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 Getting
around
 In
spite of the fact that Madrid is a large city, finding your way
around ends up not being so difficult as long as you keep a series of
coordinates in mind:
For the visitor,
the main point of reference is the Puerta del Sol (the Gateway
of the Sun). It marks the center of the city and the starting point to
see the majority of its sites. The Puerta del Sol is surrounded by the
old city (casco antiguo), in which you will find several must-see spots
such as the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), the monastery known as "Monasterio
de las Descalzas", the Plaza de la Villa or the Palacio
Real (the Royal Palace).
Near the
Puerta del Sol you will find the Gran Vía, one of the city's
principal roads. The Gran Vía runs from the Plaza de
España to Alcalá street, which itself takes you
to the Parque del Retiro.
Another fundamental
point of reference of the city would be axis of the street Paseo de
la Castellana which in turn becomes the Paseo de Recoletos
and the Paseo del Prado. The origin of this road could be considered
the Plaza de Atocha, where you will find the train station, and the end
then would be found in the Plaza de la Castilla, which is clearly
recognizable for the Puerta de Europa, which is marked by the visually
impressive Kio Towers. On this axis we will find the great museums of
the city (Prado, Thyssen-Bornemizsa, Reina Sofía, Natural Sciences,
etc.) as well as some of its most important plazas (Cibeles, Neptuno,
Colón, etc.).
We could
define the borders of the main part to visit by the area formed by linking
the points of Moncloa, Atocha and Retiro. Within
this large area, the majority of monuments and points of interest can
be located.
Some other
sites must also be mentioned, such as the Park of Juan Carlos I,
which is today one of the biggest areas of development. Within the enclosure
are the fair grounds, which welcomes around 200 fairs a year and, therefore,
holds massive attendance. These grounds are located only a few kilometers
from the city, reached by taking the road to Zaragoza or easily
accessed by the Metro (Madrid's underground train network). Yet another
point of reference would be the area known as Mendez Álvaro,
situated south of Madrid. It is not a touristic area, nor is it of special
beauty, but it is one of the principal points of access to the city because
here the bus station, Estación Sur de Autobuses, can be found.
Just next to the bus station we find Tierno Galván Park
as well as the Planetarium of Madrid. Next to that is the IMAX
Cinema, which plays films in 3D and on a giant circular screen.
Finally,
one must keep in mind that the city is surrounded by Highway M-30, which
circumscribes the city and therefore eliminates the need to go through
the city to arrive from one extreme to another.
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