Madrid

Getting There

Iberia from ZUR to MAD

Money Exchange

I exchanged 20 dollars for euros for just in case cash but never ended up needing them.

Visa

Not necessary for US citizens

Getting to the City

Look for the yellow bus. That's the airport express bus from Madrid Barajas Airport to a few major stops in the city. It took me about 20 minutes of walking back and forth outside the airport, trying to locate the right bus. I went back inside to inquire at the information booth where the "airport express bus" stopped. She thought for a minute and then replied, "Oh, you mean the yellow bus, that's outside to the right." So, I went back outside and to the right this time and found my bus with a decent queue formed. By this time, I was tired but more concerned about my time constraints. I arrived slightly late at around 2pm and had wasted time looking for the bus, so I didn't have much time left to explore the city.

So back to the queue, I contemplated catching a cab for 30 euros but decided to wait in line. I was lucky enough to board this full bus but not lucky enough to get a seat or space for my luggage, so I stood the entire 35-minute ride while blocking my luggage from rolling down the aisle. The first 15 minutes of the trip was spent traveling to the main airport terminal because the international terminal and its satellite are in a separate building.

I finally exited at the Plaza de Cibeles stop, then walked 8 minutes to my hotel.

So, the moral of that story… if time is on your side or you really want to save money then go with the Express Bus, which is only 5 euros. If you're on a time crunch or just want the luxury of door to door service, then go with the taxi which has a fixed rate of 30 euros to the city

Hotel

The Westin Palace

I choose this hotel for 2 reasons.

1.This now modern luxury hotel was once the Palace Hotel built in 1912. This was the largest hotel in Europe at the time, with 800 rooms. But what intrigued me most was its former guest list, which included (across its history) Picasso, Dali, Marie Curie, and Hemingway.

2.It is part of the Marriot Bonvoy group, so I was able to use my points to book this hotel

What to do

As mentioned earlier, I was on a significant time crunch. Once I got my bags dropped off in my room, it was 4pm. My plan, visit the Prado, the Reina Sofia then make my pre-planned dinner at Corral de la Moreria. Let's go…

First the Reina Sofia

This museum dedicated mainly to 20th-century Spanish artists houses a substantial amount of Picasso, Dali (my favorite artist), and other surrealist artists. I ubered there to save time. It was a Sunday, which meant free admission but thankfully no line. I visited only the first-floor galleries since time was limited, but this had all the works of art I wanted to see. I ended at 5:15pm. Next…

The Prado

When it comes to art, my preference is not much for Renaissance or pre-Renaissance, but this museum is so world-renown that I could not pass it up. I tried to uber there but could not get Wi-Fi at the first museum, so I walked 5-6 minutes to the Prado. Admission here was free from 5-7pm (close), which was not a good thing for me since that meant a massive line. I waited in line for about 20 minutes and entered at around 6pm. This museum is enormous, and 1 hour, for most, is not enough, but for me, this was plenty of time.

After seeing 2 museums in 3 hours, I was kind of running on a high. I really wanted to go to check out Chocolateria San Gines to grab what I read was a fantastic churro. Unfortunately, it started raining, and the fatigue of the day finally hit me, so I retired back at my hotel across the plaza.

Corral de la Moreria

I made reservations in advance to this Michelin starred restaurant with a live flamenco dinner to accompany