Sonia & Davis
Things To Do, Places to See
La Dolores
A traditional Madrid vermouth bar. It will be loud and unpretentious and perfect in every way. Get a vermouth on draft or a glass of wine with little snacks as an afternoon delight or before you head off to dinner.
Casa Labra
Iconic tavern established 1860, steps from the Puerta del Sol. There will be nowhere to sit. Order a beer and a tapa of salty fried cod.
Bar La Campana
You can't leave Madrid without indulging in a hot, fried calamari "bocadillo," the quintessential fast food for Madrileños strolling the heart of the city. The line out the door will move quickly, don't be shy about shouting your order.
Casa Dani (In Mercado de La Paz)
Michelin decorated chef Dani Garcia's casual outpost inside a food market. Their tortilla española is famed. The neighborhood housing it, barrio Salamanca, is what I would call the Upper East Side of Madrid — beautiful for a calm stroll, maybe some shopping, and change of pace from the more chaotic centro de Madrid.
Museo Nacional del Prado
Madrid has many great art museums, but El Prado is at the tippy top of the list. Journey through centuries of Spanish art, including works by Goya, Velazquez, and el Greco.
Sorolla Museum
For a more quaint, yet still dazzling, experience, Sonia is partial to this collection of impressionist painter Joaquín Sorolla's works.
Tablao Flamenco 1911
Nightly flamenco shows featuring singers, musicians and dancers. It's been open for generations. Admittedly a bit of a tourist attraction these days, but very much worth the visit.
Barrio de La Latina
Lively, youthful neighborhood for evening bites or bar-hopping.
El Rastro (Flea Market)
Open air flea market! Every Sunday! Don't forget to haggle.
Royal Palace of Madrid
Worth visiting, if only to marvel at the exterior and nearby gardens.
Day Trips from Madrid
Toledo. Longtime resident El Greco's moody View of Toledo at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is good preparation for this city's twisting streets, millennia of history and dramatic natural setting. El Escorial. Royal residence set against the mountains, with history only rivaled by great hiking trails. Segovia. A two thousand year old aqueduct, nearly 300 foot tall cathedral, and picture-perfect castle.
Spain Beyond Madrid
If you'd like to visit Spain outside Madrid, you have an incredible amount of terrain to choose from. Where should you go? Sonia might say Andalucía. It contains unforgettable Islamic monuments including the Alhambra in Granada and Mezquita in Córdoba. It is the home of flamenco music. And it is extraordinarily hot in August. She may also encourage you to skip over to the Balearic Islands and spend a few days in Mallorca soaking up the sun. Davis might say Asturias. The mountains of the Picos de Europa national park sweep north into lush green meadows which abruptly plunge into the Atlantic. Cider, cheese and seafood. Galicia sits in the northwest corner. Davis dubiously calls it the Washington state of Spain, despite never having been there. The Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route ends in Santiago de Compostela, an hour's drive east of Fisterra, once thought to be the end of the earth (Finis Terra in Latin).