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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Madrid
In 1561, Philip II picked an outpost smack-dab in the center of Spain as the site of the country’s new capital, called Madrid (from Mayrit, the Arab name for the original settlement). The glamour and pageantry of the court transformed this backwater into a showcase of grand avenues, imposing monuments, and stellar museums. Today, Madrid is undergoing yet another metamorphosis because of the recent influx of couture hotels and hipster restaurants. Old Madrid is still there, but the city now pulses with a new, youthful energy.
Attractions & Activities Three great museums are within strolling distance of one another, arrayed along several blocks of Paseo del Prado, a central artery. Spanish masters El Greco, Goya, and Velázquez are among the luminaries whose works hang at the celebrated Museo Nacional del Prado, a national monument and one of the world’s largest museums, with more than 6,000 works. The gallery is best explored in a series of trips; if your schedule permits only one visit, be sure to see Goya’s Maja Desnuda (34-91-330-2800; museoprado.mcu.es). The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía houses Guernica, Picasso’s famed mural depicting the 1937 massacre at Guernica under General Franco’s regime, as well as a permanent collection of twentieth-century Spanish art. The new $100 million space, designed by French architect John Nouvel, includes a 120,000-volume library, two auditoriums, and a café/restaurant that is a significant improvement over the old cafeteria (34-91-774-1000; museoreinasofia.mcu.es). Smaller but more eclectic, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza houses the collection of the noble Thyssen-Bornemisza family—eight centuries of major European and American works—which was acquired by Spain in the 1980s, beating out offers from eight other nations, thanks in part to the efforts of Spaniard Carmen Tita Cervera, Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza’s wife (34-91-369-0151; museothyssen.org). A 20-minute stroll to the west, the Palacio Real, constructed during the mid eighteenth century and last used as a royal residence in 1931, is impressive when viewed from any of the surrounding squares or gardens, but take a guided tour to fully appreciate its many rooms of tapestries, frescoes, and ornate furnishings (34-91-454-8800; patrimonionacional.es/preal/preal.htm, in Spanish). Another former royal stomping ground, the Parque del Retiro, east of Paseo del Prado, where Philip II once hunted, is now a public park. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, there’s no better pastime than a stroll amid its fountains, statues, manicured greens, and botanic garden. For the city’s best shopping, skip the touristy Gran Vía and Puerta del Sol and head to the barrio Salamanca, just north of the Retiro and its namesake park. The district’s busiest streets are Serrano and Velázquez, but high-end shops can be found throughout—look for outposts of Spanish designers Adolfo Dominguez and Zara. Located within two blocks of each other are ABC Serrano, a midrange shopping mall in the former ABC newspaper building (61 Calle de Serrano; 34-91-577-5031), and El Corte Inglés, the largest chain department store in Madrid (47 Calle de Serrano; 34-91-432-5490). Calle de José Ortega y Gasset is lined with shops by designers from Armani to Valentino, while Calle de Ayala is home to the La Paz market, famous for its charcuterie and cheeses (28 Calle de Ayala; 34-91-435-0743). Mallorca has top-quality foodstuffs, from pastries to Spanish wines (59 Calle de Velázquez; 34-91-410-0000), and Barcelona-based chocolatier Xocoa has some of the best sweets in the city (15 Calle del General Díaz Porlier; 34-91-575-9232). Lodging The three hotels that rank on Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List, Madrid’s grandes dames, represent the city’s stately old guard: Clustered in close proximity to the Prado and the Retiro, the Hotel Ritz, Hotel Villa Real, and Westin Palace ooze over-the-top luxury. Madrid’s classic hotels now have stylish competition. The phenomenon called the Hotel Puerta America—just outside town, on the way to the airport—can be seen as a microcosm of the city’s design explosion. Each floor represents a different designer or architect, from the sleek, colorful lines of Marc Newson (sixth) to Kathryn Findlay’s space odyssey (eighth)—including heavyweights Sir Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, and Jean Nouvel. Located in the heart of Las Letras, the Alicia Room Mate has a minimalist but earthy interior by designer Pascua Ortega. Near the Royal Opera, the Alicia’s brother, the Mario, is equally affordable, with generous rooms and Jetsons-style decor. Just across the street, the Hotel Meninas is set in a nineteenth-century town house but has modern amenities