Madrid is the capital and largest city in Spain. It is the third most
populous municipality in the European Union after Greater London and
Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-most populous in the
European Union after Paris and London. The city is located on the river Manzanares in the centre of both the country and the Community of
Madrid.
Madrid is considered one of the top European destinations concerning art
museums. Best known is the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the
Paseo del Prado and comprising of three museums. The most famous one is
the Prado Museum, the most popular Golden Triangle of Art member known
for such highlights as Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas and Francisco de
Goya's La maja vestida and La maja desnuda. The other two museums are
the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, established from a mixed private
collection, and the Reina Sofia Museum. This is where Pablo Picasso's
Guernica hangs, returning to Spain from New York after more than two
decades.
Madrid hosts the largest Plaza de Toros (bullring) in Spain, Las Ventas,
established in 1929. Las Ventas is considered by many to be the world
centre of bullfighting and has a seating capacity of almost 25,000.
Madrid's bullfighting season begins in March and ends in October.
Bullfights are held every day during the festivities of San Isidro
(Madrid's patron saint) from the middle of March to the middle of June,
and every Sunday, and public holiday during the rest of the season.
Madrid is served by Barajas Airport. Barajas is the main hub of Iberia
Airlines. It consequently serves as the main gateway to the Iberian
peninsula from Europe, America and the rest of the world. Current
passenger volumes range upwards of 52 million passengers per year,
putting it in the top 20 busiest airports in the world. Given annual
increases close to 10%, a new fourth terminal has been constructed. It
has significantly reduced delays and doubled the capacity of the airport
to more than 70 million passengers per year. Two additional runways have
also been constructed, making Barajas a fully operational four-runway
airport.
Casa de Campo is an enormous rural parkland to the west of the city, the
largest of all Madrid’s green areas. It is home to a fairground, the
Madrid Zoo and an outdoor municipal pool, to enjoy a bird’s eye view of
the park and city take a cable car trip above the tree tops.
