Historic building illuminated with colorful lights at night, with a fountain and statues in front, and light trails from moving vehicles on the street.

Spain's capital since 1561, Madrid has been the center of this European country for almost 500 years – longer than most countries have even existed. In many ways, it can be compared to other international capitals – it's Spain's biggest city, has the country's largest population and is the center for international business. But if you look carefully, you might hear the strings of a Spanish guitar, the clicking of a dancer's castanet or the laughter in the cafes and bars. Madrid is for those interested in famous paintings and stunning architecture, but it's also for those looking for art and a taste of life lived with color and intensity.

Like any metropolitan city, Madrid is the center for air and train travel, to just about anywhere in Spain or the world. But like any large city Madrid has its good areas and not so good areas. Knowing which ones to stay at and visit is highly recommended. For those on a typical budget, look for hotels that are reasonably priced within 10-20 minutes walking distance of “Calle Serrano”, also known at the Golden MIle. The shopping, cafes, restaurants and fun are all around including the US Embassy. It’s a 20 minute walk from there to the “Centro” neighborhood which has an amazing park to walk our dine about, Plaza del Rey, and the Madrid Central Park, and the vast El Retiro Park. The area is the center for Madrid’s Broadway theatres including restaurants and shopping galore! Staying around but outside this area is recommended as this area is very busy day and night!

Traveling to Toledo, Segovia or the other towns close or far from Madrid is a quick and low cost adventure, thanks to the Spanish train lines. Just google https://www.renfe.com/ to check out the train schedules, Renfe being the largest of the train service providers. The high speed train services are Iryo, https://iryo.eu/ and Ouigo, https://www.ouigo.com/es . Keep in mind that other online train ticket sites tack on additional fees and don’t always show all the available options. If in doubt, its best to visit the ticket offices in the train stations during daytime work hours to get your tickets. Madrid's main station is Madrid Atocha. The station is divided into two sections: the high-speed AVE train station is called the Puerta de Atocha in the older part of the station, while the Atocha-Cercanías section has connections to standard-speed trains. The other main station is called Chamartin in the north of Madrid and offers a really quick and low cost direct train to the Madrid airport! Just make sure to always check what train station you need to book at, and make sure you get on the right train based on your trains ticket number. Several trains may go the same way at around the same time! If in doubt, just ask someone.