When Phillip II named Madrid as the
capital city of his kingdom, it was just one more city among many. Churches, convents
and palaces were soon added, and slowly a more definitive urbanism resulted in
creations that appear from the Plaza Mayor to the great Bourbon walkways. But
the most singular attractiveness of Madrid is having been the center of Spanish
culture since the Golden Age, which has resulted in the city boasting the best
museums in all of Spain and among the best in Europe. But Madrid is also one of
the most dynamic metropolises of the continent. One of the reasons the royalty
decided to settle down here was its location, situated on a vast plain with no
orographical borders.
Arrival in Madrid and overnight
A first glimpse of Madrid provided by a scenic tour will
allow us to appreciate the dimension and beauty of this city of three million
inhabitants and its urban development over the last 150 years. We will see the
vital points of the city, the Paseo de la Castellana, the Manzanares River, Alcala
Street and Gran Via; the Salamanca district, urban expressions from the Arturo
Soria garden-city to the more recent Plaza de Castilla district, the Colon, Espana
and Atocha squares, and extensive green areas. The Reina Sofia Museum will be
the first of three great Madrid museums that we will visit. Ensconced within a
former Neoclassical hospital facility from the 18th century, its wide spaces are
dedicated to the exhibits and rather complete display of contemporary Spanish
artists, from works of Zuloaga, Regoyos and many others, to the culmination of
works by Dali, and Picasso's Guernica. Overnight in Madrid
Today we will complete our visit along the famed Mile of
Art in Madrid. The Prado Museum, recently expanded, houses the former royal collections
in an early 18th century building. The focus is on the great masters of Spanish
art: El Greco, Velazquez and Goya, and displays the fine taste that the royal
family had for Italian -primarily Tiziano and Tintoretto- and Flemish art from
El Bosco to Rubens. The collection at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum somehow complements
that of the Prado: masters of Italian art from Trecento and Cuatrocento, and avant-garde
paintings from the 19th century. The three great art museums of Madrid are situated
in an area known as the Madrid of the Bourbons which also includes the Botanical
Gardens, the Paseo del Prado avenue and its fountains, and the Retiro Park. Overnight
in Madrid Possibility to organize a tapas lunch
Toledo, predecessor
to Madrid as the capital of Spain, is the Spanish city that best represents the
religious ideals of the Middle Ages. From the Visigoth period which emanated the
idea of a united, independent and Catholic Iberian Peninsula, to the medieval
cohabitation of three religions -the Cristo de la Luz Mosque, the Transito and
Santa Maria la Blanca Synagogues, and the Cathedral- we arrive at the controversial
Spanish Renaissance: the Santa Cruz Hospital and El Greco. Despite the overlapping
of cultures, wandering the narrow streets of Toledo continues to evoke this Mediterranean
and Semitic origin of so many Spanish cities. Return to Madrid and overnight Possibility
to organize a visit to a local producer with manchego cheese and wine taste
Today we will get to know the
Madrid of the Habsburgs, that is, the city that became the capital in 1561. Originally
an Arab fortress that later became the Alcazar of Carlos V, today it is the Royal
Palace, a Bourbon design from the 18th century. Next to it is the Cathedral, a
temple begun towards the end of the 19th century when Madrid finally had a bishop.
From there our steps will take us down Calle Mayor, the Plaza de la Villa square
and the San Miguel market to the Plaza Mayor, a reference for many other Castilian
squares from the 17th and subsequent centuries. Calle Toledo takes us to the San
Isidro church and from there to the Plaza Santa Ana and the Puerta del Sol square.
There are many hidden places that will evoke the Spanish history over the last
five hundred years. Finally, we will visit two royal convents of Madrid: the Encarnacion
and the Descalzas monasteries, expressions of the religious sentiment of the Habsburg
Counterreformation. Overnight in Madrid Possibility to organize a special farewell
dinner or attend a flamenco show
Transfer to the Madrid Airport
