All posts by Anna

Shopping in Spain: Clothes and complements

Madrid, Spain / España, Tips and opinions, , , , ,

fuencarral market

Spain is a homeland of INDITEX – one of the biggest cloth companies in the world. It consists of brands like: ZARA, Pull and Beer, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Bershka, Stradivarius or ZARA HOME. Even thought you can find these shops all around the world – in 74 countries, the prices in Spain are a little bit lower than in the other countries. During the sales time the prices fall and are very  very attractive. You can find these shops in every commercial center or main street of bigger city.

So, if you want to buy something more extraordinary, you should go to Desigual. In this shop prices are higher, but the clothes are not usual. If you like very colorful clothes in an ethnical style and you want to stay out in the crowd this is the shop for you. It offers collection to women, mem and children.

If you look for something really smart and elegant, you should go to the one of the most expensive places in Madrid – Serrano Street, which is situated in the center of Madrid, close to Plaza Colón and Goya Street in the district of Salamanca. There you can find shops from the best designers: Prada, Louis Vouitton, Manolo Blahnik, Gucci, Cartier or Chanel. This is the most elagant district of the capital, with the best shops and the highest prices.

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If you would like to buy some unique and extraordinary cloths the best direction in Madrid is to go to Malasana and Chueca. This two parts of Madrid are famous from their alternative spirit. There you will find the famous Mercado de Fuencarral which is place with a lot of interesting shop. Apart from it, there are many small shops of still unknown designer, vintage shops, shops which offer clothes made to messure and small boutiques…

When we talk about fashion in Spain, we can omit mentioning the elegance of Spanish men. Their clothes come from the best designers, very often they wear suit or elegant shirt and shiny shoes. They look smart everyday, no matter how hot it is. So, if you are a man and you visit Spain, you should invest in buying moccasins the typical Spanish shoes, made from leather which will make you look more handsome 🙂

Read also: What to buy in Spain: Food and drinks

What to buy in Spain? Food and drinks from Spain

Gastronomy, Spain / España, Tips and opinions

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If we talk about shopping… Spain offers many interesting things to buy for tourists and people visiting this beautiful country.

Let’s start from food!
If you are in Spain, you have to buy at least some of the things which are on the list:

– Jamón serrano, DSC_0428chorizo, salchichón: all of them are typical Spanish hams used to prepare tapas or bocadillos, the price of really good jamón can be very high (100 euros for 1kg), but it’s really worth trying. These cured meats have a very specific taste, so if you don’t like trying new things or you are not sure if you like it or not the best option will be to go to some coffe house or pub and ask fot the “bocadillo de jamón”. I’ll try it and decide if you enjoy it or not.

– Vine or sangria: Germany is famous from its beer, Poland from vodka and Spain from wine. Spanish wines are the best in the world and much cheaper than the French ones so that gives them a lot of advantage. La Rioja is the most popular region of the country where the vine is maid. Of course, the best vine is the red one, but you can also try other types of it. Another Spanish invent which is woth trying is sangria or summer wine (tinto de verano). Both of them are sweet red wine made form a lot of fruits. As I said they are very sweet but taste deliciuos, especially with a lot of ice! They are grat alternative for the beer which you may drink during hot Spanish summer.  One bottle of sangria usualy costs around 1,5-2 euros. The prices of the vine are very diversified. You can buy many vines for 3 euros and there are considered to be a good ones, but the shops are full of many different types, so you can choose whatever you like.

– Turrón:turron is a traditional Spanish sweet for Christmas. Christmas in Spain begin after the 1st of November, at least in shops and malls. Turrón is a tradional things which may remind you chocolate, but only from inside. The  two tipical types come form two cites near Valencia, in the east of country: Alicante and Jijona (Xixona in catalan language). Both of them are made from almonds, but the one from Alicante consist of the whole almonds while this from Jijona from the grinded ones. To prepare them, apart form almonds you need honey, eggwhites and nuts oil. The tradional recepies are supervised by a special comission which takes care of the quaility of turrons.

– Fruits: SpainDSC_0423 is an Europe’s door to exotic fruits! Because of it situation you can find a wide range of fruits and vegetables in this country, which are often much cheaper and taste better. All of fruits shop are very colorfull and can offer you many things: khaki, chirymoya or papaya.

