I am planning a two week trip to Madrid that overlaps with Santa Semana. How much is Madrid affected by Easter? In particular, would Parque de Atracciones(my kids insist) be open the Saturday before Easter,Rastro busy on Easter Sunday? And is lodging as tight in Madrid during Semana Santa as it seems to be in other parts of Spain(Sevilla). I'll hang up and listen to your appreciated answers.Mike

I've ONLY been in Madrid and Spain surrounding Semana Santa/Holy Week so this October's trip will be something special.

Madrid during Semana Santa is a calmer, quieter time to be sure. Some of the shops close (but not all), traffic is noticeably lighter, and there are fewer tourists from outside the country. Many of the Spaniards go on vacation, leave the cities, and/or go to Sevilla for the REAL FEEL of Semana Santa.

The first question is, does anyone know the exact dates of Semana Santa 2001? The Parque de Atracciones will most likely be open according to their Rates/Schedules for 2000 page (not listed for 2001 yet) they were open both Saturday and Sunday in March, but ONLY on Sundays in April, and then open nearly everyday after April. I haven't yet visited this amusement park but hope you get to in the spring. Anyone else have any ideas? I hear their connecting zoo/aquarium is REALLY great too.

Saludos, MadridMan

Easter Sunday is April 15, 2001. Whitaker's Almanack (and other almanacs, too, probably) has a list up to 2035, so if anyone needs to do some really advanced vacation planning let me know!

My middle school aged kids ADORE the Parque de Atracciones in Madrid. They've been to three "good" ones here in the States, and they still prefer the one in Madrid. They say the thrill rides are more fun. Lots of people go to the live shows at night, too, but I don't know if they have them as early as April.

I LOVE the Zoo in Madrid. I've been there probably 20 times, and would go again in a heartbeat. It's my favorite zoo; I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's because I know it so well! There is quite a bit of grey concrete, but for some reason, grey concrete looks better in Madrid than elsewhere. The animals are arranged by continent, and they have an extensive selection. The dolphin show is great fun. The few times I've been behind the scenes talking to the people who run the place I was struck by how professional and committed they are. I highly recommend it.

For those in Madrid with time on their hands, you may want to go for a ride in the Teleférico (cablecar) from the rose garden in the Parque Oeste, down the hill from the Royal Palace, to the Casa de Campo. It's not super exciting, but it is very pleasant. There's a nice terrazza at the Casa de Campo end. (MM, isn't there a bit of the teleférico on your Madrid video?)

The Casa de Campo, where the amusement park and zoo are, is a fascinating place. It used to be royal hunting grounds, and it is now a huge (relatively) green area that will never be turned over to housing. I worked for years in a building on the western edge of it, and the view from my windows was stunning - a huge stretch of pine and live oak in the Casa de Campo with the skyline of Madrid behind. There are excellent trails in it, and you can find lots of families of walkers, hikers, bikers, and horseback-riders in it on weekends. In certain parts of it there's a real prostitution and drug problem at night, and there have been a few gay-related killings (very few) there. The parking lots are littered with used condoms, but if you drive in, it's still worth jumping over them and getting into the woods (during the day!), where it's really beautiful and, I feel, safe. Along the outside you can find a few bullets from the Civil War embedded in the walls, and if you dig a bit into the ground, you can find many. It was apparently an important battle site during the war. We've had great walks and picnics in the Casa de Campo (even an illegal open-air paella cooking once), but you should get away from the busy areas, like around the lake, and near the bus and metro stops. They tend to get kind of junky.