Hi: I am planning my first vist to Madrid and am trying to figure our the Metro. It seems very confusing to me. I am staying at the Cuzco Hotel and want to visit the Prado
and also Palicio Real and Plaza Mayor. It
seems like a major effort to get to. Would
a taxi be better. Also would like some info
concerning the Madrid Vision Bus. Thanks
in advance for any information.

Hi Tulip,
The Madrid Metro system is extremely efficient, clean, safe -- not a big pain to use at all. It is cheap and you can get a 10 trip ticket to save time -- taxis get very expensive. The Palacio Real is near the stop Opera, the Prado is at Banco de España. Those are both on the red line and only a few stops apart. I have no idea where your hotel is, but Puerta del Sol is also located on the red line and that is pretty much the center of Madrid life, so if your hotel is centrally located it might be somewhere near one of these red line stops.

As for safety just be aware -- hang on to your bags and dont leave a backpack on your back with important stuff in it-- put it on your lap or over your front instead. The same sort of common sense stuff for any city. The only time I would not recommend using the Metro is if you have big suitcases with you because inside the tunnels there are lots of stairs, it is absolutely awful to lug lots of possessions up and down and then run to the train.

If you are in reasonably good condition you can walk from the Palacio Real to the Plaza Mayor in about 15-minutes. If you get into a taxi and tell the driver to take you to a place that's just a few blocks away, that would be like giving him (or her - there are now also female taxistas in Madrid) an invitation to take you for 'a ride.'

tulip - as Eddie says, walk!!! Madrid is a walking city with so much to see - if you cab it you are going to miss far too much! If you are at all physically able, do try and walk places. Very few "attractions" are that far from the center of the city.

tulip,

Read my post about Madrid Vision.

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Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com