Spanish for ‘Gate of the Sun’, Puerta del Sol is one of Madrid’s most popular tourist destinations. At its center lies the paving slab just outside the Casa de Correos that marks the spot from which radiates the six main highways traversing Spain. It is a good point from which to begin to explore this delightful part of the city.

The gates were once the entrance to Madrid. Like many medieval towns it was surrounded in the 15th century by a protective wall. Through the gate passed traders and visitors from all over the known world. It gradually grew to an important meeting place for important merchants and politicians.

Visitors will find here a number of attractions. There is the large sculpture of a bear eating the fruit of the madrone tree, for example. The name ‘Madrid’ derives from the Spanish word for this plant and the bear is a powerful symbol for the madrilenos.

At the beginning of Alcala Street, in front of the Regina Hotel, you can pause and take in two outstanding examples of architecture. Pause to admire the statues atop these banks and then move on down the road.

At the House of the Post Office you come upon one of Madrid’s most important buildings. Built in 1768 and housing a giant clock with faces on each side of the tower, it is the central point for the New Year celebrations. During the traditional festival for eating the Twelve Grapes, the clock will chime out. The joyous occasion has been broadcast live from this point for over 40 years now.

Enjoy the sight of the statue of Charles III there, honored for his many public works programs. Today the point is ablaze at night with the sign of Tio Pepe. Here, too, is the Mariblanca statue of Venus. Actually, the sculpture is a replica of the original in the Municipal Museum.

Because of its location and prominence in the life of Madrid, the Puerta naturally serves as the focal point for many political protests. Vigorous, but not dangerous, you may see one during your visit.

Not far away are dozens of shops, restaurants and other attractions. The El Corte Ingles department store is always a popular draw for tourists and the bars are busy from early in the evening until early the next morning. Some are just getting started at 1 a.m.! Street music is frequently ‘on the menu’ as well.

The area is a short walk from the Plaza Mayor and the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) so you’ll be well positioned to enjoy those other fine sights of Madrid, too. Parliament is not far away and there’s a Metro station underneath the square. There are dozens of side streets full of shops and interesting restaurants, so explore!

Second only to Versailles in size and splendor, the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) in Madrid is an architectural marvel and a treasure trove. Nearly three thousand rooms, with 240 balconies and over forty staircases, this magnificent work is one of Madrid’s major tourist attractions.

Even though less than 10% of the room is open to the public, there is still far more than a visitor could see in a single day. Everywhere the eye looks can be seen fine rococo decoration, lush tapestries, bejeweled clocks, delicate porcelain and thousands of other precious objects.

Long the home of Spanish monarchs (it was conceived by Phillip V, and occupied until Alfonso XIII in 1931), this palace was once the center of power for a dynasty that ruled half the then-known world.

Sited at the former Moorish fortress, Alcázar (built in the 9th century, but burned down in 1734), the palace itself is an outstanding example of French classical architecture. But beyond the building there are statuary and grounds that complete the work.

The stone statues of an Inca prince, Atahualpa, and the Aztec king Montezuma are only two of the many unusual touches around the palace grounds.

The two-hour tour of the palace includes the Salón de Gasparini, where you can see astonishing ceramic walls and sparkling chandeliers. It also covers the magnificent banquet hall, which can seat over 100 guests for dinner.

Twenty-five years in construction, the palace contains the throne room and armory of one of the world’s superpowers of the 18th century. Both are on display today.

In the throne room are the two seats occupied by a succession of Spain’s rulers, from which they issued edicts that influenced much of the world’s history for centuries. The Armeria Real (Royal Armory) shows a number of weapons and armor, along with a range of medieval torture implements used in the Spanish Inquisition.

But there are also on display examples of Spain’s more exalted aspects.

You’ll have an opportunity to see the famed Biblioteca Real (Royal Library), too. Not a serious competitor compared to the Vatican collection, but well worth a visit. You’ll see a first edition of Don Quixote, Cervantes magnum opus, and several Stradivarius stringed instruments.

The Royal Pharmacy displays many of the instruments used to treat the members of the royal family, and gives some insight into the medical knowledge of the day. It’s still in use, and therefore is closed during official functions.

Visitors can witness the changing of the guards outside, while taking in a view of one of the best of Madrid’s many fine gardens. Stand on the Patio de Armas and enjoy the view of the Manzanares River.