– Cheese: even thought the cottage chceese is not a Spanish delicacy, the one which is made from goat’s milk is one of the bests. You can’t leave Spain without trying it. You also have to try the typical cheese, made form cow’s milk, becuse they are very tasty. As you can see, you can call France the country of cheese, but Spain has also many things to offer in this area.

After eating well, you can finally go and visit some clothes shops!

El Rastro de Madrid / The most famous street market in Madrid

Madrid, Streets and monuments

el rastro de madrid

On Sunday morning you have to go to El Rastro of Madrid – the most famous and popular market  in the capital city. The first sellers appear there at 8.30  – 9.00 a.m. and they stay there until  2.00 p.m. The best idea is to wake up early, drink some coffee, eat “tostadas” and go to La Latina district to buy something unusual for you.

The easiest way to get there is to do it by metro (La Latina metro station – green line/no. 5 or Tirso de Molina metro station  – blue line/no. 1). If you arrive there early, you will avoid the crowd, because later, from 10 o’clock, the market is full of people. The main market is situated on Ribera de Curtidores Street and its surroundings. Also the nearest streets and squares are full of sellers, so it’s almost impossible to see everything in one day.

It is an unique place in the capital city, where you can buy everything, starting from t-shirts with the photos of Marlin Monroe or James Dean and ending on the old, massive desk from XVI century. You will also find there flowers, plants, toys, CDs, clothes, shoes, decorations, mirrors, souvenirs, lamps, furniture, books and antiques. Most of these things are very interesting and worth looking at. Also the prices seem to be attractive.el rastro madrid

The market takes place every Sunday from the morning until 2 p.m. Be ready! It’s always full of people and… thieves! So, be very careful with your things, because unfortunately every Sunday the police has a lot of work… It’s definitely worth-seeing place, but don’t forget to hide well your precious things, especially if you are  a tourist and you don’t speak Spanish.

To walk through the Rastro and to see the most important part of it, you need around 3 hours. I recommend you to take a break and spend some time in t he pubs of the area and drink a beer. That would be a great time to consider your shopping decisions.

More places to visit in Madrid

– La Latina: La Latina is a central neighborhood of Madrid whose bars and restaurants are highly popular among the citizens. At the weekends, La Latina is always full of people, especially on Sunday at lunch and dinner time, but also in the afternoon and night.

– Puerta del Sol: This emblematic place is one of the reference points more used in the city, and many citizens are used to dating with other people from this point.

– Plaza Mayor: In this traditional square there is a Felipe II statue rounded of white ancient buildings.

– Gran Via: The most famous avenue of Madrid. It has a lot of theaters, coffee and ice cream shops.

– San Miguel Market: Inside of this famous market you will find an incredibly variety of food: juices, “tapas”, “croquetas”, hamburgers, fruit, fish… all of this of the highest quality.

Read also our post about What to see in Madrid in one week.

Plaza de toros de Las Ventas / Bullfighting Ring (Madrid)

Emblematic buildings, Madrid

plaza de toros

Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, simply known as Las Ventas is one of the most interesting thing to see in Spanish capital. It is a place where you can see the bull fights – an unique Spanish tradition. Its capacity – 23 798 spectators makes it the third arena in the world. It is also considered to be the most important place for bullfighters in Spain.

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It is situated in the east part of Madrid, close to the metro station „Las Ventas” in the Salamanca district. The construction of the building started in march 1922 and was ended in 1929. it was build in the Neo-Mudejar style which consists of ceramic pieces. torero-las-ventas-madridFor the first time the place was opened in 1931, but with the beginning of the Civil War it was closed for three years. The building itself is very beautiful, with a lot of space inside.

