City Break in Spain – Madrid and Alcala'

When Summer starts, it seems almost impossible to resist the temptation to jump on a plane and enjoy a few days of sun, sea, sand, cold drinks and beautiful company. And why should one even try to resist? A few weeks ago I accompanied my best friend in Spain, as she was preparing her paperworks for studying in the Alcala' de Henares University, and we decided to visit the capital of Spain as well, Madrid, which is only 30 min of train away. Here is what we did, saw, explored, and what we suggest to do!

Alcala' de Henares, Cervantes Square

So, as my friend first priority was to prepare her paperworks, we went straight from the Madrid airport to Alcala', a small town under UNESCO Heritage for its stunning and well maintained old town. From the airport we jumped on the Renfe train, and stopped to the Atocha station. From there, we jumped on a train to Alcala', and after 30 minutes roughly we were there.

Alcala', one of the University Palaces

You don't need a map to visit Alcala'. It is a small, charming town, and very easy to explore. I suggest you to turn at each interesting corner that you see, and explore the narrow, small roads leading to the old town, so beautifully maintained. The massive, ancient buildings of the University (one of the most important in Spain) are as well kept as they were decades ago. You will feel like jumping in the past when wandering in the city, and can't but smile at the sight of its architectural beauties.

The white Storks on Alcala' ancient buildings, Image original source

One of the first things that we noticed in Alcala' were some massive, giant nests on the top of the roots. They really are impressive, and they are guarded by some very big birds as well, and as my friend and I had never seen something similar before, we were wandering what the heck they were... so we googled it, and we found out that Alcala' de Henares is the town of white storks! They build their big nests on the top of the ancient buildings, and they guard the city from above. They're just amazing.

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

Also, you will be interested to know that Alcala' is the town where Miguel de Cervantes lived; Cervantes is one of the most famous and recognised Spanish writers, well known worldwide for his novel Don Quixote. It is possible to visit his house in Alcala', and take a picture on the bench where the two statues of Don Quixote and his companion of adventures, Sancho Panza, are sitting.

Alcala' old town

After having done all of our paperworks and having explored Alcala', on the third day of our little holiday my friend and I decide to explore Madrid, capital of Spain.

Beautiful church next to the Museo National del Prado, with the Goya statue

Now, if you've been visiting Spain already you know how beautiful charming, rich of culture, this Country is. I've been visited quite a few Spanish cities, including Barcellona, Valencia, Malaga and Seville, and I have to say that I found all of those cities more beautiful than Madrid.

Madrid is a massive city, and surely it contains some of the most beautiful and important Spanish museums, where the masterpieces of Picasso and Goya are kept. But other than that... there really is not too much to see.

The Caixa Forum

We started our little tour from the Atocha station, and from there we climbed up Paseo del Prado, a very big, wide road along which you can find many interesting bits. First, we found the very famous Caixaforum, a building completely covered in a vertical garden, created by the architect Pierre de Meuron, who wanted to create a sort of living, 3D painting. It is very beautiful to see, and you always find people taking selfies there.

The Royal Palace

Next, always walking on the same road, we found the Museo National del Prado, one of the most important museums in the city, where great masterpieces from famous artists can be found. In a particular way, this museum shows some of the greatest works from Goya, whose statue you can see in front of the entrance as well. If you want to admire one of Picasso's masterpieces, Guernica, you then need to go to the Museo National Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. The massive, impressive, amazing painting is host on the second floor, hall 206.06.

Time for a break - have a handmade cake from one of the local sweet shops! So cheap and so tasty!

Keep on walking on the same road, always straight, and you will find yourself in Plaza de Cibeles, where the beautiful Palacio de Cibeles stands. I don't honestly know if it is possible to visit it, as my friend and I had not time to do it, but even just looking at it from the outside you can see how beautiful it is.

Plaza Mayor

From there, we turned on Calle de Alcala', and walked til Plaza Mayor, one of the most important in Madrid. It is a square is surrounded by a big building, parts of which are covered in beautiful ancient murales. You always find young tourists or locals in the square, chatting, having a drink, playing guitar. This square used to host a market back in the day. We walked in a small, narrow road from the square, just to find ourselves into the middle of such a bustling, chatty neighbourhood, where we stopped in a local restaurant to have a lovely paella and a glass of Sangria (of course). Oh, and don't forget to take a picture under the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry tree!

The Bear and the Strawberry Tree

After lunch, we walked to the Royal Palace, where we took some beautiful pictures. As you might have realised, you can easily walk the town centre, without the need of using public transport. If you want though, you can buy a daily travelcard in any metro station, allowing you to use any public transport for 24 hours (its cost is about 8.00 euros).

Paella and Sangria time

After having enjoyed the beauty of the Royal Palace, we really fancied doing some shopping, so we moved to Calle de Serrano, a nice boulevard surrounded by shops of every kind, where we bought souvenirs and a few other bits (I really wanted to buy some espadrillas, and I did show you in a previous post my Spanish haul. If you're curious, just click here).

Almudena Cathedral, in front of the Royal Palace

And so, that is everything I wanted to tell you about Alcala' and Madrid. I might have forgotten something, so if you have any question don't hesitate to ask, I will be very happy to help.

Have a very happy Summer, happy Holidays and enjoy your trips!

Xx