Madrid is a great tourist destination with many attractive sites and recreational centers. Here are some of the important places located in Madrid that are worth visiting.
The Golden Triangle of Art:
One of the renowned art galleries located in the center of the Madrid city is the “Golden Triangle of Art,” which is a combination of 3 chief art museums that are the “Prado Museum,” “Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia” and the “Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.”
The Prado Museum has the world’s best collections of the European art currently displaying more than 7600 paintings, 4800 prints, 1000 sculptures and 8200 drawings. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia has tremendous collections of the Spanish art of the great artists like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and others. The popular masterpiece of the museum is the Guernica, which is the Picasso’s painting. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum consisting of excellent exhibitions is regarded as one of the finest art collections in the world. It contains a unique collection of American 19th century paintings and the 13th-17th century works that include the Gothic Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces.
The Las Ventas Bullring:
The Las Ventas is an extraordinary building constructed in the Moorish style with red brick and ceramic tiles and is considered the main bullring in the world with a capacity of 25000. The months of May and June are the perfect time to catch sight of the bull fights at the most popular bull fighting festival, San Isidro. It also plays hosts to some of the biggest music concerts in the city.
Santiago Bernabeu Stadium:
One of the finest football stadiums of Europe is the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium having a capacity of more than 80,000 spectators. Being a home stadium of the Real Madrid football team, the stadium has won the best Elite status from the (UEFA) which is the Union of European Football Associations.
Dollar, Europcar, Budget, Hertz and Alamo are the major car hire operators in Madrid.

The car rentals of Madrid come up with deals that may be too tempting to miss. From budget car hires to luxury drives to caravans, you have it all. Weather you sign the papers from the actual kiosks or online, the whole process is really easy. You just have to mention your landing time and the type of vehicle that you want (depends on the availability of seats, AC facility, etc) and it will be there the moment that your flight lands to take you to your hotel. This is the case with online bookings with which you can plan everything from before. But if you choose to book right away after landing you will have to wait for some time as there would be many like you in the line, but be sure that you will get the best service.

The advantage that lies with the online booking system is that you don’t have to stand in queues. This can be a bit tiresome after a long flight and you would want to drive straight to your hotel. So prior planning is important. Also with online booking systems, you get to have some serious offers that flash up from time to time.

There is a lot of variety that you can choose from. With the best car rentals operating in the land, you will not actually have to worry about your type. From SUV vans to luxury cars, to budget vehicles you get it all. You can also hire bigger trucks and caravan rides that will be a pleasure in the city.

Make sure that you have taken care of all the necessary safety needs of your vehicle. The car deals come with associated insurances and waivers that may be so important in an unknown territory. Drive safe and enjoy!

There are numerous car rental services that line the Madrid airport. Once you get down from your flight just walk over to one of them and get yourself a deal. Vacation in Madrid is less exciting without a vehicle of your own. There are many flights that land in this airport keeping it busy all round the year. Visitors from all over the world flock to this territory and the car rental services make great business.

With a city so beautiful you will certainly not want to mar any of the pleasures. The car hire services that are available will suit every pocket and taste. The budget car hires include a wide range of vehicles so that you have a variety of choice. The price tags attached to your deals too are cheap enough so you will not have to worry the least. Also available are the luxury rides that will be amazing drive for any tourist. Available are SUV’s and sedans that will make your vacation the most memorable one.

Madrid is famous for the sports it plays. Soccer is a craze so you ought to visit one of the club games if your trip happens to coincide with one of them. There are beautiful ruins all around the city as evident from the historical significance of the place. Visit the wonders and get wonderstruck! Drive from one location to another to make the most of your visit. Madrid guarantees that you stay will be a lovely one. The people around are lovely and you will be humbled by the relation that you will make with them in such a short time.

Have fun with your ride in Madrid. There are lots that the country has to offer. Even if you have come to the place for any kind of business, take out some time to go around the city. It’s beautiful!

The Feria De Madrid Exhibition Center or IFEMA is a hot spot that holds conferences, organizes events and creates business with the global sellers. It has created a niche for itself and has been attracting many companies and visitors worldwide since 1980 with its spacious grounds, effective facilities and technological services.