 

The ring of the arena has 61,5 meters which makes it the biggest in Spain. The bullfightings start in the spring, normally in March and are celebrated until October. In May, there is a celebration of Saint Isidoro, the patron of the city. This is the reason why the bullfightings are celebrated every day, until the end of the month. In other times, you can participate in this tradition every Sunday. The arena is divided into two sections for viewers – one is in the sun and the other in the shadow. The ticket price depends on which place would you like to choose. The prices start from 2 euros for the place in sun and end at 250 euros for places in the shadow. If you are in Spain you should watch this event, so important for the Spanish people, at least once. If you are not supporter of corridas, you can just visit the building and admire its beauty from inside. The tours are organized every day

 


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More places to visit in Madrid (Spain)

– Plaza Mayor: In this traditional square there is a Felipe II statue rounded of white ancient biuldings. The young people in the city are used to going to this square to eat squid sandwiches. Moreover, some politicians told once about taking a coffee in there… but from our point of view, there are a lot of better -and cheaper- places in Madrid places to do it).

– Puerta del Sol: This emblematic place is one of the reference points more used in the city, and many citizens are used to dating with other people from this point.

– Gran Via Avenue: The most famous avenue of Madrid. It has a lot of theaters, coffee and ice cream shops. You can arrive there in 3 minutes from Puerta del Sol going on foot.

– Parque del Retiro (Retiro Park): The Retiro Park (Parque del Retiro) is a very popular park placed in the center of Madrid. It covers more than one square kilometer and it contains a lake with boats, many monuments, fountains, statues, gardens, restaurants and of course, a lot of trees and grass. If you want to visit Retiro Park, notice that you will need at least 3 hours to see it all.

– Plaza de Cibeles (Cibeles Square): Cibeles Square is placed in the center of Madrid, at the cross between Alcalá Avenue, Recoletos and Prado Avenue.

Read also our post about What to see in Madrid in one week.

Museo Reina Sofía / Queen Sofia Art Center (Madrid)

Emblematic buildings, Madrid

reina sofia museum

 

IMGP6622This art gallery forms part of the “Madrid’s triangle”, next to Prado Museum and Museum of Thyseen-Bornemisza. These three art galleries are must-see places in Madrid. Each of them is full of masterpieces of art. This museum is dedicated to the modern art, mostly of the 20th century.

You can find there works of Salvador Dali, Joan Miró, Jorge de Oteiza and Picasso. His painting – “Guernica” is the most popular in the art center. This big painting – 3 meters wide and 7 meters long is always in the center of attention of the visitors. Apart from constant exhibition, there are always two or three temporary exhibitions.
IMGP6625The building of the museum itself is very interesting and modern. It has a terrace on the top floor from which you can admire the beautiful view of the city. If you like the contemporary art, this museum is perfect for you. What is the best about this art gallery is the fact that you can visit it for free most days of the week from 19.00 to 21.00 and on Sunday from 15.00 to 19.00

 

For more information, read our One-week tour in Madrid.

 

 

What to visit near Museo Reina Sofía

– Prado, Tyssen, Caixaforum and other museums: All of these museums are in the city center, not far away from Cibeles. Although we know that it’s impossible to visit all of them on one day, we recommend you to visit Prado and Reina Sofia, wich are two of the best museums in the world (notice that you will need about 4hours to visit each one).

– Cibeles: In Cibeles Square you will see the famous Cibeles fountain and some important buildings, like Cibeles Palace (Palacio de Comunicaciones), the headquarters of the Madrid city council.

– Gran Via: The most famous avenue of Madrid. It has a lot of theaters, coffee and ice cream shops. You can arrive there in 3 minutes from Puerta del Sol going on foot.

– Puerta del Sol: Puerta del Sol (which means “Sun Gate”) is the name of the most famous square in Madrid. This emblematic place is one of the reference points more used in the city, and many citizens are used to dating with other people from this point.

– Retiro Park (Parque del Retiro): This is the most visited park of Madrid. It has a lake with boats in its center, so you can rent a boat for few money. Besides, you also can visit the Crystal Palace, the Statue Walk and many more interesting places.

– Atocha train station: This station is not abroad from Retiro Park (it’s about 5minutes walking), and it is the most used train and metro stations of Madrid, so if you have to travel by train, probably you will have to go there.

– Neptuno Fountain: This fountain is placed in Cánovas del Castillo Saquare. Since Cibeles Fountain is used by the supporters or Real Madrid football team, this another fountain is used by the Altetico de Madrid football team’ supporters to celebrate its triumphs.

