Madrid Card announce a special card for kids and a 120 hour tourist pass!

Neoturismo, the comany behind the Madrid tourist Card, have just announced a new card for kids and new 120 hour tourist pass.

The cards are a great way to save money during your visit to Madrid. These include free access to 50 of Madrid's museums, a free visit to the Santiago Bernabéu and Atlético Madrid football stadiums and the Plaza de Toros at Las Ventas, as well as free entry on the 'Discover Madrid' guided tours. Plus you will receive a wide range of discounts in shops, restaurants and bars. You can beat the queues at the main attractions as it gives you preferential entry, which in itself is a huge bonus! For a few Euros more you can combine the Madrid Card with a travel pass, allowing you unlimited travel on public transport, which is certainly very handy, and you can also buy an add-on for the sightseeing bus.

Prices are as follows:

Madrid Card:
24hours: 32€
48hours: 42€
72hours: 52€
NEW! 120 hours 85€

Madrid Card for kids:

 24hours: 18€
48hours: 24€
72 hours: 30€
120 hours: 48€

Prices valid until 31st December 2011.

The card can be bought at all the tourist information points, a number of travel agencies, in T2 and T4 of Madrid airport as well as online. You can find out more about the benefits of the Madrid Card by visiting the Madrid Card Website and if you purchase you card online, you will receive a 5% discount.

Day trip ideas: Aranjuez and the Strawberry Train

In between Madrid and Toledo is the very elegant UNESCO town of Aranjuez, which was once where the Spanish Royal Family spent their summers. Tourists can visit the many old palaces and summer residences and their very ornate gardens. The Royal Palace, the Fountain of Mariblanca, the Chapel of San Antonio and the Isabella II and Panterra gardens are absolute musts. For those interested, there is also a bull fighting museum. The region around the town is a famous producer of very delicious strawberries and in the summer months, the Strawberry Train (an old stream train) runs for tourists and makes a memorable day out.

Getting there: from Sol or Atocha Cercanías stations, trains leave two or three times an hour. The journey time times around 45 minutes and the shouldn't cost more than around six or seven euros return. The Strawberry Train runs on most weekends from spring until the end of October, however we are trying to find new information for 2011. Tickets are 26€ for adults and 18€ for children, although it includes some entries to attractions and strawberry tasting. It leaves Madrid's Railway Museum at 10am and returns later in the evening. In late April we read in the the local press that the train would not run this year due to financial reasons, but we've since heard that a rescue package was put together, so it should run as normal.

MUF visits the PdH shop on Serrano in Madrid!!!

MUF thinks the Cortefiel brand and with it the PdH or Pedro del Hierro shops are top for shopping for clothes Made in Spain.
Maria Leon, the PdH PR Manager gave us an entry to the shop so we could film it... we want to show you their true quality.

Day trip ideas: El Escorial

The former royal palace and monastery at El Escorial is another UNESCO site in the Madrid region, located some 30km from the city. In the summer, due to its higher altitude, it makes a nice escape from the heat of Madrid. Dating from the second half of the 16th century, it was built by King Felipe II to commemorate a Spanish battle victory over France. This site is huge and visitors can spend hours wandering around the exquisitely decorated buildings and grounds. The must-sees are the Pantheon (where Spanish monarchs are buried), the Patio of the Kings, Hall of Battles and the Basilica. Art lovers will be thrilled with the many paintings by masters such as Velázquez, Titian and El Greco. Be sure to pause for a few moments to take in the stunning views of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range. Allow 2-3 hours to see the buildings and gardens, however note that once you start a visit to the buildings, you have to go all the way through to the end to exit, which might be a fair trek given the size of the place! Those with mobility problems keep that in mind. Entrance to the buildings and grounds costs 8€, but EU citizens can get free admission on Wednesdays if you show your passport or other EU ID. The opening times are 10am-5pm from Oct-March, and 10am-6pm from April-September. Closed on all Mondays. Guided tours run throughout the day. The quiet town of San Lorenzo where the site is located is also worth a wander around, and there are plenty of restaurants offering menus del día for lunch.

Getting there: there are cercanías trains which leave frequently for El Escorial from Atocha. Journey time is around one hour and costs around 6-7€ return. You can also take the frequent 661 or 664 buses from Moncloa interchange (metro L3 and L6). The jouney is also one hours and costs roughly the same as the train, although it does leave you nearer the monastery.


To learn more about El Escorial, we recommned taking a look at this page by Feel Madrid. It gives you a good background into its history as well as lots more photographs.

Apps for visting Madrid

Who wants to lug around a massive map and guide book around the city, or spend ages finding an internet café to find out the bus times, when the info can be accessed from the palm of the hand? We've done some digging around to find some useful apps for visitors to Madrid to make their trip a bit easier. Note that the apps mentioned here are not endorsed by us, nor are we connected with the developers.

Metro Plans. There are a number of free unofficial ones as well as the official Metro de Madrid (Presslite) paid app. We use one called Metro Madrid (PhoneSoftware), which usually works well, although it does have annoying adverts. It's also not hard to figure out how to use even though it's in Spanish. The app allows you to calculate metro journeys, find out opening times and find out where the nearest metro station is. On the other hand, the official app does pretty much the same thing, but comes in several languages and allows you to use it offline. It costs 0.79€ to download.

The EMT Madrid (EMT Madrid) has a similar app which allows you to calculate your bus journey and find the nearest bus stop as well as providing other travel information. The cost is free, but requires a network. In Spanish.

