Madrid, Spain

Madrid, Spain's capital and largest city is known for its exciting nightlife, many historic sites and monuments, and scores of world-acclaimed museums. It is Spain's largest city and is best known for its great cultural and artistic heritage.

Nearly all of the most famous tourist areas are located in the historical center of Madrid middle south of the city: Puerta del Sol in the middle, Plaza Mayor to the south, Palacio Real to the west, and Plaza de Colón to the north-east. Some of those hot spots spread up past the Gran Via, which is one of the main streets in Madrid (the largest one being Alcalá Street, followed by the Paseo de la Castellana).

Things to See & Do

* Prado Museum
* Plaza Mayor
* View from Faro de Moncloa
* Royal Palace
* Puerta de Alcala arch

General information
Cruise Season - Feb to Dec
Currency - Euro (€)
Language - Spanish and Catalan
Land Area - 607 km²
Population - 3,500,000 approx
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC + one hour
International Country Telephone Code - + 34

Port Location - Madrid can be accessed from ports in Lisbon and Barcelona.

Travel Links - Madrid is served by Barajas International Airport. Barajas is the main hub of Iberia Airlines. It consequently serves as the main gateway to the Iberian peninsula from Europe, America and the rest of the world.
Spain's railway system, the Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles (Renfe) operates the vast majority of Spain's railways. In Madrid, the main rail terminals are Atocha in the south and Chamartín in the north.
Madrid has eight gigantic international and intercity bus stations. Information on where buses to a particular destination depart from can be found at the Tourist Office.