I will be arriving in Madrid on Sept 29th. This is my first trip to Spain and I am very excited. I will arrive about 10:30 in the morning and I don't have anything planned for the first day. What should I do? The second day the plan is Puerto del Sol, Plaza Espana, Parliament, Cibeles Fountain, Salle Alcala, Paseo de Castellana and the PRADO (of course). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

We just hung out!! Perhaps you have too much scheduled for the second day and can do a few of those things the first day. Remember that you will be tired.

Did you have the Royal Palace on your list? It might be closed on Monday, but it is a must to see in my book. We had fun buying sweets from the cloistered nuns and exploring small shops. I love tiny bookstores. My second trip, I did an afternoon tour with Stephen Drake-Jones that was great. It is a good way to get oriented. For a female traveling alone, it gave me the ability to visit several fun little bars.

You will be very busy!!!!

Good luck!!!

Well, If I were you, I would go to Huey's for a burger than walk down to Beale Street. Then over to Mud Island. Go to the Zoo in Overton Park, then check out Rhodes College.

Wait a minute, I may have the wrong city...

In Madrid,

Just walk along the Gran Via, or better yet, take a MadridVision bus tour . It will give you a good orientation to the City and is inexpensive. You can catch it at Puerta del Sol where all three lines converge. I also agree that the Palacio Real is a must see.

For a fun restaurant for lunch, try Casa Mingo. Great chicken, salad, sausage, and Asturian cider.

The teleférico ride or a trip up the Faro is also recommended. Myself, I could spend half a day in the Supermercado of El Corte Inglés .

Good luck...have a nice trip.

Lee

EAT!!!!!!!!

I am not kidding about that...however, if you happen to walk past the Royal Palace and it is open, GO ON THE TOUR!

I say this because I have been to Madrid 5 times, and for the first 4 the palace was closed every time I wanted to go. There was always a special holiday or a visit from some ambassador or something. It became a running joke that they could sense when we got near the palace and they would stop the tours.

Finally after 4 years of trying I finally got to see it. And, yes, it was worth the wait. Heck, just to see the royal dining room was worth the wait.

If you pass on this opportunity when you have the chance, it could take years for your schedule to coincide with that of the palace's.

You will probably be tired and jetlagged, but the excitement will overcome this! If you go to the Prado, allow at least four hours! Better to go slow and see less but with more comprehension than try to do the whirlwind tour thing. You will be coming back again and again, I guarantee it. Hang out, walk around, (watch out for pickpockets). The best idea, I think, is to get up late (everyone does because they have been partying all night) go have lunch at a sidewalk cafe or tapas bar around 1:30 then sightsee. By the way, I think the Prado is closed Mondays, as are all the museums. I highly recommend that you go to La Soleá for real non-commercial flamenco with the locals some evening. Stay away from Las Patas, it is usually stomach-turningly commercial. bring some Euros to tip the performers, they are not paid, and there is no entry fee at La Soleá.