All over the city, waiters are busy putting out the tables and chairs at the pavement cafés, getting ready for the never-ending demand for cold drinks. Afternoons slip by over languid lunches in shady squares, while when the heat is really on, in July and August, the locals lie low until well after dusk, and then emerge in their thousands to share some tapas and a bottle of wine at a terraza table.

1. Cruse and
Associates
Travel Blog –
Madrid: A
perfect
culture-rich
long
weekend

2. Cruse and Associates Travel Blog
All over the city, waiters are busy putting out the
tables and chairs at the pavement cafés, getting
ready for the never-ending demand for cold
drinks. Afternoons slip by over languid lunches in
shady squares, while when the heat is really on, in
July and August, the locals lie low until well after
dusk, and then emerge in their thousands to
share some tapas and a bottle of wine at a
terraza table.
From May onwards, the cultural festivals come
thick and fast, with concerts and theater in
outdoor venues. At the height of summer, fiestas
turn the most traditional downtown
neighborhoods into one long open-air party.

3. Cruse and Associates Travel Blog
Madrid has really revamped itself in the past couple of
years. The Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza
museums have all got bigger and better, while the center
of the city is smartening up with new boutiques, delis, cafés
and gastro bars opening up every week. It’s perfect for a
culture-rich long weekend or city break, with great food
and a lively atmosphere at night.
Although it is cold in winter, there are usually a lot of bright,
sunny days and it is often warm enough to sit outside during
the day. Just remember your hat and gloves. The weather is
best in spring and autumn. Cultural and street festivals are
under way for most of May. It is usually uncomfortably hot
for much of July and August, so if you want to go then, it is
a really good idea to book a hotel with a pool. Then you
can spend the mornings in air-conditioned museums and
shops, swim and sunbathe all afternoon, and sit at outdoor
cafés and restaurants after the sun has gone down.

4. Cruse and Associates Travel Blog
A single ride on the metro (www.metromadrid.es/en)
or bus costs costs €1.50. From June, journeys of more
than five stops cost up to €2. From May, a 10-ride
metrobus ticket costs €12. The Madrid Card covers
entrance to lots of museums, discounts at sights,
restaurants and shops, and is available for periods of
one to five days. Prices start at €39 for one day, and
the card can be combined with a travel pass (€6
extra) and/or the tourist bus (€20 extra). Available from
the tourist office in the Plaza Mayor, or buy online to
get a discount (www.madridcard.com/en).
The Madrid tourist bus has routes around the historic
monuments of the old town and the modern
architecture in the new parts of the city, and costs €20
for one day and €24 for two
(www.autobusturisticomadrid.com). Tickets available
online, on the bus or from tourist offices in the Plaza
Mayor and Felipe IV near the Prado.