IFEMA is considered as a leader among most of the conference and exhibition centers in Spain, having witnessed for over 1300 trade fairs in its 28 years while attracting millions of visitors all over from the world. The events which are held here are of high quality business platforms that help in generating wealth in the regions present in Madrid.

It is also a favorite venue of staging international events as it comprises of a total exhibit space for massive gatherings of about 200,000 square meters while providing world class facilities. The exhibition space comprises of 12 well equipped halls and has the office buildings that are designed to put up the meetings and conferences. With 14,000 parking spaces, the center is beautiful with landscaped open spaces where the recordings of the events are also allowed. The two Convention Centers named, North Convention Center and South Convention Center, are the best parts of the venue that includes 17 rooms and auditorium with a capacity of providing seating arrangements for nearly 1,100 people, equipped with modernized facilities and splendid structures.

The car hire providers in Madrid are Budget, Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Thrifty, Dollar and Europcar.

A petition containing 60208 signatures was delivered by the animal protection society ‘El Refugio’ to the Electoral Census office in Madrid in protest against bull fights in Madrid.

400 volunteers had been collecting signatures for the past three months at the Book Fair, at the Puerta Del Sol, in the universities, outside the law courts as well as in a number of different districts of the city including Chueca, Moncloa and Cuatro Caminos.

Nacho Paunero president of “El Refugio” claims that “Madrid is now more anti-bullfighting today than it was”.

Eleven months ago at the time the parliament in Catalunya was debating the possible outlawing of bullfighting, the president of the Comunidad de Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, announced her intention to try to get bullfighting declared an event of National Cultural Interest.

Members of “El Refugio” pointed out that bull fighting has causes the public torture and death of more than 13,500 animals every year and resulting in the deaths of 227 human beings thus far.

Through government subsidies   550 million Euros of public money is invested in the spectacle every year.

Bullfighting takes place in only nine countries around the world. A considerable number of countries have banned bullfighting by law, e.g. Argentina, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Bullfight defenders insist the tradition is still so strong that bans are unthinkable across the rest of Spain.

On Friday a 19-year-old teenager died after being gored in the chest by a bull in Fuentesauco in the province of Zamora, Sothern Spain.

Every major city won’t end the day without bustling nightlife.  So will the tourist.  Whether it’s a gala premiere or an opera of concert at one of its cultural centers, a fine dining extravaganza in one of its gourmet restaurants or a nightclubbing binge in any of its disco pubs and bars, Madrid offers some of the most exciting nocturnal affairs rivaling any you can fined elsewhere in the EU.  But be sure to hire your car with a chauffeur especially if you plan on getting on a drinking binge as local police doesn’t look forgiving from people found to be drunk driving their cars.  Spanish laws are quite strict in this area.

A Night at the Opera

As one of the centers of European culture, the music and the performing arts that are distinctly European are nowhere as good as in the cultural stages of Madrid. The Auditorio Nacional de Música is the city’s primary venue for classical music concerts as it is home to the Chamartín Symphony Orchestra and the Spanish National Orchestra.

It is also the symphonic concert venue of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and the Community of Madrid Orchestra while serving as the principal venue for visiting orchestras on a world or European tour.

If you love opera, you’re at home in Madrid as it is also home to the Teatro Real, the main opera house with its resident orchestra, famous Madrid Symphony Orchestra which many classical music lovers are familiar with in many classical music albums.

There’s also the Teatro de la Zarzuela mainly focused on the traditional Spanish theater staging format, the Zarzuela as well as recitals and the operetta.  Its resident orchestra is the Community of Madrid Orchestra.

Nightlife

The country’s music loving heritage is seen not only in opera houses but in street bands you find in many of the Madrid parks, charmingly called concerts in Madrid.  And after the death of the dictator Franco, the city’s nightlife and young cultural awakening flourished, especially during the 80s when the La Movida cultural movement spread initially around the Plaza del Dos de Mayo and Spanish nightlife was never as constrained and concealed as before.

