of things old and new slip off to one of the numerous tapas bars or hearty restaurants.
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EVENTS:
Madrid International Fashion Week
The Semana Internacional de la Moda (SIMM) takes place at the Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre in Madrid every six months (usually late August/early September and February), and is one of the major events for the European fashion industry.
Full details are available on the SIMM website: www.semanamoda.ifema.es
Details of most of Madrid's other major trade fairs on the IFEMA site: www.ifema.es
Madrid Bullfights
There are bullfights on every Sunday at Madrid's Las Ventas bullring (Calle Alcalá 237) from March to October, as well as specific other dates. The really big events are during San Isidro (May to early June), with Madrid being one of the world's top bullfighting venues.
Further information, and online ticket sales, from the Las Ventas website: www.las-ventas.com
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MUSIC:
Madrid is famous for its mix of music, it has a thriving flamenco scene, with many of Spain's finest performers living in the area during the winter season. The Spanish music mecca draws numerous musicians from other parts of Spain and abroad. Thus, it is not surprising to find Galician pipers, Canary Islanders playing timple (related to the ukulele and cavaquinho), Cuban rappers, Argentine rockers and Brazilian guitarists playing flamenco; at Madrid clubs and in the metro (subway).
Live music
Casa Patas is a famous Flamenco tavern in Madrid with nightly shows by Flamenco performers. Tapas are served. Address: Calle de Cañizares 10, Madrid. Reservations: +34-91 369 04 96 or + 34-91 429 72 89,
El Corral de la Pacheca is one of Spain's best and most famous tablaos (flamenco nightclubs). It's not difficult to spot movie stars, monarchs, pop singers and other international celebrities dining there. Address: Calle Juan Ramón Jiménez 26, 28036 Madrid. Phone: +34-91 353 01 00 /01.
Lavarte Café Bar Cultural, in the Lavapiés barrio, features world music, jazz and other genres, as well as theatre, poetry and other arts. Address: Lavapiés 50, Madrid. Phone: 615 115 627.
Taboó has concerts by worldbeat and electronic artists as well as DJs. Open 22:30 - 06:00h. Address: San Vicente Ferrer 23, 28004 Madrid, Spain. Phone: (34) 91 524 1189, Fax: (34) 91 524 1190.
Bar Café Clamores Jazz. is a popular venue for jazz and world music. Address: Calle Alburquerque 14, at Palafox, Madrid. Phone: +34-91-445-7938.
Sala Caracol presents an eclectic mix of sounds, including flamenco, dub and world music. Calle Bernardino Obregón 18. Phones: +34 91.5285471 / 91.5273594, Fax: 91.5285482. Metro station: Embajadores.
Lamala presents folk music as well as funk, jazz, reggae, and hip-hop jam sessions. The last Sunday of the month at 1 p.m. there is a folk (traditional) music jam. All folk musicians are invited to participate. Address: Calle Seseña 9, 28024 Madrid. Phone: +34-91-711-15-43. Metro stations: Aluche and Campamento.
Empire is a disco that some consider one of the best salsa clubs in Madrid. It now has a Tuesday jam session for the growing number of Latin jazz musicians living in Madrid. Sometimes they have special programs with live music and dancing shows from Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. The DJs play salsa, merengue, bachata, and reggae. Free salsa lessons on Sunday at 23:00. Address: Paseo de Recoletos 16. Metro station: Banco de España.
Reggae Bus Stop en Babylon presents reggae concerts. Calle Recoletos 11, Madrid. Metro station: Colon.
Galileo Galilei is a top club for world music. Address: Calle Galileo 100, Madrid. Phone: +34-91 534-7557/8. Metro station: Islas Filipinas.
Zanzibar has a weekly world music jam session every Tuesday. The house band is Vibramundos, formed by André Freitas (Middle Eastern and Latin percussion, vocals and bass), Wafir Sheik (ud, accordion, ney, Middle Eastern percussion and vocals), Bruno Duque (flute, ney, and sax) and Jorge Lozano (Middle Eastern, indian and Afro-Latin percussion, guitar, ud and electronic sequences). Address: calle Regueros 9, Metro stations: Chueca and A. Martínez.
Café de Chinitas is a tablao (flamenco nightclub) with a restaurant, located in a historic 18th century palace. Address: Calle Torija 7, Madrid. Phone: +34 91 547 15 02. Metro station: Santo Domingo.
Las Carboneras is a new flamenco club (tablao) in the Spanish capital. Address: Plaza del Conde de Miranda 1, Madrid.
Círculo de Bellas Artes programs all kinds of cultural events, including world music. Address: Calle de Alcalá 42, Madrid. Phone: +34-91-360-5400.
Casa Persa (Persian House) is a cultural center run by the Spanish-Persian Cultural Association. It features Sufi and Persian folk music concerts, as well as poetry readings and other events. Calle Silva N.6 1A, Madrid 28013.
Caravasar is a live music venue in the city of Boadilla del Monte, in the northwestern Madrid suburbs, that programs: jazz, blues, flamenco, fusion, world music, etc. Address: Calle José Antonio, 10, 28660 Boadilla del Monte, Madrid. Phone: +34 91 632 44 64.
Nuyorican is a new club dedicated to Deep House, Latin Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin House, R'N'B, etc. Ortega y Gasset, 73, Madrid, 28006, Spain. Phone: +34-609 125 183.