The name may be a challenge for English speakers, but Madrid’s newest art museum is very easy to love for individuals of any nationality. Drawn from the possessions collected over generations of a wealthy family, the contents form one of the greatest gatherings of paintings in the world.

The museum got its beginning when the Spanish government offered to purchase that collection in 1993 for $350 million and converted the late 18th century Villahermosa Palace into the present site to house it. The family, overflowing with paintings in a Swiss villa near Lugano, Switzerland, took the offer and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza was the result. The museum renovation added another $45 million to the total price.

Though the price may seem high, in the eyes (and calculators) of most art experts the total is worth somewhere between $1 billion and $3 billion. Given that the collection consists of over 700 of some of the best paintings in the world that, as they say, is a steal.

Among the works are paintings by Canaletto and Caravaggio, El Greco and Goya, Rembrandt and Hals, Velázquez, Dürer, Watteau and dozens of other masters. There are works that range in style from Picasso to Sargent, Kirchner to Kandinsky. American artists are well represented including Homer and Hopper, and several moderns.

As recently as 2004 the collection acquired new exhibition space by expanding into the former Palace of Goyeneche on nearby Marqués de Cubas street. In the new space there are sculptures by Rodin, examples of German Impressionism, as well as works ranging from 17th century Italian and Flemish to 19th century American landscapes.

One of Holbein’s many Portrait of Henry VIII samples is in the museum along with Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington’s cook. Pissarro’s Saint-Honore Street in the Afternoon is not far from Renoir’s Woman With A Parasol. Picasso’s Harlequin With a Mirror is near Dali’s Dream Caused By The Flight of a Bee. There are lesser known examples of Wyeth and O’Keefe down the hall from German Expressionists.

Though there are paintings from the 13th to the 20th centuries, the works are well laid out in spacious surroundings. They follow a chronological order and visitors will find it easy to zero in on the period that most interests them.

The formerly private collection was considered second only to that of the British monarchy which is only nominally private, since it ‘belongs’ to the British people. It came to the museum largely by the efforts of Baron Thyssen’s wife Carmen Cervera. Another 100 works from the collection are housed in Barcelona.

The results of her efforts, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, with its sleek marble floors and salmon colored walls is a show place of extraordinary beauty. With 86,000 square feet of exhibition space in the new addition alone, art lovers will want to alot ample time to see the collection and its stunning homes.

One of the most visited tourist spots in Madrid, the Prado Museum is home to over 7,000 paintings. Though the emphasis is heavily on the three most famous Spanish masters – Goya, Velázquez and El Greco – there are major and minor masterpieces from dozens of other artists.

Surrounded by beautiful botanical gardens, visitors have the opportunity to spend hours enjoying this early 19th century site and its contents. The museum was completed in 1819 and the bulk of the early collection was drawn from paintings gathered by Spanish nobility.

It’s expected that the recent disagreements over the new wing under construction will be resolved soon and it will completed not long after. If that happens, art lovers will be able to add to the list of works worth seeing those long held in storage. Zurbarán, Pereda and many more in the vault will considerably expand the works on display.

But those available now make the Prado well worth a day-long stroll. Apart from the aforementioned Spanish masters, there are numerous works by the Flemish, Dutch, German, French, and Italians. Many of these were acquired by conquest from the time that Spain was one of the leading powers of Europe.

But however they were collected, the works themselves remain timeless examples of what artists in any era can achieve.

Walk through the ‘Goya entrance’, on the ground floor at the start of your journey and pause to enjoy the masterpiece of Fra Angelico, La Anunciación a la Virgen María. Not far away are some other excellent Italian works – by Botticelli, Mantegna, del Sarto and Corregio. Don’t miss Titian’s Venus.

Carry on to see a number of works by Bosch, possibly the world’s first surrealist. There’s the Garden of Earthly Delights, the Seven Deadly Sins, and others. Centuries ahead of his time, these 16th century paintings are the product of what can at least be called a ‘vivid imagination’.

On the second floor are several 17th century Flemish, including works by Rubens and van Dyck. Rubens’ Garden of Love and Three Graces are on display. Nearby are some works by the famed mid-17th century Seville painter Murillo. His three Immaculate Conceptions are among the highlights of the collection.

