The Spanish capital, due to its convenient geographic location, is ideal for a vacation home. The neighboring interesting cities are just a stone's throw away, and there is no problem of where to go from Madrid for one day for active travelers.
TOP destinations
Having admired enough of the capital's sights, guests of the city usually rush to the neighborhood and suburbs:
- The famous Escorial is built at the foot of the majestic Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range. The palace has a well-deserved fame, and its scale boggles the imagination of even today's engineers.
- Valley of the Fallen is a world record holder. The memorial is dedicated to those killed in the civil war, and its main attraction is the basilica, carved into the rock and stretching 262 meters underground.
- Alcazar Castle once inspired many of Walt Disney's masterpieces. It is located in Segovia, where the historic decision was made for Columbus to march west.
- The birthplace of Cervantes, the town of Alcala de Henares boasts an abundance of ancient architectural monuments from the Roman era. The easiest way to get here is by train from Chamartin station.
It is very pleasant to travel around the metropolitan area by car, but there are problems with parking in the historic city centers. Public transport in this situation is much more convenient, especially since the bus and railway communication between Madrid and the suburbs and provinces is perfect.
Ecumenical scale
El Escorial is called one of the first destinations where you can go from Madrid on your own. An hour by train (timetables and ticket prices are available on the website - www.renfe.com) or by buses N661 and 664 from the Moncloa station separates the traveler from the huge monastery and palace complex, the construction of which began in 1563 by King Philip II.
Today, the palace contains many works by great artists - Titian and El Greco, Coelho and Bosch, and the remains of the Spanish kings rest in a magnificent pantheon of jasper, marble and bronze. The library of the complex has collected the largest collection of Arabic manuscripts.
Escorial is open six days a week except Mondays from 10am to 5pm. The entrance ticket price is 5 euros.
The N660 bus takes you from the palace to the Valley of the Fallen in a few minutes.
From children's fairy tales
The outlines of the Alcazar castle in Segovia will seem familiar to any kid, because it was this majestic structure that prompted Walt Disney how Disneyland should look like.
90 km separates the city from the capital and when deciding where to go from Madrid, fans of ancient architecture choose the direction to the northwest. Segovia has the honorary status of a city-museum and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1985.
In addition to the Alcazar Palace, the largest ancient Roman aqueduct and cathedral in the Old World are worthy of attention here. Numerous restaurants in Segovia offer a specialty - roasted suckling pig.
