Adventure Travel Overseas

Puerta del Sol

Puerta del Sol means ‘Gateway of the Sun’. It got this name because in the 15th century it served as the city’s eastern gate when, under the Habsburg Kings, Madrid was surrounded by churches and monasteries. The sun simply refers to the sun drawn on the gate.

In terms of location for apartments in Madrid, it doesn’t get more central than Puerta del Sol. On the pavement outside the former main post office is the kilometer 0 marker. This indicates the exact centre of Spain and all road distances in the country are measured from this spot.

Facing this marker, in the middle of the square, is a large equestrian statue of King Carlos III. He is joined in the square by a 20 ton statue of a bear eating fruits from a tree which stands as a symbol of Madrid. The official name of the statue is ‘El Oso y El Madroño’, meaning ‘The Bear and the Madroño tree’ (the Madroño is a tree related to the strawberry tree). However, one of the main symbols of this area is the Tio Pepe sign which rises high above the square. Long a hallmark of the Puerta del Sol, public outcry resulted when a few years ago the Pepe sign was removed. Today, visitors can view the sign standing proudly on its old perch.

Visit the Puerta del Sol during the day and you will see a very busy, somewhat drab plaza that houses one of the main bus transfer stations of Madrid. Return at night though and the plaza becomes awash in lights, giving the square almost the look of a fantasyland. Those Puerta del Sol shops that were barely noticeable in the daylight now seem much more inviting with their large neon signs.

Royal Palace (Palacio Real)

The Spanish Royal family doesn’t actually live in the Royal Palace. It is used the majority of the time as a tourist attraction, allowing visitors to take a guided tour around 50 of the 2,800 rooms. It is only used by the king for head of state visits and other ceremonies, during which the palace may be closed to the public.

Although impressive in size, it is the broad range of styles used to decorate the rooms that impresses most visitors. No two rooms appear to have been done in the same manner. It’s no wonder that with close to 2, 800 different styles that the palace took over 25 years to build. The palace was built on the site of a former alcazar that burned down in 1734.

Unfortunately the palace isn’t available as Madrid accommodation for rent!

El Teleférico de Madrid

Ever wanted to get a bird’s eye view of Madrid? Thanks to El Teleférico de Madrid you now can for less than 5 euros! El Teleférico de Madrid is a cable car that runs from Rosales in the west of the city to a restaurant in the Casa de Campo Park. The 10 minute ride gives great views of Madrid’s skyline. The experience provides first class views of sights such as the Egyptian Temple of Debod, the skyscrapers in the Plaza de España, appartamenti Madrid, the Royal Palace, the Almudena cathedral, San Francisco el Grande with its enormous dome, the Casa de Campo, El Parque del Oeste and the River Manzanares.

On the same side of town, the 92 meter observation tower of “El Faro de Moncloa” gives spectacular 360º views of the city and far-away Sierra de Guadarrama mountains. It is from this point, high above the traffic below, that one can begin to grasp the sheer expanse of the city of Madrid.