Madrid is the Capital of Spain and houses the Royal family and the beautiful palace. Madrid is situated on the river Manzanares and is a city of cultural and political importance. It is a major European economic center and its international airport at Barajas is the largest in Spain. Tourists and visitors flock here to see bull fights, enjoy the climate which is good for the major part of the year, enjoy the nearby countryside which has beautiful olive orchards and visit the museums, parks and theatre.

As a major financial center, it hosts the head offices of many major Spanish companies and is also the headquarters of three of the world’s largest companies- the Telefonica, Repsol-YPF and Endesa. Madrid is full of edifices of cultural importance. It is a vast city dotted with interesting structures which speak of history and culture. Besides the Royal Palace it has the Royal Theatre (Teatro Real) with its 1850 Opera House, the Buen Retiro Park which was founded in 1631, the imposing 19th century National Library which has some rare historical archives, Museums and many other such places.

Madrid is full of open green places, parks, and gardens. The most popular park is the Parque del Retiro which has a large lake in the center. This park was formerly the ground of the palace and the lake used to stage mini naval battles to amuse the royalty. These days, boating is popular here. Tourists enjoy this tranquil pastime and this park is on the must-see of any tourist’s itinerary. A memorial to commemorate the 191 victims of the March 11, 2004 Madrid attacks has been constructed here.

Bull fighting, the popular sport and pastime of Spaniards, is held at Plaza de Toros, in Las Ventas, the largest bullring in Spain. It is considered the world center of bull fighting and can seat 25,000 people. The bull-fighting season begins in March and continues till the middle of June. Every Sunday and public holiday also sees bull fighting. Tourists flock to this place to watch bull-fighting tournaments which can be quite gory at times. There are music concerts and other events also held here.

Madrid is 607 square kms in size and has about 3.2 million people. Madrid and its surrounding areas have a temperate Mediterranean climate with cool winters when temperatures may drop below 0 degrees centigrade. There are a couple of snowfalls every year in winter. In summer the temperature can reach 40 degrees centigrade. Madrid is situated at a high altitude and has a dry climate. Hence the nights are cooler even in summer. Madrid is said to have nine months of winter and three months of hell.

Atocha railway station in Madrid is the city’s first and most central station which has a distinctive indoor garden with 4000 sq meters of tropical plants and is visited by plant lovers. It has more than five hundred species of plant life and ponds with turtles and goldfish. The station receives high-speed AVE trains from Cordoba, Seville and other places.