Research for Madrid

This post is for my traveling "amigos". (My apologies to those not interested in going to Madrid!) After perusing the Lonely Planet  on Spain, I was inspired to do a little more research on Madrid, where we will be spending a few short days before our "gig" as conversationalists in the quaint village of Pedraza.
Sherry tasting at Sherry Corner San Miguel Market

We will be arriving on a Thursday at about 3:40 pm after a lot of flying time. By the time we arrive at our apartment it will likely be about 6 pm and we will be ready for a shower and a good rest. On Saturday at about 5 pm we meet our group at a tapas reception and then hit the hay to get ready for our bus pickup first thing Sunday morning. Therefore we have all day Friday and most of Saturday to check out Madrid.

Keeping in mind our time limitations, here are a few possibilities.

  • Ground TransportationA smooth trip from the airport might be nice so perhaps we could book ahead via Aerocity Shuttle Service the cost is about 34 Euros door to door non-shared. A taxi is about 40 Euros and the Metro would be about 6 Euros each (18 for all of us). There were mixed review on Tripadvisor about Aerocity but mostly from those who chose the shared option.
  • Getting around: Speaking of transportation, it sounds like the metro is pretty easy to use. Cost per trip is 1.50 E (includes up to 5 stops I think). The website is great and you can get your route sorted out beforehand on it by entering your starting point and destination! Madrid Metro. Walking is also and option and of course taxis.
  • The Hop-on-Hop-off bus is often a nice way to get an overview of the city and you can use it as your means of transportation for a whole day or more (although it does use a specific route, likely only in the "tourist" area). The cost is $30.00 per day - a bit on the pricey side! 
  • The Centro De Arte Reina Sofia .... It takes time to visit an art gallery (and we don't have a lot of it). However, if I had to choose one, it would be this one since it is mostly 20th Century art and I would most want to see Picasso's Guernica. The cost is 12 Euros and the gallery is centrally  located .... not too far from the Prado. (Don't worry ladies, I'm not stuck on this if you're not interested)
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  • 24 Hours in Madrid  This website has quite a tour planned which takes you into the wee hours of the morning! But perhaps we could do a modified version?
  • Free Walking Tours There are free walking tours given by locals interested in promoting their city and tourism. The cost is free but you are expected to give a tip at the end. The reviews on Tripadvisor are great. I wasn't able to find out how long they are though. In the Lonely Planet there is a walking tour map page 112. An interesting blog reviews their experience using this tour - Walking Tour Review by Literally Organized 
  •  San Miguel Market This looks like an interesting place perhaps for lunch? Check out the video (it's not all about fish!) The "Sherry Corner" looked interesting and I like the concept, but when I read some reviews they were mixed. Some found the head phones a bit awkward and finding a place to sit was at times challenging if you are going from spot to spot. The cost is 25.00 E which includes about 4 or 5 glasses of sherry and free tapas pared with each glass. I think it might be fun just to go there and try some food and drink on our own!
  • Tapas Walking Tour - various city tours are offered by tour companies and most are pricey. The tapas tour is about $50.00 (I think we could do this ourselves on Cava Baja (below). Anyway, here is a little video of the Tapas Tour
  • Tapas on Calle Cava Baja    This street is famous for tapas and night life etc. It is a quick walk from the Latino Metro stop and was highly recommended on tripadvisor and it sounds like a good spot to explore. The restaurants are open at lunch time as well.
Cava Baja by project cortes
So ..... I am posting this, but may make some additions or deletions as my research takes me further. At the moment, my top "must sees" would be Calle Cava Baja and San Miguel Market. I will also have to get going on some research for Barcelona!

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