I am going to Madrid for an exhibition in May and have no knowledge of the city at all. So I am going to ask some dumb questions. What area would you recommend staying in? Any area I should avoid as a single female? Any hotel recommendations - 3 - 4 star and up to about 150 170Euro a night? I speak no Spanish and assume I will get away with a couple of Spanish words and English. Is that right?
Any other comments/suggestions will be very welcomed.
Hello,
Just returned from a ten night trip to Spain. We stayed five nights in Madrid. We stayed at the Hotel Preciados on Calle Preciados. It is listed in Rick's guidebook. Our average rate per night was approximately 112 Euros/night, but I booked last September and stayed in February, so the rate will probably be higher. It was convenient to several subway stops (Santo Domingo, Callao). I would learn a couple of handy Spanish phrases, because in my experience it was easier to get by with English in Barcelona vice Madrid.
I went to Madrid in January, though I can't recommend a place to stay, as I stayed in a hostel. Though the area I stayed in was Bilabo, and I felt very safe there walking around, and the metro was close and only two stops away from Sol, which is where a lot of the action is.
The only Spanish I knew was Hello (Hola) Thank You (Gracias) Beer (Cervesia) and Sangria. I was able to get around fine, also if you know/like Jamon (Ham)you'll be fine ordering food as well.
I'd stay at the Hotel Europa. Great place for the money within easy walking distance of all the major sights. Take a shuttle from the airport. My wife and I don't speak Spanish and we had a great time. If you have the time, I'd spend a day at the museums, another day by bus to El Escorial, an another day seeing the palace and other sites around that area. We didn't encounter any dangerous places in the old town area so I think you'll be fine.
I can't recommend a hotel, having stayed with friends, I think you will find Madrid a very safe city. I went on my own as a 19 year old, and though I didn't stay out by myself after dark a lot, if I had been staying centrally I would have felt safe to do so.
If you are traveling light and staying centrally, I would recommend taking the metro from the airport, there is a metro stop right at the airport and is connected with the city wide metro line which is easy to navigate.
I also speak almost no Spanish but found Madrileños very willing to help.However it it goes a long way to know "hello", "do you speak English" etc in Spanish. Sometimes I would actually find that when I asked if someone spoke English they would answer "yes" in English but then I would soon find out that "yes" was about the only word they knew. That made for some interesting situations...
Puerta del Sol area is a great area to base your explorations as it's central and has great connections to the entire city
Madrid is a great city and it's big. You can walk but to save time and energy use the metro. I found it to be simple by studying the metro map. Pick up the metro map as soon as you land in the Madrid airpot. There's lots of things to see and do in Madrid.
Being from North America, I'm used to roads running straight and names of streets posted on the street corner. My first couple of days in Europe-Madrid, I got lost quite a bit as I wasn't used to streets being twisty, curvy and spilling into plazas and paseos
I did lots of walking around and found myself venturing into intimidating areas where there were prostitutes, shifty looking people and triple x shop. I can't remember where exactly it was. Nothing happened to me but I felt very uncomfortable and I was having trouble finding my out of this area. So if a street looks shady, I'd avoid going thru it.
You can try to find a place in the areas of Gran Via, Puerta del Sol
Hotel Europa is a great location but a bit touristy.... so not sure if its a good or bad thing for a female.
I stayed at Hotel Abalu which is a "boutique" hotel. Price is reasonable and its not in a touristy area.
I believe my double was 95 a night, and the clerk whom I emailed wrote in intelligent English and communciated very well.
Its close to the Gran Via (main blvd) and 2 metro stations.
Take a look at http://www.hotelabalu.com/
Madrid is great, a wonderful introduction to Spain. I have stayed at the Hotel Paris right off of the Puerta del Sol, though it is a bit noisy, as it is in the center of the city.
Stay in that area, or anywhere between the Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Mayor and Gran Via.
Spend time in the old part of the city, go to the market off the Plaza Mayor and get cheese and Jamon Serrano there for picnics.
Go to Casa Botin for great Spanish food, and don't miss the Museo del Jamon for good Spanish fare, right off the Puerta del Sol.
An attempt at Spanish is always appreciated in Spain, so don't be shy!
I will be in Madrid for a week in June and can't wait!