The most popular night destinations are in the Bilbao, Tribunal, Alonso Martinez or Monchoa, as well as Puerta del Sol area which included Gran Via.  The Malasaña area is now known for its alternative nightlife and the district of Chuenca has becomes a hot spot especially among the gay population and has become famous as the gay quarter similar to The Castro district in San Francisco.   GP

A visit to the Spanish capital of Madrid can bring you face to face with the historic roots of Europe with its breathtaking religious and secular architectures, cultural festivities, museums and art galleries.  But your sojourn won’t be complete without getting your adrenalin shot with two of the most popular sports in the country.  One is a traditional sporting and death-defying dance that have captured the imagination of the world, not the least of which is Hollywood.  That’s Bullfighting.  The other is the 21^st century sporting craze that can cause stampedes and deaths among rival fans.  That’s football.

Major league games, concerts and bullfights are fine cosmopolitan events to be seen getting out of chauffeured limos from any of the car hire companies in Madrid. Most of the venues can also be reached by cabs but a car hire is best.

Bullfighting

While bullfighting is a traditional sport indigenous to the country and its Iberian neighbor Portugal and is held in various suburban and rural bullfighting arenas around the country, visitors can enjoy its thrills right in the city of Madrid.  The largest bullfighting ring or Plaza de Toros (bullring) in all of Spain is right in the city.  It’s the Las Ventas, built in 1929 and is considered by many bullfighting aficionados as the world’s bullfighting center with a seating capacity of nearly 25,000.

But bullfighting is not an all-year-round event as its season starts in March and ends in October. Bullfights are essential every day event during the festivities celebrating Madrid’s patron saint San Isidro, from mid-March to mid-June.  Sundays and public holidays during the rest of the season hold bullfights here as well as in other bullfighting arenas.  Outside of the bullfight season, the Las Ventas area is host to various music concerts

Real Madrid

As home to the famous football club Real Madrid which holds a record 9 European Cups to date, the city houses two UEFA 5-star football stadia, the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu where Real Madrid plays and the Vicente Calderon where its hometown rival Atletico Madrid plays.   Madrid was host to the 1982 FIFA World Cup finals and is one of four cities, along with Glasgow, Lisbon, and Barcelona which have two football stadiums certified as UEFA 5-star.

Other Sports

For tourists who prefer something other than the potentially gory bullfighting or the frenzied football season, Madrid is also host to the Vuelta a Español, a cycling event similar to the Tour de France in Paris.  It used to host the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix with its Circuito Permanente Del Jarama.  GP

Of all the cities in Spain, Madrid is not only the largest, occupying 234.4 square miles of land right in the country’s central region, it has the richest history as it carries the country’s seat of government, business and commerce.  It won’t be Spain’s capital over the centuries if not for that.  After Berlin, London and Paris, Madrid has the most populous municipality in the entire European Union with about 3.3 million residents in the city proper and reaching 6.4 around the metropolis.

A Culture Trip

Visiting Spain often starts with Madrid and from there; every other Spanish city or town is just a few hours drive or minutes by commercial or chartered plane.  Madrid’s sights and sounds can’t be covered in even a week’s stay for the visiting holiday maker.  But you can get the most by getting a car hire for your own private use, preferably chauffeured.

Not only can you savor the city streets and their multifaceted attraction while driving along its boulevards without bothering with the traffic, but your chauffeur can also act as your tourist guide.

• Marvel at its historic architectures

The cultural heritage of a city can be seen from its building structures, old and new.  The entire city is a collection of some of the finest historic buildings in Europe that it will take a volume to describe each. Its churches and cathedrals are definitely something a visitor should not miss.  But it’s worth to mention some. The Royal Palace of Madrid and its surrounding Paseo del Prado exhibit the best in Baroque international style.  The Museo del Prado can be mistaken as a parliament but it houses three world famous museums called the Golden Triangle of Art – the Prado Museum, the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum.  The Cathedral of Almudena nearby used to be a mosque before it was conquered by Alfonso VI in 1085 and dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena.

• Go Museum Hopping

Apart from the Museo del Prado, there are the naval Museum, the Museo Del Reloj Grassy, the Royal Academy of Fines Arts of San Fernando, the Casa Museo Jose Padilla and the Museo de Antropologica Medica, just to mention some.  If you plan to do museum hopping, a chauffeured car hire is your best mode of transport to cover the most in a day.  You will need at least 2 days to cover a few of the best museums in Madrid. GP