Important cultural and tourist spots include the so-called Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising the famous Prado Museum, free on Sunday mornings, (with highlights such as Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas and Francisco de Goya's La Maja Vestida and La Maja Desnuda), the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum (where Pablo Picasso's Guernica hangs); the Plaza Mayor; the Gran Via; the Casón del Buen Retiro (hosting the 19th-century collection of the Prado Museum; currently closed for reform), the Palacio Real-free to go in on Wednesdays if you have a European Union passport, the Templo de Debod (a temple brought stone-by-stone from Egypt), the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, the Puerta del Sol and the Parque del Buen Retiro.
The Naval Museum between Cibeles and the Prado (Paseo Prado,5) is free and gives a great insight into the former Spanish sea-power.
Some places that you need to phone to make an appointment to visit are:
Casa-Museo Jose Padilla (913561258 11am-2pm).
Casa-Museo Manuel Benedito (915754687).
Museo de Antropologia Medico Forense Paleopatologia y Criminalistica Profesor Reverte Coma (913941578).
Museo De La Farmacia Hispaña (913941797).
Museo Del Reloj Grassy ( better to call, 915321007).
Palacio De Liria (915475302.There appears to be at least an 18 month waiting list).
Madrid is also host to one of the most famous bullfighting rings in the world, Las Ventas.
Other nearby towns are popular as day trips from Madrid, including Toledo, Segovia, Ávila, Aranjuez, Alcalá de Henares, the monastery and palace complex of El Escorial, and Chinchón.
Madrid Nightlife
Few cities in the world have the frenetic activity you can find in Madrid any day of the year, any time round the clock.
It's quite common to be in a traffic jam at 5AM any Tuesday, wondering where all of the people are going, or if they have to work the next day.
Central Madrid district is rammed with night clubs, discos, late-night restaurants, bars and pubs. 'Street life' is also very popular due to the safety the city inspires to anyone who wants to walk at night.
