I’ll say it: I’m not a big fan of modern art. Often, I feel it’s something that a 4-year old child could do better, disguised by wordy descriptions of what it’s supposed to represent. But there are exceptions. I still remember being deeply impressed by Picasso’s Guernica when I was about 6 years old. And I’ve always liked Salvador’s Dalí crazy surrealism, even more so after visiting his home at Cadaqués and his museum at Figueres.

It’s no surprise then that I went to visit the Dalí exhibition that the Reina Sofía Museum is currently showing during its first week. Named Dalí: All of the poetic suggestions and all of the plastic possibilities, it covers most of the artist’s life with works lent by several collections around the world. I really enjoyed being able to see paintings like The Persistence of Memory, The Temptation of Saint Anthony, and The Metamorphosis of Narcissus, which are normally not in of Spain.

If you also enjoy Dali’s genius and you’re visiting Madrid this year, then you can’t miss this exhibition. It closes on September 2nd. You might want to visit off-weekends, as it’s being immensely popular and the queues are quite long during the weekends.

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Dalí exhibition | Art & culture | Entrance adults € 8.00
Santa Isabel 52 | +34917741000
Mon & Wed – Thu & Sat 10:00 – 21:00, Fri 10:00 – 23:00, Sun 10:00 – 19:00

It’s amazing how often I’ve walked past this little store’s windows without noticing it. It opened about four years ago in a very central street where I often find myself wandering around, given that one of my favorite restaurants, Las Fatigas del Querer (check the Fatigas del Querer article) is located exactly in the same street, and my preferred movie theater, Yelmo Cineplex Ideal (check the Yelmo Cineplex Ideal article) is at one end of the road.

But for some reason, a few days ago, something caught my eye when passing by. I think it was one of the paintings showing Madrid’s Gran Via in a very artistic and modern way. When we entered the place, we found a bunch of interesting items that you normally can’t find in a regular souvenir shop: reproductions of Madrid’s street name tiles, various paintings, drawings and prints depicting some of Madrid’s most popular (not necessarily touristic) places, and magnets with images and phrases related to the capital. If you love Madrid, you’ll love Madrid³’s keepsakes.

Gloria and Javier started this business with one idea in mind: to offer more special Madrid-themed souvenirs to Madrilenians. And they proudly state that most of their clients are Spaniards and people residing in Madrid. So if you want to bring back a memento from your trip to Madrid that would make a local smile when he or she sees it in your home, this is a great place to look for it.

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Madrid³ | Shopping
Calle de la Cruz 35 | +34627452053
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 14:00 & 17:00 – 21:00, Sat 10:30 – 15:00 & 17:30 – 22:30, Sun 11:00 – 15:00

A friend of mine discovered this charming little Neapolitan restaurant by chance, and shared the knowledge with me during the last holiday season. Having been to Naples, I have an idea of what real Neapolitan pizza is (actually one of the best I’ve ever tried), so finding a restaurant run by Neapolitans hell bent on preparing the best pizzas in their citiy’s traditional way was a pleasant surprise. As an Italian I once met told me: “You can only find out if a pizzeria is good by trying their simplest pizzas, like the margherita; it’s easy to chock up the flavor by adding all sorts of stuff”. And boy, Totò e Peppino’s margherita and marinara pizzas, the most traditional (and you could say “simplest”) of Neapolitan pizzas, are good.

But don’t take my word for it. You can ask Real Madrid’s players, who usually eat Totò e Peppino’s pizzas every weekend they play at home, delivered directly at the stadium after the game is over. Turns out that Fabio Cannavaro, a Neapolitan himself, is a friend of one of the owners and recommended the restaurant during his stint in the capital. And ever since, most of the players have visited it, and nowadays grace its walls: right at the entrance, there are a myriad of pictures of Real Madrid’s stars, from Iker Casillas to both Ronaldos.

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Totò e Peppino | Restaurants (Italian) | Main meal € 15
Fernando VI, 29 | +34913087370
Mon – Thu 13:30 – 16:00 & 20:30 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 13:30 – 16:30 & 20:30 – 01:00, Sun 13:30 – 16:30 & 20:30 – 00:00

I live close to the inmensely popular El Retiro park, so I often go there to take a walk, breathe some fresh air, and watch how the year’s seasons go by, as colorful foliage falls from trees and grows back again along with the smell of flowers invading your senses.

