Many of Madrid’s historic buildings and fountains have this week been lit up as part of the celebrations for the Royal Wedding on the 22nd May. They include the Prado, Cibeles and Neptune fountains and the Puerta de Alcalá. For the day of the wedding these lights will be taken down and floral decorations will take their place in preparation for the Royal procession. If you live outside Spain, you might be able to pick up transmission on satellite or cable. Sky, in the UK, transmits TVE International which will televise the whole of the wedding.

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Royal Wedding in Madrid

I just stumbled across a section on the Ayuntamiento de Madrid‘s (City Council) website, which gives visitors virtual tours of some of the city’s famous monuments and buildings. They include: Templo de Debod, Teatro Español, Puerta de Alcalá, Casa de la Villa, Casa de Vacas and Centro Cultural de la Villa. In most cases you will need to click: ‘ACCEDER A LA VISITA VIRTUAL’, though some require ‘QuickTime’. On some of the screens you will need to use the keyboard to rotate or zoom in on images – here are the translations: ACERCAR: Pulsar MAYUSCULAS (to go near turn on Caps Lock) | ALEJAR: pulsar CONTROL (to zoom out, hold the Control button). To move right and left, click on the image and hold, then move left, right, above or below.

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Guided tours of Madrid

The fountain of Cibeles is to be found on the stretch of Madrid commonly called the Paseo de Recoletos. It depicts the goddess Cibeles, the Greek goddess of fertility, who is seen sitting on a chariot and being pulled by two lions. On one side of the fountain of Cibeles, the Paseo de la Recoletos starts, heading north to join up with the Paseo de la Castellana. On the other side, the Paseo del Prado begins and heads off south, towards the fountain of Neptune, in the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, and on until Atocha.

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The principal square in Madrid is the Plaza Mayor, which is south west of the Puerta del Sol. Built between 1617 and 1619, and restored in 1790 after a fire, it is in a part of the city known as “Madrid de los Austrias” (the Hapsburg monarchs having built it.), or what I prefer to call “Old Madrid”. It is probably one of the finest plazas in Spain, though Salamanca comes a close second (that’ll upset some people!).

The centre of the square is occupied by a statue of Philip III who was responsible for the construction of the square. The Plaza Mayor was once the focal point of the old city, where bullfights, royal coronations and even the inquisition took place.

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Metro: 2

Nothing beats Sunday afternoon in Retiro Park. Situated behind the Prado museum, it is the most popular and widely visited park in Madrid. On a Sunday afternoon you will see Madrileños walking with their families in the park and being entertained by the multitude of street entertainers. Retiro is also a central meeting point for all sorts of people, from the roller skating youngsters and older men playing ‘petanca’ (boules) to football players and joggers of all ages.

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If you were only going to see 10 sites in Madrid, then these would be my recommendations:

1. The Prado Museum – Metro Banco de España
2. Puerta del Sol – Metro Sol
3. Plaza Mayor – Metro Sol
4. Retiro Park – Metro Retiro
5. Royal Palace – Metro Ópera
6. Calle Gran Vía – Metro Gran Vía, Plaza de España, Callao and Banco de España
7. Reina Sofía Museum – Metro Banco de España
8. Thyssen Museum – Metro Banco de España
9. Fountains of Cibeles and Jupiter – Metro Banco de España and Colon
10. Puerta de Alcalá – Metro Retiro

Please let me know if you have any favourites you could add to this list.