Lonely Planet Madrid City Guide (Lonely Planet). Don't want to lug a heavy guidebook around? This app contains everything you need for a stay in Madrid including, offline maps, recommended places, practical info, city history and guides to the different districts. The app costs 4.99€ and can be used offline.

Navigaia Madrid (Navigaia) is another city guide, which comes in both free and full paying versions. The guide contains points of interest, photos and maps, whist the paying version includes more detailed maps, descriptions, hotels, shopping, restaurants, cafés and bars as well as video. Available in English and French.

Madrid Barajas Airport Stats (Traland.com). Want to check the status of your flight? This app contains realtime information for all flights departing and arriving at Madrid Barajas airport. It costs 1.59€ to download.

 Madrid Offline Street Map (Networking 2.0) No need for a network connection as you find your way around the city or plan your routes. It also contains transport maps and a short travel guide, 3.99€

Prado Museum Audioguide (AMFINOMI). This app allows you to discover the secrets behind fifty of the most famous pieces of art in the Prado Museum in the form of an audioguide. You can also learn more about the artists, see plans of the museum and zoom in on the paintings.  In total there is three hours worth of audio content. It costs 3.99€, although there is a limited light version for free. Works offline.

Wi-Fi Finder (JiWire). Instead of traipsing around Madrid trying to find a wi-fi spot, this app allows you to search for wi-fi and you can download the locations to access offline. If you switch on GPS, it will pinpoint the closest hotspot to you. Both free and paying locations are listed in search results. Free to download.  

Although Madrid is User Friendly does not have an app as yet, remember both our blog and website can be accessed on smartphones and tablets.

Day trip ideas: Cuenca

With the arrival of the high speed AVE service between Madrid and Valencia, it has never been so easy to visit Cuenca, a beautiful medieval town with UNESCO world heritage status dramatically perched above a gorge.  The city lies some 140km south west of Madrid and makes a pleasant day trip or overnight stay.

View of Cuenca

The main attraction is the hanging houses, which have become a symbol for the city. These date from the middle ages and hang precariously over the side of a steep ravine, in fact it almost looks as if they are part of the cliff face. One of the houses contains an excellent abstract art museum, which is considered one of the most important collections of its kind in Spain. If you decide to visit it, make sure you step onto the balconies to get a spectacutar view of the gorge.

For a great view of the city and to get a good shot of the hanging houses, make sure you cross the San Pedro bridge, which lies at the entrance to the city. From here you can really appreciate the size of the gorge and you are surrounded by spectacular views. Other sights in the city include the ruined cathedral (built in the 12th century, but fell down in 1902- so far only the façade has been rebuilt), the churches of San Pedro and San Miguel, and the charming Plaza Mayor. If you like museums, there's an archeological museum and the Museo Diocesano.


 Getting there: Cuenca is served by both regional and high speed trains, but the prices and journey times vary greatly. If you take the high speed AVE,  you can be there in less than one hour, however expect to pay around 38€ one way (very overpriced we know!!!). The cheaper regional train takes three hours, but costs 12,30€ one way. See Renfe.com for more information. The other option is to take the Avanza bus from the Estación Sur bus station (Metro Mendez Álvaro L6), where the return trip can cost as little 11,25€! There are many departures each day and the journey takes 2- 2 1/2 hours. The Avanza buses are very comfortable and modern. If you choose to go by car, you can take the N400 or the N320 from Madrid.

The balconies of the Hanging Houses

The Hanging Houses

Church of San Pedro

The façade of the cathedral

The main strret in Cuenca, Calle Alfonso XII

Toledo: day trip ideas

Toledo

 Another idea for an excursion near Madrid! Toledo is around 70km to the south of Madrid. It was the capital of Spain before Madrid and has a very rich history. In the Middle Ages it was an important centre for Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and influences from these three religions can still be seen today. The city played an important role during the Spanish inquisition. Toledo boasts a very impressive gothic cathedral with a very elaborate series of stained glass windows; an old fortress or alcazar on the hill which gives the city its dramatic skyline;  many ancient synagogues (such as the Santa María de la Blanca or the Transito) and churches like the El Cristo de la Luz which was originally a mosque. It also has a very attractive main square known as the Zocodover. Much of the city's architecture shows influences from Spain's islamic period in a style known as mudéjar which later was often mixed with more modern European styles.  The city was also the home of Spanish renaissance painter El Greco and there is a museum dedicated to his life and works, although his house is long gone.Toledo has always been famous for metallurgy and you'll find no shortage of shops selling modern replicas of armoury, swords and shields. You should also make sure you try some manchego cheese, the most famous cheese in Spain which comes from the Castilla la Mancha region of which Toledo is the capital.

To make the most of your visit to Toledo, we recommend purchasing a Toledo Card, which includes free entry to many of the city's museums and attractions as well as a guided cathedral tour. Some packages also include return train fares from Madrid, rides on the tourist bus and restaurant meals. See the Toledo Card website for details. 


Getting there:  Buses leave half hourly from Plaza Eliptica bus station. You'll need to take metro line 6 to get here, which if you are staying in the centre will be a bit of a trek and you'll probably have to change lines. The journey costs around 6€ each way and takes an hour.  From the bus station in Toledo, it's a ten minute walk uphill to the heart of the historic centre. By train from Atocha, it's a little more expensive around 10€ each way and the trains aren't so frequent (every 1-2 hours). However the journey only takes thirty minutes and for those staying in the centre, it's probably easier to get to Atocha Station for the train.

Here are a few more pics of Toledo:

Beautiful and sunny Boxing day in Madrid

Serrano Street today... the reason for Madrid... to enjoy these beautiful sunny days in winter!