During summer, the park is overrun with locals and tourists alike enjoying the great weather. One of its most famous spots, the pond by the Alfonso XII monument, ends up being crammed with rowing boats. It’s quite a nice way to spend some relaxing time.

I did it once, when I was a small child, and my rowing skills weren’t any good at all, so whenever I took the oars, we would just sail around in circles. For a few years, I’ve been wanting to go back and see if I’m better at it now, but I guess the fact that it’s so close to my home got in the way. Not anymore! Last year I had a go at it again with my wife, and we deeply enjoyed it. It’s a lot of fun, including maneuvering around other boats and laughing at your own rowing abilities. And yes, I’ve gotten a bit better at it.

Before our stint in paddling, we spent the rest of the afternoon lazing about in the park, where there are some nice spots for that. For example, the Crystal Palace (check the Crystal Palace article) is one of my favorite places there.

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Embarcadero de El Retiro | Relaxing | Boat rental +/- € 5.80
El Retiro park
10:00 – 20:15 daily

-Hannibal Lecter speaking Spanish? No way!

That’s what I said to my sister when she told me she had just watched Red Dragon dubbed in Spanish.

Indeed, it’s quite difficult to find cinemas featuring movies in all of their original sound glory around here. Spaniards are very used to dubbed films, and generally dislike reading subtitles, even though they’re missing a great part of the performers’ acting prowess: their voice. I can’t stand ruining a good movie that way, so I’ve checked my fair share of V.O.S. (versión original subtitulada, or original subtitled version) theatres.

My favorite, both because of its relatively large size (for V.O.S. theaters) and its central location, is Yelmo Cineplex Ideal, a few steps away from Sol. Be aware that you won’t be going into a state-of-the-art establishment, but rather a good enough one to enjoy a movie, with even some of its showings in 3D.

Cinemas in Spain usually offer a discount on a specific day of the week, which in this case is on Mondays and Wednesdays, so those are good days to drop by. But you can also benefit from a discount on weekends, thanks to a coupon that can be printed online (valid until 18th June).

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Yelmo Cineplex Ideal | Cinemas | Adult ticket € 9.20
Doctor Cortezo 6 | +34913691053
15:00 – 01:00 daily

I have fond memories of traveling in Madrid’s teleférico (cable car) when I was a boy, particularly when it was a special way of getting to the amusement park located in Casa de Campo, the largest park within the city limits. It was quite the start of a day, leading up to plenty of excitement at the amusement park!

Although that’s probably one of the reasons why I still like taking it every once in a while, and why I take friends there as well, it would be unfair to say it’s the only argument. It’s a laid back way of traveling to one of the most relaxing places in Madrid while looking at some impressive views of the cityscape. During the approximately 10 minutes of this trip, you fly over the Manzanares river, with the Royal Palace, the Almudena Cathedral and other iconic landmarks in the background.

Once in Casa de Campo, there is plenty of stuff to do. Besides the aforementioned amusement park, you can row a boat in the park’s lake (close to the aptly-named Lago metro station), visit the zoo, or just enjoy the more than 1700 hectares of green land.  

I recommend buying a one-way trip, as it’s easier to catch the metro back if you end up walking around Casa de Campo (which you should do!). There are three metro stops nearby: Lago, Batán and Casa de Campo.

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Teleférico de Rosales | Relaxing | One-way ticket € 3.85
Paseo del Pintor Rosales s/n | +34915411118
12:00 – 21:00 daily

Tell any Madrilenian that you’ll be traveling to Galicia, and it’s very likely that he or she will talk about the great and bountiful food you’re bound to be eating during your visit. Indeed, Spain’s most northwestern region is known for its gastronomy, especially its seafood, given that it’s one of the country’s most active fishing areas. Its white wine is also very appreciated, notably its albariño variety.

