One of the most scenic and delightful parts of Madrid is the Old Madrid neighborhood, a small and mainly undiscovered area that provides an assortment of authentic Spanish bars, taverns, and restaurants. Whether you are staying at a hotel nearby or you simply wish to explore the gastronomic delights of this neighborhood, you'll enjoy a walking Tapas Tour of Old Madrid.

Perhaps the only thing you will recognize on your tapas tour of Old Madrid is Botin, renowned as the oldest restaurant in the world. Yet this is just one of the many outstanding restaurants and bars in the area serving traditional Spanish cuisine, including tapas and the best wines Madrid has to offer. >> Read more <<

Madrid is famous for its lively streets and plazas, beautiful parks, tapas bars and nightlife, but it is also an incredibly rich cultural center. Madrid is a museum-lovers mecca, and there are more than 70 museums to tour in the city. The largest of them all is the Prado Museum on Paseo del Prado. >> Read more <<

On your visit to Madrid, you'll undoubtedly spend many hours touring its fabulous museums and historic attractions, relaxing in parks and plazas, and eating and drinking in cafes, bars and restaurants. There is a lot to enjoy in Madrid, but if you would like to experience the city from a truly unique perspective, take a ride on the Madrid Teleferico.

Madrid's Teleferico is a cable car that has been delighting tourists and locals since 1969. It is the premier way to view Madrid's beautiful historical center's cityscape, although it may take more than one trip to relax enough to take advantage of the incredible photo opportunities you'll have on board. At just a few euros per ride, there's no reason not to hop on board more more than once during your visit. >> Read more <<

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Madrid is a very compact city, and no matter what your favorite choice of activities or attractions, you'll probably find you are in convenient reach of almost everything you wish to do during the day.

One thing to consider when you choose an area in Madrid for your vacation accommodations is the local nightlife scene. If you are traveling with children or prefer to get to sleep at a somewhat early hour (1 am in Madrid), you will want a quieter neighborhood. By contrast, nightowls will want to be close to where the action is all night long.
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If you’re planning your first trip to Madrid, you’ve probably done some research on the variety of flavorful tapas and traditional dishes served at bars and restaurants throughout the city. You have a lot of interesting and delicious cuisine to look forward to trying, and discovering your favorite Spanish specialties is one of the many delights of a visit to Madrid. >> Read more <<

At first glance, vegetarians traveling in Madrid may be concerned about what appears to be a very meat-centric cuisine. Pork, chicken and wild fowl, lamb, beef and other meats do feature predominately in many traditional Madrid dishes. Yet there are plenty of opportunities for vegetarians and health conscious travelers to enjoy delicious and flavorful plant-based foods, too.

One of the best strategies for enjoying vegetarian cuisine in Madrid is to take advantage of vegetarian tapas. The majority of tapas in Madrid do feature meat, but there are plenty of delicious vegetarian tapas to choose from, as well. >> Read more <<

Long-layovers. So necessary but so despised.

I've had so many delays on outbound flights that I now aim for a layover of 2 to 3 hours between flights. It may be a little excessive, but I am usually assured to make the next leg of the flight instead of waiting several more hours -or overnight- for an alternative flight which is a lot less fun.

Sure, I end up sitting around for a while. With part of the Madrid Barajas Airport being newly added in 2006, waiting around is not so bad.

What do you do with 3 hours to kill at Madrid Barajas Airport?

Let's look at ways to plan your time in this Madrid Airport Survival Guide.

Flying from the US to Malaga, I had to do a transfer in Madrid and figure out what to do with myself during long layovers both going to Spain and leaving. >> Read more <<

I like Picasso's art and have seen small collections at many museums in Spain and elsewhere. But I've never seen 430 of Picasso's works in one place.

That's what will be happening in Madrid until May 5:

• 430 Picasso works in 1 museum in Madrid

Photo by MorphoMir

Spain holiday rental website Niumba points out that a large collection of Picasso paintings and artwork are on loan to Madrid's Reina Sofia Museum. The collection normally lives at Paris's National Picasso Museum. >> Read more <<

Here's a good tip. When you finally get to Spain after a long flight, the thing you might want to do first is walk around and get some fresh air, take in a few sites and get a full restaurant meal.

The last thing you want to do is take a taxi across town and check into a hotel and finally get to your hotel room an hour later. There's a solution. Julie Espinosa via NotesFromMadrid.com provides a tip that most people do not know about. Julie recommends that you drop-off you luggage at a luggage drop-off center. Julie explains: >> Read more <<