Madrid is the third largest city in the EU. Every year, millions of visitors come to this busy city for leisure and for business. The airport has 4 terminals that facilitate the coming and going of these visitors. Families and couples consider Madrid as an ideal travel destination because of its many places of interest. Some of these attractions are in existence because of the rich history of the city. There are many majestic buildings left behind since the middle ages. Many are gigantic buildings with breath taking architecture. And year after year, they have continued to lure thousands and thousand of curious visitors.

Madrid art
For art lovers, Madrid must be a heaven. Its galleries have been receiving raving reviews year after year. International art collectors flock to the art galleries to see what is on display. Entrance fees are affordable (about 6 Euros per adult), so most people can get to enjoy the art. Art galleries include places such as Museo THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA, Museo PRADO, and Museo REINA SOFIA.

In the galleries, the works of many famous Spanish artists (such as Picasso) are featured. In fact, Madrid has the largest collection of Spanish artwork in the entire world! So if you are an art lover looking to examine Spanish art, then Madrid is the perfect venue.

Madrid theme parks
If you are traveling with kids, it's good to know that there are family friendly destinations that you can visit as well. Kids may not know how to appreciate Spanish art, but they sure know how to have a great time at one of the two gigantic theme parks in Madrid! The two theme parks are Parque Warner Bros and Parque de attracions. Parque Warner Bros is the more modern theme park. From the name of the theme park, you probably have guessed that many cartoon characters will be featured in the rides. You are right! There is a cartoon village, where children can learn about the history of Warner Bros famous cartoon characters. And then there is Hollywood Boulevard, where the fun rides are. Your children will thank you for bringing them to one of the theme parks!

Madrid monuments and landmarks
If you are visiting Madrid for the first time, then it is a must that you take some time to visit some of the key monuments and landmarks in the city. But before you make the trip, make sure that you check out the opening hours of the monument. Usually, they are open from morning till evening (regular business hours). On Sundays and public holidays, they may be closed, or they may open for half a day. So be sure to check this out so that you don't make a wasted trip.

Lavapies Madrid
Take a tour through the barrios bajos, the low lying areas next to the south of the Old Town. Its name, once in common use, was not a reflection of the quarter's geographic allocation down by the Rio Manzanares, but much more to do with its social composition. Lavapies might initially seem a rather rundown quarter but behind the rather scruffy faade lies a closelyknit community imbued with a genuine madrileño atmosphere. Virtually nowhere else in the capital will outsiders get into conversation with the locals so easily, no other district has so many old fashioned shops and bodegas. Immigrants from north Africa, Latin America and the Orient bring some exotic touches to a quarter that has an almost provincial feel. Added to this contrasting mix is EI Rastro, a flea market, where on Sunday everything from pure junk to antiques and colourful cage birds are traded.

As soon as you emerge from the Anton Martin metro station, you will find yourself among the crowds that throng around the market in the narrow Pasaje Don.Descending steeply to the south from Calle de la Magdalena is Calle del Ave Maria. It crosses narrow lanes such as Calle del Olmo (Street of Elms) and Calle de Tres Peces (Street of the Three Fish), whose names refer to anecdotes about the neighbourhood. A tale is often told, for example, about Calle de Cabeza (Street of the Head). A well to do priest, who once lived here, was the victim of a mugger.

To avoid leaving any evidence, the robber cut off the priest's head. Years later, after the murderer had bought a lamb's head at the butcher's, curious neighbours wanted to know what was wrapped in the bloody cloth. Unsuspectingly, the murderer opened it and came face to face with the fixed gaze of the dead priest. Close to madness, the rogue confessed to the murder and soon lost his own head on the executioner's block. Later on, the bundle was examined, only to reveal the lamb's head.

The traditional Nuevo Cafe Barbieri is a meeting place for the district's alternative scene. The name Plaza de Lavapies and the quarter it serves probably derives from the Hebrew. Avapies means something like 'place of the Jews' , but where the 'I' came from has never been fully explained. Nothing remains of the Sephardic culture, as in 1492 the Catholic Kings forced all Spanish Jews to either convert to Catholicism or leave the country. The modest Iglesia de San Lorenzo in Calle de la Fe (Street of Faith) now occupies the spot where the synagogue once stood. Known for many years as the church that served the city's poor, it is also referred to as the Iglesia de las Pulgas or Church of Fleas.To get a better feel for the atmosphere in the quarter, walk a few yards to the north.