But unquestionably the star attractions are the major Spanish masters, particularly Goya and El Greco. It is these works that draw the most traffic.

El Greco, though born in Crete (hence the name), lived much of his life in Toledo, Spain. There he produced his John the Baptist, The Adoration of the Shepherds, The Resurrection and others in his distinctive style.

Works of Goya, too, are numerous and display the full range of styles he used over the years. Those painted later in life form some of his most striking. Saturn Devouring One of His Sons is perhaps the most representative of this period. Of course, Goya’s clothed Maja and Naked Maja both continue to draw visitors year after year.

The Museo del Prado is proudly offered as one of Madrid’s most highly sought out tourist destinations. When you visit that magnificent city, be sure to see for yourself why that is so.

Barefoot nuns might sound like the premise for a comedy skit, but rest assured these sisters are no joke. The Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales is both a functioning convent and a treasure trove of art.

Founded by the daughter of Charles V in 1559 as a retreat for noblewomen, the nunnery has maintained its commitment to its religious principles for centuries. Tours of the grounds and artifacts housed there began in the last few decades.

Once a royal palace, women of the Spanish aristocracy wandered its hallways in quiet. For over 200 years the grounds, which gradually became a fully recognized and practicing convent, were restricted to outsiders. The occupants within found not only an environment for religious contemplation but also a private art museum.

The buildings themselves are outstanding samples of Renaissance architecture. The orange stone facade is elegant, punctuated by several archways and the doors are splendid examples of the period.

The collection grew gradually as the noblewomen who wished to take up the religious life each brought a ‘dowry’ to be a ‘bride of Christ’.

Today those art treasures are available for viewing by the public. There are paintings by Titian, Zurbarán and Brueghel the Elder along with many others. There are magnificent tapestries hand-woven and based on drawings by Rubens. There is even a marble mausoleum crafted by Leoni, a sculpted sepulchre of Emperatriz María executed by Crescenci and several Mena sculptures.

The Franciscan nuns opened the grounds to the public in 1960 and conduct the tours, which is the only way visitors are permitted to see the collection. Though tours are conducted in Spanish, questions in English are permitted and will be answered in English. However, there is so much that is worthwhile to see that even those not conversant in Spanish will find the tours a delight.

Next door is the Convento de la Encarnación, which is also worth a visit.

Madrid has a long and complex history. Center of power of a monarchy that for centuries ruled half the world, it is now one of the major tourist spots of Europe. Once ground zero of the Spanish Inquisition it is now best known for its zestful nightclubs, outstanding shopping centers and life-celebrating art.

Any trip to Madrid will reward the visitor with first-rate bullfights or soccer, shopping third in Europe only to London and Paris, art museums that are second to none and parks as good as those in New York’s Manhattan. In short, be prepared to spend some time here.

Art lovers will want to visit the Prado, to be sure. But there is the equally outstanding Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, a recent addition to the city’s offerings. Founded by the wealthy industrial family’s Baron Thyssen and his wife, a former Miss Spain, it houses over 700 of Europe’s treasures from the 13th-20th centuries. For those who want something more modern, the Queen Sofia houses enough 20th century art to satisfy fans of New York’s MoMA (Museum of Modern Art).

But there’s much more to see and do than stroll around art museums. For a lovely walk in Madrid’s warm sunshine, you’ll want to visit the Parque del Buen Retiro. Though only about a third the size of Manhattan’s Central Park, and much smaller than London’s Hyde Park, it is second to none in beauty. Besides the lovely grounds there are lakes, sculpture and the Crystal Palace to see and enjoy.

While you’re thinking about London, visit the Basilica de San Francisco El Grande. With a dome larger than St. Paul’s Cathedral, and almost as much art as St. Peter’s in Rome, you won’t be disappointed.

For more outside pleasures there are several other major options. The Puerta del Sol is the geographical and civic center of Madrid and all of Spain. The paving slab marked Km 0 is the literal beginning for the country’s six major highways, radiating outward from there.

Plaza Mayor is not far away. Visitors can enjoy a meal at one of the dozens of cafes or restaurants or just sit in the shade and watch the people go by. The square, nearly 100m on each side, is surrounded by buildings that have seen everything from bullfights to beheadings.

