It took us a long, long time, but finally we are writing about our city, Madrid. After 21 years living in Madrid and almost 40 countries visited, is impressive that we couldn´t stop for a second and write about our city. This time, we have decided to talk about “What is Madrid known for?” that way everyone who wants to visit the city, will learn about what are the typical and famous things in Madrid.
You probably have heard about the churros of Madrid, about the famous square “Puerta del Sol” or of course about the Real Madrid Football club. These are just some of the reasons why Madrid is famous but believe us…There is more than just that!
In order to help you learn a little bit more about the capital of Spain, here is our list of 7 things Madrid is famous for:
Most popular places to visit in Madrid
One of the best advantages of living in Madrid is that you get to know all about its places. There´s all kind, from touristic areas with an amazing Spanish atmosphere (which means a lot of touristic bars and tapas places), to green parks that are less crowded and perfect to relax for a little bit. Another of the most popular things in Madrid is getting lost through the colourful streets. But if you enjoy seeing big monuments, we have that too!
In general, the places of Madrid are amazing, but if you want to learn more about it, you can check out any of the next blogs:
What is Madrid famous for food??
The food is on the top of our “What is Madrid known for” list. It´s a must to try the famous food of Madrid if you visit the city. There are many options: You can do a Madrid tapas tour, which consists in eating tapas in different bars of the capital. Or you can just go to a good restaurant like “El Descanso” (our mum´s favourite restaurant) and try some of the typical dishes of Madrid.
Cocido Madrileño, huevos rotos or bocata de calamares are some of the most typical Madrid meals. And for dessert, we recommend you going to “La Mallorquina”, a bakery located in Madrid, known as one of the best bakeries in Spain. You must also try the traditional Spanish churros with hot chocolate!
People of Madrid
Big cities are normally really busy, crowded and very hard to get to know their locals. Well, in our opinion (we want to believe it´s not just because we are from Madrid), Madrid locals are very nice.
In Madrid most of the people can speak English, which makes a huge difference from other cities of Spain, plus Madrileños always tend to socialize with people. So, if you are in Madrid, and you need any kind of help don´t be afraid of asking, because most of the locals wouldn´t mind helping you!
Madrid is known as the city of parties!
Definitely Madrid is known for their parties. Erasmus students choose Madrid, because they of the parties. And in general, everyone recognises Madrid as the party capital of Europe (of course always after the beach paradises of Ibiza and Mallorca).
We guess it´s all related and having such a nice locals, makes it also a great place to party. They are really outgoing, and they are able to convert a small meeting with friends into the craziest party.
If you have the chance to party in Madrid, don´t miss it. Some of the best places to party in Madrid are: Fabrik (for techno lovers), Kapital (known for having 7 floors of different types of music) and La Riviera.
Madrid traditions and culture
One of the most popular things in Madrid are the traditions and culture. There are certain things that Madrileños will never change…for example: Many people from Madrid go to the Puerta del Sol in new year´s eve and eat the 12 grapes during the last 12 seconds of the year, and if you are not able to go, you watch it on tv. Another important date in Madrid is the “2 de Mayo” as it´s a public holiday in commemoration of the rebellion against the French troops in 1808.
But without any doubt, the most famous tradition in Madrid is celebrated every 15th of May. It´s called the patron of San Isidro. The celebration includes music, dances, customs, food and more! They dress as “chulapos and chulapas” and it´s also very common to eat Spanish churros with chocolate during the day.
Football in Madrid
We leave to the end, one of the most famous things about Madrid: Football! Every weekend the life in Madrid stops for two hours. The reason is as simple as everyone is somewhere watching a football game.
Most of the people love football in Madrid, kids love to play it and adults love to watch it. Although there are many teams in Madrid, there are two teams that have one of the biggest rivalries in the world, the Real Madrid football club, known as the best team in the world and the Atletico de Madrid. When these two teams play against each other, no one misses it!
Madrid´s bear and strawberry tree
Located in Puerta del Sol, you will find the symbol of Madrid. This symbol is called the bear and the strawberry tree, or as we say in Madrid “El Oso y el Madroño”. A long time ago in the province of Madrid there used to be a lot of bears (not anymore) and sometimes they would pass the limits and enter the city.
This symbol is a representation of the animals and the trees of the region of Madrid in the XIII century, when the church and the city council were having a dispute of land.
Enjoy Madrid!
That´s all about “What is Madrid best known for”, hope you have enjoyed reading about the famous things in Madrid. If you have any question or suggestion, please let us know in the comments!