La Axarquía has live shows, including flamenco, sevillanas, rumbas, and salsa. Address: Calle Calatrava 32, Madrid. Phone: +34 91 366 66 0. Metro stations: La Latina & Puerta de Toledo.
Babel Café is not located in Madrid's metro area, but it is in the monumental city of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, in the mountains of Madrid, a favorite weekend and summer residence area for many of the city's residents. The café presents world music, jazz, tango and other types of music. Address: Juan de Austria 7, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid. Phone: +34 91 896 0522.
Alí Babá is a disco in Madrid that specializes in North African music. Calle Príncipe de Vergara 39, Madrid.
Costello Cafe & Nite Club programs music and theater. The music is eclectic and sometimes includes roots sounds. Costello Cafe & Nite Club, Calle Caballero de Gracia nº10, 28013 Madrid. Phone: 91 522 18 15.
Festivals
The city also has numerous festivals and concert series at various cultural centers so it is worth buying a copy of the weekly guide Guía del Ocio (in Spanish) or the monthly InMadrid (in English).
One of the best series is Veranos de la Villa, during July. Numerous world music concerts take place at the historic Cuartel Conde Duque, former Army barracks.
A new event was added in 2005 to the San Isidro (local patron Saint) festivities, WOMADRID, the Madrid franchise of the famous WOMAD world music festivals.
The Festival Flamenco Caja Madrid is held annually, usually in January and February. It features conferences and performances by the top Flamenco artists in Spain. The venues are usually La Casa Encendida and Teatro Albéniz.
A new Flamenco festival was introduced in June 2006 by the regional government. Suma Flamenca is intended to show the importance of Madrid in the world of Flamenco. Top singers, dancers and guitarists perform in the capital, as well as in other locations throughout the Madrid autonomous region. More information is available at: www.sumaflamenca.com
Madrid Encanto, produced by the regional government around late May and early June usually features international and Spanish world music acts, as well as other artists that are harder to classify.
Madrid's metropolitan area is very large and there are numerous festivals and fairs in the surrounding towns and cities.
Parla, south of Madrid presents the annual Interparla world music festival. That same month, Las Rozas, northeast of Madrid, hosts Folkinvierno, which is a world music festival featuring top Spanish acts.
Folk Chinchón takes place in June in the enchanting medieval town of Chinchón, near Madrid. Several traditional and modern Spanish folk music bands from Castile, Galicia and other parts of Spain, are usually featured, together with a small trade show with booths representing instrument makers, bands, labels, crafts and publications. E-mail: aljibe@castillayleon.com
The cities in the southern metro area of Madrid are larger than many provincial capitals. The Festival Internacional Madrid Sur presents internationally renowned world music artists in the cities of Fuenlabrada, Getafe and Leganés. The festival is usually held in October.
A new world music festival was created in 2005, Festival Folksticio de Verano, in San Fernando de Henares. It is intended to be the largest summer world music event in central Spain, with artists from Spain, various European countries and the Magreb region. It is held at Parque Dolores Ibárruri. To get there you can catch the Interbus bus line. They depart from the transportation hub (Intercambiador) at Plaza de Castilla (Metro station: Plaza de Castilla). There is also a commuter train service that leaves from the Chamartín train station.
Also in June, jazz festivals are plentiful. Many of them feature Latin jazz and flamenco jazz: Alcalatinjazz (Alcalá de Henares, which runs through July), A Todo Jazz (Móstoles), Galapajazz, (Galapagar) and Villalba Jazz (Collado Villalba).
The autumn is jazz festival season. Most include world music and Latin Jazz as part of its programming.
The Sierra Norte mountains north of Madrid has its own world music festival. The Festival Étnico Colores del Mundo is held in the mountain towns of El Vellón, Cervera de Buitrago, Lozoya, Rascafría, Gascones, Prádena del Rincón and Cabanillas de la Sierra.
Rock and pop
Madrid is the one place in Spain where anyone who is anyone plays. Several venues are used for major concerts, whether Spanish groups or international acts. A common one is the Plaza de Toros Monumental de Las Ventas. Others include the former Antiguo Cuartel del Conde Duque (Calle del Conde Duque) and the Teatro Monumental (tel 91 429 81 19; Calle de Atocha 65). A smaller venue but one that regularly features acts from Spain and abroad is La Riviera (tel 91 435 85 08; Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto s/n), near the Puente de Segovia.
You can get all the info needed on upcoming concerts at: http://www.guiadelocio.com/canales/musica
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SPORT:
Football
Madrid has three Spanish first division football clubs, Real Madrid (with Beckham, Ronaldo and co.) [www.realmadrid.com], the less fashionable Atlético de Madrid [www.clubatleticodemadrid.com] and Getafe, who finished thirteenth in the Spanish first division in their first season there.
The new Spanish league doesn't begin until the end of the summer, though during this quiet time there are the pre-season friendlies and the endless speculation about new signings
If you want the latest, and to practice your Spanish, you might be interested in the online editions of Madrid's sports papers, Marca and As.
Professional Cycling
As well as the finish of the Tour of Spain [www.rfec.com] - with the last stage traditionally finishing on the Castellana The two top Championship events, the men's individual time trial and the men's road race, are in September, with the route largely in the Casa de Campo park.
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