 

Gran Via / The Main Street (Madrid)

Madrid, Nightlife, Streets and monuments

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Gran Via is one of the most famous streets of Spanish capital. It is situated in the center of Madrid and was built 100 years ago. The idea of the street was to join and improve the communication between the districts of the capital city.

The construction took almost 50 years and was realized in 3 parts. The street begins at the end of Calle Alcala and ends
at the Spanish Square. It’s a very busy place, full of cars and buses 24 hours per day. It is a quite long street, full of beautiful buildings which now are museums, hotels or expensive restaurants.

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You can also find there some popular pubs, bars with tapas, cafeterias, hostels, theaters and cinemas. On Friday’s afternoon it’s very difficult to pass through it, because many people want to begin their weekend there. It is very easy to get there with metro. There are four metro lines which stop in different parts of this street. It is also very close to Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Cibeles – one of the most popular Madrid’s landmarks.

 

 

What to visit near Gran Via (Madrid)

– Cibeles: In Cibeles Square you will see the famous Cibeles fountain and some important buildings, like Cibeles Palace (Palacio de Comunicaciones), the headquarters of the Madrid city council.

– Puerta del Sol: This emblematic place is one of the reference points more used in the city, and many citizens are used to dating with other people from this point.

– Fuencarral Street:  Fuencarral is well known because it has a lot of shops and because it’s placed between Malasaña and Chueca, which are two of the most famous neighborhoods of the Madrid.

– Plaza de España: Another popular square, in where you can find the first skyscrapers of the city, and a beautiful fountain in the middle of the square with a statue of Don Quijote and Sancho Panza.

– Plaza Mayor: In this traditional square there is a Felipe II statue rounded of white ancient buildings. The young people in the city are used to going to this square to eat squid sandwiches. Moreover, some politicians told once about taking a coffee in there… but from our point of view, there are a lot of better -and cheaper- places in Madrid places to do it).

– Opera Square: You will find there the Opera Theater.

– Palacio Real and Almudena’s Cathedral: We will talk about these monuments in another article. It’s 10 minutes walking from Puerta del Sol.

Read also our post about What to see in Madrid in one week.

Plaza Mayor / Main Square (Madrid)

Madrid, Streets and monuments

plazamayor

Plaza Mayor (“Main Square”)

Mplaza mayoradrid’s Main Square is situated in the center of the city, five minutes from Plaza del Sol, and in comparison to Plaza del Sol it is much more calm and quited.

The Main Square was built around 400 years ago. It is surrounded by charming three-storey buildings, painted mostly in red, with beautiful windows. It was built when Madrid became a capital city of Spain. Before this, the Main Square was used as a market with vegetables and fruits. The construction started in 1617 and was finished 2 years later.

It was the place of bull fightings, theatrical plays, knights’ tournaments or executions. Now it is a place full of restaurants and pubs. It is more popular among rather tourists and street performers than Spaniards. Every Sunday you can buy there some paintings, admire great collections of coins or find some interesting thing to buy.

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More interesting places to see near Plaza Mayor

– Puerta del Sol: Puerta del Sol (which means “Sun Door”) is the name of the most famous square in Madrid. This emblematic place is one of the reference points more used in the city, and many citizens are used to dating with other people from this point.

– San Miguel Market: Inside of this famous market you will find an incredibly variety of food: juices, “tapas”, “croquetas”, hamburgers, fruit, fish… all of this of the highest quality.

– Gran Via: The most famous avenue of Madrid. It has a lot of theaters, coffee and ice cream shops. You can arrive there in 3 minutes from Puerta del Sol going on foot.

– Opera Square: You will find there the Opera Theater.

– Palacio Real and Almudena’s Cathedral: Two of the most viewed buildings of Madrid. Both of them are placed together and they are 5 minutes on foot from Plaza Mayor.

– Santo Domingo Square: it’s behind Casa de Correos Building. It’s full of restaurants and bars, so it’s the perfect place to take a lunch.

– Fuencarral Street: You can go there going through Montera Street. Fuencarral is straight on, just after passing Gran Via. Fuencarral is well known because it has a lot of shops and because it’s placed between Malasaña and Chueca, which are two of the most famous neighborhoods of the Madrid.