Madrid is the gracious capital of a country that always surprises, sometimes sizzles.
This citys inhabitants - Madrilenos - are a vigorous, joyful lot, famous for their ability to defy the need for sleep: They embrace their city's vibrant cultural offerings and make enthusiastic use of its bars and cafes. Match this energy and you'll take in Madrid's museum mile, with more masterpieces per square foot than anywhere else in the world; the palaces and boutiques of regal Madrid; the dark, narrow lanes of medieval Madrid; and the real action, Madrid after midnight.Life in Madrid is lived in the crowded streets and the noisy cafes, where talking, toasting, and tapa-tasting last long into the night. The city's endless energy is hard to resist, and its sociable style invites you to jump right in.
The first thing you notice here may be the bright blue sky, as immortalized in the paintings of Velazquez. Despite 20th-century pollution, that sky is still much in evidence thanks to breezes that sweep down from the Guadarrama mountains, blowing away the urban smog.
Poised on a plateau 2,120 feet above sea level, Madrid is the highest capital in Europe. It can thus be one of the world's hottest cities in summer, and freezing cold in winter. Spring and summer are the best times to visit, but each season has its own charms: In winter, steamy cafe windows and all-night street festivals beckon, and the famous blue skies are particularly crisp and bright. That's when Madrid, as the local bumper stickers will tell you, is the next best place to heaven.
Madrid is not just a cultural destination. It is also a lively metropolis with many pubs, cafes, discotheques and nightclubs open late into the night. Don't be surprised if you get stuck in a traffic jam at four in the morning, and the people you meet are not necessarily going off to work....Wherever you go in Madrid, Madrilenos, spontaneous and hospitable, are always glad to infect you with their boundless vitality. Is that wonderful Spanish joie de vivre in their blood ? Or is it simply the sangria? No one is sure - but they seem to work and play longer and harder than anyone else in the world.
What more need be said about one of the finest capital cities of Europe... Madrid is not a city which grabs you straight away but one which you grow to love over time. Spend a couple of days here and you'll discover that Madrid is a vibrant city with a atmosphere that draws you closer to the heart of Spain.
