{"id":270,"date":"2022-06-16T14:36:21","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T14:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escuela-hablamos.com\/?p=270"},"modified":"2022-06-30T09:43:30","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T09:43:30","slug":"top-5-things-to-do-in-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escuela-hablamos.com\/zh\/top-5-things-to-do-in-madrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 things to do in Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here's a rundown of the top 5 things (in no particular order!) to do in this amazing city<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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Studying Spanish in Madrid is an absolutely fantastic idea \u2013 we obviously all think it is at Hablamos<\/mark> or we wouldn\u2019t all be here! Not only do you get the chance to speak Spanish<\/b> with millions of people, but also you have an enormous range of activities to immerse yourself<\/b> in Spanish culture.<\/p>\n<\/div>

1. Eat a bocadillo de calamares in Plaza Mayor<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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This ranks as one of the most madrile\u00f1o<\/b> things you can possibly do. But what is a bocadillo de calamares<\/b> you might ask? Well, it\u2019s a baguette with deep-fried squid rings! Honestly, they\u2019re delicious, and you can water it down with a ca\u00f1a de cerveza <\/b>(<\/i>a small beer<\/i><\/b>)<\/i> or two while sitting in the famous Plaza Mayor<\/b>. This square, in the heart of the city, dates back to the late 16th<\/sup><\/span> century and has always been at the centre of Madrid life. It was used as a place to hold inquisitions, bullfights, public hangings, official events, you name it! Nowadays it\u2019s a tourist attraction and is full of bars and restaurants for you to enjoy the city\u2019s culinary delights.<\/p>\n

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2. Take a stroll around the Parque del Buen Retiro<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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Another area of the city worth a trip to is the Parque del Buen Retiro<\/b>, or El Retiro<\/b> for short. This 5.38 km2<\/sup><\/span> park located east of the city centre is perfect for an afternoon paseo <\/b>(<\/i>stroll\/walk<\/i><\/b>)<\/i> once you\u2019ve had some tapas<\/b> (<\/i>small plates of food<\/i><\/b>) <\/i>and enjoyed a little siesta <\/b>(<\/i>nap<\/i><\/b>)<\/i>. The site of an old palace, the park features a beautiful boating lake, a couple of exhibition halls belonging to the nearby Museo Reina Sofia<\/b> and abundant green spaces where you can chill out after a hard day learning Spanish. Locals flock to the area at weekends, but during the week it\u2019s nowhere near as busy.<\/p>\n

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3. Visit Goya and Vel\u00e1zquez in the Museo del Prado<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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An unmissable stop on any visit to Madrid is the Museo del Prado<\/b>. This enormous art gallery is filled with paintings by great artists such as Goya<\/b>, Vel\u00e1zquez<\/b> and the ahead-of-time El Greco<\/b>. While you\u2019re in Madrid studying Spanish, you\u2019ll probably have time to visit more than once as there\u2019s far too much to take in on one day. Given the immensity of the museum, we\u2019d recommend getting an audio guide<\/b> to help take you around and also practise your Spanish listening skills at the same time. As well as having an incredible selection of paintings, El Prado<\/b> also hosts a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures and the Tesoro del Delf\u00edn <\/b>which is a collection of various beautiful objects collected by the son of the French king Louis XIV. Check it out on your visit!<\/p>\n

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4. Take a tour of Real Madrid\u2019s stadium<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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Madrid is home to two of Spain\u2019s greatest football teams \u2013 Real Madrid<\/b> and Atl\u00e9tico de Madrid<\/b>. Both are in the top flight<\/b> of Spanish football, but (even though Atleti fans don\u2019t like it!) it\u2019s Real Madrid<\/b> who have won, by far, most championships and cups in their 120 year<\/b> history. The Bernab\u00e9u<\/b> stadium is home to these sporting legends, and has its own museum detailing all the past glories of the club. You can see their 14<\/b> European Championship <\/b>cups, 34<\/b> La Liga <\/b>(<\/i>league<\/i><\/b>)<\/i> trophies and many more. The tour starts in the museum area, but visitors are also treated to a trip to los vestuarios<\/b> (<\/i>changing rooms<\/i><\/b>)<\/i> and el campo<\/b> (<\/i>the pitch<\/i><\/b>).<\/i> You can even sit on el banco <\/b>(<\/i>the bench<\/i><\/b>) <\/i>where the substitutes wait to go on the field! Any sports fan learning Spanish in Madrid has to go on the tour, and we\u2019d also suggest going to un partido<\/b> (<\/i>a match<\/i><\/b>)<\/i> or two while you\u2019re here as well!<\/p>\n

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5. Take a selfie with el oso y el madro\u00f1o in Puerta del Sol<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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If you\u2019ve ever looked for information about Madrid online, you\u2019re sure to have seen the famous el oso y el madro\u00f1o <\/b>(<\/i>the bear and the strawberry tree<\/i><\/b>) <\/i>which is one of the most emblematic symbols of the city. The legend goes that King Alfonso XI<\/b> was out hunting on the outskirts of the city in the 14th<\/sup><\/span> century and captured a large bear. He was so impressed with the animal that he decided to include an image of it on Madrid\u00b4s heraldic shield! The origin of the madro\u00f1o<\/b> revolves around a political dispute between the Ayuntamiento de Madrid <\/b>(<\/i>Madrid city council<\/i><\/b>) <\/i>and the Church in 1222 over which areas of land they both controlled. The madro\u00f1o<\/b> tree was included on the city\u2019s shield as a sign of the agreement reached between the two parties. Curious, right? Nowadays, a statue of this symbol of Madrid proudly stands in Puerta del Sol<\/b>, another square right in the middle of Madrid. Tourists and locals queue to snap a selfie<\/b> with this famous landmark, and it makes a great recuerdo<\/b> (<\/i>souvenir<\/i><\/b>)<\/i> of your time studying Spanish here in the capital.<\/p>\n

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Looking forward to seeing all these sights? Then come and join us here at Hablamos<\/mark> and start one of our Spanish courses today! There\u2019s plenty more to see in beautiful Madrid, so what are you waiting for?<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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