Madrid

By Travel & Leisure
July 22, 2010

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Richard Phibbs

A statue of a matador in Madrid.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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iStock

Take an evening stroll in the Plaza Mayor.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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Javier Salas

Walking in Madrid’s city center. This once-gritty passage is becoming a nexus of Spain’s new urban style.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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Lyndsey Matthews

The Puerto Del Sol is Madrid's most central square.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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iStock

Terminal 4 at the Barajas Airport, one of the world's most beautiful airports.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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Javier Salas

Araceli Gonzalez, a stylish Madrileño, likes to shop in the Tribali barrio at Picnic which stocks a range of dresses in amazing prints, and La Maison de la Lanterne Rouge, a boutique, café, and theater all housed within a former brothel.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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Maria Galan/Alamy

Edificio Mirador is one of the World's Strangest Buildings. Designed by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV—known for its unusual and striking construction—this residential building, set in the northeast part of Madrid, was designed as a frame for the distant landscape, but more resembles a Borg spaceship. Oh, and that open middle section? It also serves as an outdoor meeting area for residents to take in the unobstructed views.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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Courtesy of Mercado de San Miguel

Housed in a 1916 Beaux-Arts building, San Miguel market stood abandoned for years—until a renovation in 2009 gave it a new lease on life. Now it's a lively neighborhood food destination with 33 shopping and dining stalls, plus a buzzing central café area.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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Lyndsey Matthews

The Reina Sofia Museum, in an 18th-century hospital designed by Francisco Sabatini, is structured much like the convents, monasteries, and cloisters scattered throughout the Spanish countryside. High, whitewashed arched ceilings and large stone bricks create the corridors that run in a square around a central open courtyard. The building was restored and inaugurated in 1988. The permanent collection of modern art is worth hours of leisurely survey.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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David Nicholas

Madrileños near the Plaza Mayor.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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David Nicholas

Madrid’s 17th-century city hall, in Plaza de la Villa.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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Courtesy of John M. Sconzo

Los Asturianos, one of Europe's best wine bars, is a no-frills taberna in the Chamberí district. It is the unofficial clubhouse for the capital’s food and art crowds, and chef, journalist, and TV personality Alberto Fernández Bombín is your ultimate hipster host. That delicious fabada? The casserole of white beans and handmade chorizo and blood sausage is the work of his shy mom, Doña Julia.

For more information, see the Madrid Destination Guide.

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