That’s why Galician restaurants are quite popular in Madrid. There are a few grouped around the Puente de Segovia (Segovia Bridge), which offer good food at very reasonable prices. Of these, I normally go to Mesón A Ría de Noia, where my favorites are Galician-style octopus (pulpo a la gallega), grilled cuttlefish (sepia a la plancha), Galician cheese (queso de tetilla, which can be translated as titty-cheese, claimed to be Spain’s most sexy cheese!), and the Padrón peppers (pimientos de Padrón). Trying out the Padrón peppers is a must, the tradition states that some of them are hot, and some of them are not (Pementos de Padrón: uns pican e outros non, in Galician). If you end up eating a hot one, a glass of albariño will help wash the pain away.

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Mesón A Ría de Noia | Restaurants (Spanish) | Tapas & drinks € 15.00
Paseo de Extremadura 1 | +34915263322
Mon & Wed – Fri 09:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 00:00

Just below the Rosales cable car station (check the Teleférico de Rosales article) lies one of Madrid’s botanical secrets: the rose garden of Parque del Oeste (Western Park). It’s a quiet hideaway which few people visit, that during spring and summer, boasts a colorful display of more than 500 different types of roses, along with water fountains, ponds and sculptures.

Built in the 50′s to create a rose garden with more scientific basis than the existing one in El Retiro park, it has hosted for more than five decades an international rose competition in May, making this the best month to visit the garden.

I enjoy walking around Parque del Oeste, as it feels less commercial than El Retiro, and it has some beautiful spots like the Debod Temple (check the Templo de Debod article), my favorite place to watch the sunset in Madrid. The rose garden is among my favorite parts of the park, and I love the fact that you can have it almost for yourself most of the time. It’s also a great place to visit with your significant other, as the thousands of blooming roses make it very romantic.

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Rosaleda del Parque del Oeste | Relaxing | Free
Parque del Oeste
10:00 – 20:00 daily

Spain is not a country I immediately associate with ice cream, as I normally do with Italy and its gelati. But I’m crazy about ice cream, so it’s impossible for me not to stare at ice cream parlours and especially, at anyone who’s eating an ice cream (is that even doable?).  I love it when it’s prepared in a traditional, homemade-like fashion, especially with natural fruits or vegetables. That’s why, whenever I’m close to Moncloa, I try to take a detour to the nearby Los Alpes, one of the (if not the) oldest ice cream parlours in Madrid.

Los Alpes have been in the business of refreshing Madrilenians with their homemade-style ice cream since 1950. Nowadays, their huge selection of interesting flavors just makes me gape when I look at it, and poses me the challenging question of “which one will it be today?”. Last time, I tried the banana with dulce de leche and macadamia nuts flavored ice cream, which was exquisite.

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Los Alpes | Snacks | Cone (M) € 2.80
Calle Arcipreste de Hita 6 | +34915439446
10:00 – 22:30 daily

Poncelet is a specialized cheese store which has gone to great lengths and efforts to unite a combination of the best national and international cheeses under one roof.

In a country that has an astonishing selection of cheeses and is protective of their national produce, getting an authentic Camembert de Normandie or an Aged Comte required diligent searching all over town. More often than not it ended in failure, and it was absolutely unthinkable to try to obtain a triple cream brie such as Brillat Savarin. However, with Poncelet I can enjoy all of these options and more.

Besides their overwhelming amount of cheeses, they also have other lactose products, such as bottled fresh milk and organic yogurts, and last but not least, for the ice cream connoisseurs, there is a small selection of high grade ice creams with flavors ranging from Mozzarella de bufala to Pinot Noir with Parmegiano Reggiano shavings.

One of the most outstanding characteristics when I visit is their disposition to be of help and their customer service. It is easy to get side tracked with so many options, however they always manage to help me choose correctly or give a recommendation which is generally in sync with my taste.

As someone that loves to indulge in cheeses, I can’t think of a better place to pick up of few exquisite cheeses, open a bottle of fine wine and enjoy a lovely evening at home. 

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Poncelete | Shopping, Snacks | Brillat Savarin (130g) € 4.70
Calle Argensola, 27 | +34913080221
Mon – Sat 10:30 – 20:30