A Four Day Trip to Madrid: Day 1

Wow - four days have flown by pretty quickly, and now it is time for us here at Better Than a Travel Guide to tell you, dear readers, what, when and how to best experience Madrid, Spain. (Do keep in mind that we are going to give you the four day tour, feel free to break it down into more days, also.)

Day 1:

Madrid's Palacio Real is the home of past, present and future kings, including the current King, Juan Carlos I, and his family. There is also a tour available of some of the rooms of the palace. (The King is currently at his summer home in Barcelona.)

Before entering the Palace, you'll walk through Plaza de Oriente - where many former kings have gathered and have addressed the public.

The tour includes the throne room - a magnificent room - drawing rooms, salons and the huge formal dining room.  Our jaws dropped at some of the sights during this tour. 

Interesting fact - the dining room can hold up to 160 diners. There is also a collection of china and silverware used in the dining room.

You can also visit and spend time in the main courtyard of the palace - a great location for photos (as photographs are not allowed inside the palace - boo, I know).

From here, walk across the street (no kidding) to Catedral de la Almudena.

The cathedral took FOREVER to build, it began construction in 1879 and was finally finished in 1993 (yup, 114 years in the making).

Just down the street from Catedral de la Amudena is Muralla Arabe, the Moorish entry to Madrid when the city was under Moorish rule. The wall was excavated and now there is a very beautiful park.

From here walk to Campo del Moro. This park is designed in the "English style" with winding pathways and gardens. It is a great stop to stop and relax after a busy morning.

Many peacocks live in Campo del Moro, and will put on a show of their beauty.

Hop on the train to Opera to explore Plaza Mayor - a large plaza filled with delicious restaurants and shopping.

Spend some time here for tapas and drinks before dinner in one of the many restaurants that line the plaza. Many offer outdoor seating and, most importantly, indoor bathrooms (ask "Donde es baño" they'll understand).

From here, walk to Botin for dinner. Botin is the world's oldest restaurant (founded in 1725) and serves traditional foods. Ernest Hemmingway found Botin's roast suckling pig as his favorite (it was okay). Try the chicken friacesse, also, it is amazing!

Botin also has many of its own house wines and homemade sangria - definitely give those a try!

Also, while many restaurants have Spanish-only menus, Botin offers menus in a variety of languages, just ask!

However, reservations fill up quickly and are priority seating for dinner.

After all this, take in an early night. Or, take the train to Gran Vía and do some shopping, have a drink (or 2), or other night life activities that can be found along the 100 year old stretch.