such as flat-screen TVs, DVD players, and Wi-Fi. The Quo Puerta del Sol is sleek and centrally located, if somewhat noisy. Rooms on the top floor have private patios overlooking the Calle Mayor. Equally smart but more upscale (and expensive) is the Hotel Urban, with its glowing white-granite reception desk, 24-karat gold-foil mosaic stairwells, and dark hardwood floors. In the heart of fashionable Salamanca, the 45-room Hotel Adler has clean lines, rich cream and red tones, and generous-sized marble bathrooms. Down the street, the Bauzá Hotel & Restaurante is a steal, with its posh location on Calle Goya and amenities such as a pillow menu and PlayStation portals. Bauzá, which debuted in 1999, was so successful that its owners opened a second property on Gran Vía, the 103-room De las Letras Hotel & Restaurante, where the walls are inscribed with quotes from famous writers and the rooftop terrace has sweeping views. Dining Madrid is not for the faint of stomach: The food is rich and intense, and Spanish delicacies—such as criadillas, or bull’s testicles—can make even adventurous eaters squeamish. Near the Puerta del Sol, La Finca de Susana draws tourists and locals with its casually hip ambience and affordable Spanish Mediterranean cuisine. Come early to get a table—unlike most spots, this place is packed by 9 P.M.—and try the postre de timbaón, hazelnut ice cream with a creamy custard and chocolate sauce (4 Calle Arlabán; 34-91-369-3557; entrées, $7–$13). In an old chapel a short walk away, La Capilla de la Bolsa has outstanding lobster croquettes and live piano music (12 Calle de la Bolsa; 34-91-521-8623; entrées, $23–$28). For cheap international food and good people-watching, head to Chueca, which is swarming with hip outposts. At the bi-level Bazaar, the white walls are lined with sundry bottles of olive oil and wine, and the chicken curry with vermicelli is surprisingly light (21 Calle Libertad; 34-91-523-3905; entrées, $11–$19). Just a few blocks away, Arabia serves up generous portions of Moroccan hummus, falafel, couscous, and tagines to a somewhat grungy clientele (12 Calle Piamonte; 34-91-532-5321; entrées, $8–$13). Asiana started life as an upscale antiques store but now has tables scattered amid the Chinese wedding beds and Burmese drums. Its Mediterranean/Asian–inspired dishes range from scaloppine to sushi (4 Travesía de San Mateo; 34-91-310-0965; prix fixe, $100). Hip locals have made Più di Prima impossible to get into unless you make a reservation days in advance. The food is Italian, with the best imported mozzarella west of Naples and a killer zabaglione (100 Calle de Hortaleza; 34-91-308-3372; entrées, $12–$80). To skip the hip scene, head to Cisne Azul for impeccable service and authentic Spanish cuisine. Mushrooms are the specialty—try the garlicky boletus topped with a fried egg (19 Calle de Gravina; 34-91-521-3799; entrées, $15–$25). The cozy Restaurante Salvador is a throwback to the traditional bullfighters’ hangout, and a carnivore’s dream: Jabugo ham, blood sausage, lamb chops, and a rich beef stew (12 Calle Barbieri; 34-91-521-4524; entrées, $9–$30). Madrid’s elite lunch at Iroco, where Asian dishes such as prawn rolls and vegetable tempura are served alongside traditional croquettes and jamón Ibérico (18 Calle de Velázquez; 34-91-431-7381; entrées, $16–$24). In contrast, at Lago de Sanabria, across from the La Paz covered market, you can hobnob with the locals and try the tortilla Española, a potato omelet served warm or cold and a touch runny (23 Calle de Ayala; 34-91-576-7421; entrées, $12–$25). Nearby, La Trainera, with windows that look like fishy still lifes, is one of Madrid’s best seafood restaurants. The menu lists creatures you’ve probably never tasted—or even heard of—such as the limpet-like crustaceans called percebes (60 Calle de Lagasca; 34-91-576-8035; entrées, $23–$51). Near the Prado, the Hotel Ritz’s Goya Restaurant is grossly overpriced—the $89 all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch being the most reasonable meal (5 Plaza de la Lealtad; 34-91-701-6767). Across the street, at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum’s restaurant, El Mirador del Museo, bourgeois Madrileños, young professionals, and sophisticates come for the alfresco dining (34-91-429-2732; entrées, $23–$36). In northeastern Madrid, Fast Good is star Catalan chef Ferrán Adriá’s riff on fast food: The veal hamburgers are topped with a tangle of fresh tarragon and mint, and the fries are cooked in olive oil and served in a paper cone. Hipsters in low-cut jeans and businessmen in suits seated on lavender plastic chairs enjoy fresh-squeezed peach and mango juice and salads with green beans and foie gras amid the translucent bubble lamps and plasma-screen TVs (3C Calle de Juan Bravo; 34-91-343-0655; entrées, $5–$10). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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