I recently spent a weekend in Madrid for the first time and wanted to share some tips with anyone thinking of heading there on a short break. The Spanish capital is a great city to visit with parks a plenty, cafe lined plazas, great food and more museums and palaces that you can shake a stick at. Just remember that the temperatures in Madrid can hit 40°C in the summer, so don’t forget your sun block! Below are some of the highlights of my weekend in Madrid and note that the biscuit buying experience alone was worth the air fare.
Buying biscuits like a spy
If you want a truly unique experience, this is it. There is an order of enclosed nuns who earn a living by baking and selling biscuits to a 100 year old recipe (not 100 year old biscuits as we first thought, due to having only about 12 words of Spanish!).
The only problem is that being an enclosed order they refuse to be seen by the public, a fatal flaw in the retail of any confectionery. In order to purchase their biscuits, members of the public must undergo a Dan Brown-esque cloak and dagger exercise. First you must find the unmarked door on Plaza del Conde de Miranda. Upon ringing the doorbell, the door is buzzed open. You then walk along a deserted corridor until you come to a counter built into the wall with a heavy wooden turn table.
On announcing our arrival we were greeted by a nun speaking rapid Spanish who sounded approximately 97 years of age, 4 foot 9 inches tall, and quite angry for someone who was devoting their life to god. We asked for our biscuits of choice from a list on the wall and placed the requisite cash on the turntable. It whisked around out of sight with a swish and a slam, and moments later our box of biscuits magically appeared.
The biscuits themselves were pleasant enough (nothing to blog home about) but the experience was, without a doubt, one of a kind.
San Miguel Market
Madrid is renowned for its cuisine and if you want a smorgasbord of what the city has to offer, head to Mercado de San Miguel on Plaza de San Miguel.
This is an indoor food market with over 30 stalls selling everything from jamon (cured ham) and elvers (baby eels) to cocktails and gourmet pastries. You could easily spend a morning, afternoon or evening grazing from stall to stall and then stock up on some goodies to take home.
The market is open from 10am until midnight from Sunday to Wednesday and until 2am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Free Tours
I’m a big fan of Sandeman’s free city tours, and their walking tour of Madrid, like all their others, is excellent. The free walking tours take about 3 hours and criss-cross the city at a leisurely pace.
The tours are conducted by locals and each guide puts their own spin on the culture, architecture and history of their city.
The free tours depart each day at 10am, 11am and 2pm and meet in front of the Tourist Information Office in Plaza Mayor. Note that while the tours are free, tips are expected (or Karma’ll get ya).
Park Life
Madrid is one of the greenest capital cities in Europe boasting a myriad of parks and gardens. Not only do they provide a leafy backdrop to the city, they also provide shade and respite during the scorching Madrid summers. For more details, have a read of a recent blog post about the eight best known parks and gardens in Madrid.
Getting there
Getting to the Spanish capital couldn’t be much easier. There are daily Aer Lingus flights direct from Dublin to Madrid with a flying time of about 2 hours 40 minutes. A €30 taxi ride will get you from the airport to the city and once there you’ll find a huge selection of hotels to suit all tastes and budgets. If you’re tempted, check out ClickandGo’s short breaks to Madrid here.
