Madrid

"We spent 4 nights in Spain upon our arrival from Toronto. Madrid is a busy metropolitan city which has various neighbourhoods including an old city. We found Madrid to be clean and safe and rode the metro frequently. There are various plazas to visit and a stroll down Gran Via is a must. We spent the most time in Centro because of our hotel location. We enjoyed the Salamanca neighbourhood and spent a lot of time in Chueca and La Latina neighbourhoods. The three main art galleries are in Retiro and the Palace (the largest functioning Royal Palace in the world) is in the Madrid de las Austrias neighbourhood. The city is busy and vibrant and it was nice to see that the tradition of siesta remains intact here. When most stores were closed between 3 and 5 we took the opportunity to go back to our hotel for our own siesta to preserve ourselves for the very late dinner hour in Madrid. Definitely do not think about making a dinner reservation before 930 (really 10pm) if you want to have an atmosphere of any kind. If you choose to use the metro you must get a red metro pass (which can be shared) and load the card with the number of rides you need. "