Don’t miss seeing the Palacio Real, the Royal Palace, either. Long the home of Spain’s monarchs, it still contains the throne room, the Royal Armory and the Royal Pharmacy. You can stand in some of its 2,800 rooms and imagine what it must have been like to rule half the world from there. That’s easy to do when you see El Cid’s sword, or the hundreds of jewels, porcelain vases and other objects on display.

But leave some time for shopping. Anything from the El Corte Inglés department store to the El Rastro flea market will have you knee deep in choices. Gran Via is Madrid’s most well known avenue for shopping but there are dozens of others: Calle Alcala, Calle Montera, Calle Princesa… the list is endless. Whether you want a fine antique, a new pair of elegant shoes or some of Europe’s best fashion, you’ll find it in one of Madrid’s boutiques.

It may not take you 400 years (the time it has been Spain’s capital) to see all that Madrid has to offer, but be prepared to spend some time here.

Going to a library isn’t most tourists idea of a good time. But if you visit Madrid and don’t stop in to the Biblioteca Nacional for at least an hour you’ll be missing out on one of the city’s finest attractions.

The facade alone is worth spending time viewing. Neoclassical, and an excellent version it is, the building is near the Plaza de Colón. There are three entrance archways and the best way to view the building is to walk straight forward then look up. The scale is impressive.

From that vantage point you can admire the elaborate wrought-iron gates and the exterior of the upper gallery. You can plainly see the elaborate carvings festooning the Corinthian columns. On either side you’ll be treated to fine statues along the main staircase, one of Alfonso X and the other of San Isidoro. Alongside the main doors there are images of many of Spain’s justly-famous writers, such as Cervantes and de Leon.

Constructed during the 19th century under the auspices of Isabel II, the library contains more than five million books. Not the largest repository in the world by any means, but unquestionably the finest collection of Spanish volumes anywhere.

The collection grew out of a nucleus formed from the royal library of Phillip V, founded in 1712. In some cases bought, in others simply seized in typical aristocratic fashion, the books cover every conceivable subject having to do with Spain’s culture and history.

It is now regarded as the National Library of Spain and the centerpiece of a system that has branches all over the country. Among the millions of items are 30,000 manuscripts and 500,000 books printed before 1831, not to mention a newspaper collection of nearly 20,000 editions.

Along with the books and manuscripts, there are engravings and drawings that can be found nowhere else on the planet. There are almost two million photographs and 134,000 maps in the collection.

But even if the contents are of little interest, just walking around the structure is a pleasure for lovers of architecture. Like much of Spain today, it is a fascinating combination of modern and traditional inside and out. Walk along the halls and just imagine meeting one of the many royal patrons who have taken advantage of what is stored there.

Apart from the regular contents the Biblioteca often sponsors exhibitions such as drawings by Rembrandt and other masters. You can check the schedule here: http://www.bne.es/index_eng.html

Admission is free and the library is open year round.

The church of San Francisco is one of Madrid’s most important buildings and offers a fascinating tour. With a dome larger than that of St. Paul’s Cathedral it is an architectural marvel. Filled with paintings and sculpture, it is also an art lover’s treat.

Located in an older part of Madrid, the church has an imposing edifice in three sections with neo-classical facades. Inside, visitors can see the imposing 108 foot (33m) dome and the barrel vaulted ceiling. Covered in a dazzling array of frescoes and with extraordinary stained-glass windows, the basilica is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Europe.

Completed in 1760 under the auspices of Carlos III, the basilica was erected on the site of a Franciscan convent, purportedly founded in 1217 by St. Francis of Assisi. There are seven main doors elaborately carved out of walnut, leading to several chapels filled with art treasures.

Three of them are adjacent to the circular interior, one of which – the San Bernardino de Siena – holds a Goya painting depicting the saint. To the right of that Goya is another painting, a self-portrait of the artist himself.

Though the church was built in the mid-18th century, many of the contents are considerably older like for example, the Gothic choir stalls from Segovia, dating from the 16th century.

Within the chapels are dozens of paintings and sculptures by major and minor masters. Besides Goya, the church houses paintings by Zurbarán, Cano and Maella as well as marble sculptures by Bellver and Benlliure.

The church, though, is not merely an art museum, but a functioning cathedral. Visitors are shown through by a guide and are requested to maintain a respectful silence.

Located in the Plaza de San Francisco el Grande, there is a nearby Metro stop at La Latina or Puerta del Toledo and several buses have stops at or near the church.