Madrid, Spain

We've spent a few nights in Madrid also using it as a base to day trip to Toledo and did a couple nights before flying out of Spain (we will be back next year). As such we had effectively 2 half days to hit Madrid HARD. Its one of the less expensive flights back from the US so we can always plan to come back, and will certainly do so as we look to explore other parts of Spain.

Madrid has been the capital of Spain without interruption since 1561 (Toledo before that). It has the 2nd highest GDP of all cities in the EU. It is also headquarters of the UN's World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Early prehistoric settlers include the Celts and the Visigoths (a Gothic peoples). There was of course also Roman settlement at a time (those people really put some miles on those sandals).

We had heard rumors about how late people eat in Spain, but we found it to be especially true in Madrid. Some restaurants close between 4-7, so good luck eating early. We were at one restaurant who told us they had a large party coming in for dinner at 10 pm. So that is a bit of a culture shock. Madrid is a busy city with some great food (we finally found good Mexican!). Spain in general seems to have architecture that is close to rivaling Italy. We can wait to come back.Read more