Madrid: Spain

Twenty years ago, Madrid was all about the museums. Indeed, with some of the most exquisite art in Europe divided among its three big institutions, and many lesser-known, excellent museums, Madrid’s cultural life deserves its reputation. If you love art, spend time in Madrid.

In the last 20 years, Madrid has become much more than a city for only art lovers.

This is obvious on any weekend day or evening. Stunning restaurants with Michelin-starred chefs fill up quickly with hungry and stylish Madrilenos. Niche food markets are popping up all over Madrid, featuring an abundance of artisanal producers.

Edgy neighborhoods are transforming daily. Eighteenth-century facades are being restored, and gardens and neighborhood squares are being replanted.

Trendy boutiques display some of Europe’s hottest designers, as well as the next generation of Spanish talent. New galleries spring up seemingly every day, and cafe culture thrives in the mornings and afternoons.

We can offer you entree into this burgeoning scene. We can also arrange private shopping tours and atelier visits. You can explore food from an insider’s point of view, whether your interests are general or focused on a specific type of food, such as cheese or chocolate.

For all its buzz and energy, Madrid is still the most Spanish of cities. The stories you’ve heard about Spanish social life – the 10:00 PM dinners, short workdays, are all most authentic in Madrid. You will want to stay up late with the Madrilenos, and you will find that their rhythm and energy soon starts to become yours.

Lovers of art still flock from all over the world to see El Prado, an enormous museum overflowing with masterpieces by Velazquez, Bosch, Rubens, Titian, and other giants of European art. We can arrange for private viewings of its collections after hours. We can also arrange for you to meet one of the families who managed to save the bulk of the Prado’s collection from destruction during the Spanish Civil War.

Madrid is still a city with world-class museums, but its energy doesn’t stop there. Just like Paris or New York, Madrid is ceaselessly stimulating. While it proudly guards its past, it is always in the process of a continual rebirth and reinvention.