On any given evening in Madrid, as the sun sets over the spires and rooftops and begins to cast its long, pink tendrils down the many grand boulevards, there’s a sense that the city is finally, fully springing to life. Few capital cities in Europe have the same spirit of inclusivity and warmth (both literally and figuratively) as Madrid – for while it’s an international hub, sure, it’s also a place where you can slip into a poky taberna or tapas bar and immediately feel at one with the locals, or spend the best part of a day wandering through its neighbourhoods without encountering a single other tourist, somehow. So why have travellers to Spain so often gravitated towards the beaches and clubs of Barcelona instead? And why isn’t Madrid mentioned in the same breath as European capitals like London , Paris , and Rome , especially when it comes to browsing museums packed with masterpieces, top-tier luxury shopping, and the very best of cuisines from around the world to sample? I’m afraid I don’t have conclusive answers to those questions, but what I can say is that Madrid should be part of that list of bucket-list European cities –and that there’s never been a better time to visit than now.
Not only is its always-buzzing cultural scene livelier than ever following a series of tough lockdown measures during the pandemic, but a new crop of five-star hotels from some of the hospitality game’s biggest names have landed in town over the past year or two, all offe.