Walking

The best way to see the city is to walk through it. In the old part of town, no corner is history. The city holds many secrets that I will reveal to you during our walk. The metropolitan chic, bright nightlife, cheerfulness of Madrid people magically attract to themselves. But the multimillion-dollar capital has preserved the calm features of its character, hiding them in the quiet streets of the old part of the city. The word “Madrid” is of Arabic origin, and the beginning of the city was laid by an Arab fortress on the banks of the Manzanares River. The Arabs did not imagine that in a few centuries a small fortification would be in the heart of a powerful empire. Today, on the site of the former Arab fortress stands the majestic Royal Palace, which has always been the residence of the Spanish kings, but whether the royal family lives in it, you will learn during my tour. Opposite the main cathedral of the country of Almuden, you will learn why it has long been called the “unfinished symphony”.

The main attraction of Madrid Habsburgs is the Mayor Square (its name is translated as “Main Square”), through which the whole history of Spain has passed: royal motorcades, bullfights, knightly tournaments, canonizations of saints, executions, bonfires of the Inquisition. And I'll tell you what's going on in the former Main Square. Crossing the small cozy streets of the old part of the city, we get to the heart of the capital – to the square of the Gate of the Sun (Puerta del Sol). Here is the “zero kilometer” and the symbol of the city – a bronze bear by a strawberry tree, I will show you this “delicious” tree and tell the legend. Progress has always entered the capital and the country through the Gate of the Sun, but today it is a fascinating human spectacle that plays out throughout the day. There is no other such square in Madrid: it is both a salon, a boulevard, a theater, a school, and a market.