Welcome to Madrid

As the capital of Spain, Madrid is a city of great cultural and political importance. While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighborhoods and streets. Its landmarks include the huge Royal Palace of Madrid; the Teatro Real (Royal theatre) with its restored 1850 Opera House; the Buen Retiro park, founded in 1631; the imposing 19th-century National Library building (founded in 1712) containing some of Spain's historical archives; an archaeological museum of international reputation; and three superb art museums: Prado Museum, which hosts one of the finest art collections in the world, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, housed in the renovated Villahermosa Palace.[4]

The population of the city is roughly 3.2 million (December 2005), while the estimated urban area population is 5.1 million. The entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area (urban area and suburbs) is calculated to be 5.84 million. The city spans a total of 607 km² (234 sq mi).[5]

Following the restoration of democracy in 1975 and Spain's integration into the European Union, Madrid has played an increasing role in European finances, marking the city as one of the most important European metropolises. Yet each district still preserves its own feel.

How to get there

By Air

The Madrid Barajas airport, strategically located in the center of Spain, is located 12 kilometers northeast of Madrid in a plain in the Jarama river valley. Due to improvements in infrastructures and services the airport has become one of the most important links between Latin America and Europe. In 2005, Barajas registered the traffic of 42,146,784 passengers, 415,704 air operations, and 333,137 tons of cargo. The Barajas airport receives almost 2,000 national and international flights from 131 destinations. All of the important airlines in the world fly daily to Madrid, and it is a bridge between Europe, America, Asia and Africa. The Madrid Barajas airport is very well connected to the city highways. The M30, the A2, the NII and the M40 highways all lead to the airport. The airport is only 20 minutes from downtown, and what´s more, it´s well connected to Madrid by bus and the Metro.

By Train

Madrid is the center of a very modern railway network that covers all of Spain and reaches the rest of Europe. There are two stations in the center of the city, Chamartín and Atocha, and the high speed AVE train connects Madrid with Seville in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

City Transportation

Madrid has one of the largest railway (Metro) networks in Europe, and its 11 lines connect every neighborhood of the capital. As part of a modernization project, Line 8 (with stops at NuevosMinisterios, Campo de Naciones, and the airport) was lengthened and connected to Lines 6, 9 and 10. As a result, one can get from the airport to downtown Madrid in less than 12 minutes. There is also an ample bus network which consists of 148 urban bus lines, 9 regional lines, and 21 nocturnal bus services.