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Madrid is full of people, full of noise, full of bars, full of traffic…full of life. That´s why we love it. That´s the sort of city that you probably thing to skip ( Paris is much more beautiful and Rome much more impressive). Big mistake. Once you arrive to Madrid,  you hopelessly fall in love with it.

La Latina on Sundays. That´s what locals do. People from their 20´s until their mid 40´s spend Sundays afternoon hanging around this “castizo” neighbourhood.  They start having a beer in one of the hundreds bars around, then they being to taste “pinchos” (tapas) and finally they end up sipping mojitos. That´s a great place also to see and be seen.

Temple of Debod. This is one of the most romantic (and less visited places from travelers) of the entire city. The temple is a real Egyptian temple that was given to Spain by the Egypt Givernment in the late 60´s. Today, this is a place where lovers, runners, dog walkers gather. One of the most beautiful views of Madrid can be seen from its observation deck.

The Costume Museum (Museo del Traje). I know, you don´t consider the fact  of visiting this Museum. I wonder why. Everything is great in it. It is located in one of the most extraordinary buildings of Madrid. This sort of rationalist skyscraper was honored with the National Architecture Prize in 1969.  Resides, the gardens that surrounds it are lovely. The Museum collection is just amazing (including Mariano Fortuny and Balenciaga pieces) and even the restaurant deserves a visit. Pick the reason you like but go to visit it.

La Sanabresa. It is packed, it is sort of tacky, TV is always on, it´s not possible to make a reservation…all these drawbacks vanish as soon as you taste the menu of this humble restaurant. What they serve here is pure, tradicional Spanish food. Price is as unbelievable as the quality of the dishes.

Lhardy. I adore to go there before lunch to have a cup of broth and a glass of Sherry. This place has been here forever and it concentrates the Madrid essence: half aristocratic, half provincial. The restaurant upstairs is well-known by its “cocido”. However, my advise is that you stay downstairs, surrounded by silver bottles and mahogany furniture.

Image: madridpedia.com