Greying houses with colourful pot plants, washing hanging on tiny balconies, clearance shops, vegetable stalls and simple bars line the street. The people all know each other and always have time for a quick chat. Licoreria EI Madroño in Calle Caravaca sells a liqueur and pastries made from the fruit of the strawberry tree - something of a rarity in modern Madrid.

There is another unusual sight in Calle Meson de Parades. The Iglesia del Convento de las Escuelas Pias de San Fernando , a monastery church built in the 18th century, was like many other institutions belonging to the reactionary Catholic Church, plundered by anarchists and burnt to the ground at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Franco insisted that the ruins be left to stand as a reminder of 'leftwing dangers'. Surrounding the broad square in front of the shattered walls (with a statue of the Mexican cholis composer Agustin Lara) are the tenement blocks typical of the barrios bajos.

The best example of one of these, Corrala is to be seen diagonally opposite on the other side of Calle Meson de Parades. A characteristic feature of these multistorey flats, built in Andalusian style, are the wooden decks, which provide access to the narrow dwellings. This block was built in 1839 and last renovated in 1979. If you are in Madrid for the summer festival, then you must take the opportunity to watch one of the evocative zarzuela performances in La Corral's courtyard.

San Cayetano, the patron of the Theatine Order church, is also the patron saint of Lavapies. He is remembered on 7 August when the surrounding streets vibrate with music and dancing. To mark the beginning of the festivities, a procession winds through the quarter, with residents bearing a statue of the saint at the head.

If it is time for food or refreshments, return to Calle Meson de Parades. Hidden behind No. 13 is one of the oldest and most unusual bars in Madrid, the Taberna de Antonio Sanchez . Opened in 1830, it was initially owned by the picador (the horseman who goads the bull), Colita, but was later taken over by the well known matador, Antonio Sanchez. When an accident forced him to give up his glorious career in the arena, he devoted himself to his small bar. He lovingly decorated it with bullfighting memorabilia, some of his own pictures and two bulls' heads. Literary figures such as Miguel de Unamuno and Ramon Maria del ValleInclan were regular guests. Nowadays it is not just curious tourists who come to the galvanised bar to sample a fine Valdepeñas or a rabo de loro (braised tail of bull).

EI Rastro Madrid
Spain's most colourful and most famous flea market, is held. The best starting point for visitors wishing to experience the full spectacle is Plaza de Cascorro. Where now an astonishing range of junk, clothing, books and antiques can, on a good day, attract up to 300,000 visitors, there was during the Middle Ages a district for butchers and tanners. The word rastro literally translated means 'trail', i.e. of blood left behind on the streets.

The tradition of selling secondhand goods of every kind goes back to the 18th century, but do not imagine that you will pick up a genuine Goya for a song, as the 3,000 or so dealers here know their trade. In any event, the range of goods on sale has changed considerably in recent years. Instead of curios and bric-a-brac, many of today's offerings are cheap goods, mainly clothing, CDs, jewellery and toys imported from the Far East. Even so, if you keep your eyes open, you may well pick up a bargain. Tourists must be on their guard against thieves here. Cameras, wallets and handbags are their usual targets.

What may at first glance seem like a chaotic collection of street traders, on closer inspection turns out to be organised in an orderly fashion. You will discover this for yourself, if you follow the main artery, Ribera de Curtidores, downhill and explore the small side alleys. Genuine junk is laid out in Calle Mira el RIo Bajo, while clothes and shoes are offered for sale around Plaza General Vara del Rey. Specialists in old furniture and household goods are based in Calle Carlos Arniches, while oil paintings of dubious quality the Spanish seem to go for windmills and blazing-eyed women wearing Carmen costume are sold in Calle San Cayetano. Plaza del Campillo del Mundo Nuevo is the place for bookworms to browse.