I'm leaving for Madrid in 2 weeks, and I am planning on proposing to my girlfriend. I have never been to Madrid, and was hoping someone can give me suggestions or ideas on romantic places to go to pop the question. I want this to be truly memorable. Please help!

What type of place do you have in mind...quiet, romantic, crowded, public, private, resteraunt, hilltop, plaza/square? Defining these things may help members give a suggestion.

I'm looking for something rather scenic, quiet, peaceful, and somewhat romantic. I don't want to do the typical fancy romantic dinner. I'd prefer we go somewhere peaceful where there aren't too many people, even if its a little outside the city. I was thinking along the lines of having a private chauffer take us somewhere for a few hours one afternoon for lunch, I just don't know where? Can anyone please throw out a few suggestions. Thanks!

It is hard to guess what your tastes may be but I have a few ideas. Are you going to have a chance to see the places before you go with your girlfriend?

1. Segovia - you could spend the day in the city, doing typical tourist things (see a guidebook - there is a Roman aquaduct among other things), and end the day up on the hill where the castle is. It is a touristy area, but if you go later in the day, it clears out better. You can also climb to the top of the castle and overlook the city, but then you will have to go during tourist hours and may have a bit more company than you wish.
2. The mountains outside Madrid offer hiking trails, and these can be empty if you go on weekdays (weekends = packed.) The views are awesome. Some other members may have suggestions of specific trails.
3. There is a mini Versailles between Segovia and Madrid.. and a board member is going to have to help me out here, I can't remember the town name or the exact name of the palace. But it has nice gardens, but the fountains aren't turned on except for specific days of the year...so that challenges the romance some. But they are still expansive and beautiful.

I'll keep thinking about it to see if I can come up with any other ideas. Hope this helps.

What a lucky lady....My husband proposed to me 6 years ago while we were vacationing in Madrid. I loved the spot -- The plaza de Oriente (it is a public spot -- but beautiful). It was right in front of the Royal Palace. There are many benches and a fountain right in the center. I will certainly never forget that moment. Enjoy the experience.

Super Lau, are you thinking of Aranjuez and La Granja? La Granja is certainly lovely.

El Parque Retiro is a quiet(er) setting within the city, if you'd like to be surrouded by trees.

Best wishes on your adventure!

Are you specifically set on Madrid? If not, I would second the suggestion of the castle in Segovia... if you want more info, I have some pictures and can post them if it would help you get a better idea. I dont know if you are traveling to other cities in Spain, but my other suggestions would be the mirador at sunset in Granada, the Alhambra at night in Granada, or the beach at night in Barcelona. Just another thought, not sure if this is supposed to be a suprise or not, but if so, a private chauffer would probably be a dead give away. Good Luck!
Kelly

I also recommend the Plaza de Oriente. It is elegant and beautiful with an ambiance that is hard to beat. Another idea would be the Parador at Chinchon for lunch. It is lovely and the square in the little town is charming. The nice gardens of Aranjuez is another suggestion. In fact, the sites of Chinchon and Aranjuez may be combined to make a nice day trip out of Madrid. Our driver/escort for a similar trip was Julio with Easy Goin'. He is an excellent person with whom to travel, and he knows when to "disappear," too.

Best Wishes! Dreams do come true in Spain!

La Granja is what I was thinking of when I said the mini Versailles. Thanks Lynette!

Chinchon would be a completely romantic spot -
Some links - see for yourself:

http://paradores-spain.com/spain/pchinchon.html
The Parador - in English

http://www.spain.info/TourSpain/Destinos/TipoIII/Datos%20Generales/N/MH/0/Ch inchon.htm?Language=EN
Visitor Bureau - in English

http://community.webshots.com/album/204158275zlaEjo
Webcam with some relatively good photos -

She's a lucky lady!

Thank you for all your suggestions. I think I'm going to stay in Madrid. Heading outside the city doesn't fit into our itinerary. Do any of you know of "off the beaten path" type places in Madrid? The Plaza, museums, palace all look like great places, and if I don't find something else, I plan on proposing at one of those places. But if anyone has any suggestions that are NOT as common, I'd really appreciate hearing them.

Okay, I'm going to take one more shot at this, but I think I'm running out of ideas.

I went a bit overboard and got a bit creative on this (It's summer, I'm a student, I'm bored, haha):

Templo de Debod

You can see a whole bunch of photos at sunset and during the day doing a quick Google image search of "Templo de Debod."

One of the websites I looked at said that the temple was built for two gods: Amem and Isis. Amem is an invisble force, sort of the holy spirit of Egyptian times.. but what atracted me more to the spot was this line : ( See page on Amem )
I also researched Isis, and I saw: It goes on and on, but you get the idea. (See more at Isis .)

Anyhow, I guess something that is 2,200 years old would give the idea of permanence. And you said you wanted something off the beaten path...well, I lived in Madrid for several years and I never once heard of this place!

----
When you finally do propose, let us know where you did, b/c I at least am curious.

fuegofuego writes: This is crazy! I proposed to my wife 40-some years ago in the Plaza de Oriente (she lived just around the corner, on C./Arrieta). I think it was in front of the Wamba (Visigoth King of Spain) Statue. There was an open-air restaurant (also named: Wamba) where we had our wedding reception. It's not there any more. Neither is the Church (la Pilar en el Barrio de Salamanca) which was rebuilt shortly thereafter. A good spot for building lasting relationships.

Homework well done, Super Lau

Templo de Debod is a favorite of mine - as a, at least part time, photographer, it's an ideal location for not only views of the city but also for the actual temple. As I recall, Temple de Debod was a gift to Spain from Egypt - it had to be moved when the Aswan Dam was constructed.

For staying in Madrid proper - I can't think of a more lovely nor meaningful spot to propose.

Please return to to board after you and your almost fiance have been to Madrid and let us know where the "event" actually did take placde.

On the Spanish section of the board, member Enrique posted a message that describes the following as very romantic spots in Madrid:

1. Los Jardines de Sabatini

2. The reservoir (estanque) where the "Palacio de Cristal" is located at in "Parque del Retiro".

3. "Parque del Moro", on the west Façade of Palacio Real.

If you can read Spanish here's the link where Enrique describes in more detail these places.

http://www.madridman.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000052

The only deterent to the suggested Palacio de Cristal in Retiro
is that the area is normally crowded ...sometimes very crowded - lots of people - lots of noise - not the most romantic setting in the world ....

The Templo de Debod at sunset has long been considered one of the most romantic places in Madrid. The area is a favorite for couples at that time of day. You wouldn't be alone, but it's not crowded, and you'd most likely to surrounded by like-minded people!

You may want to check out the place you choose before you propose, just to make sure it's OK. Some of the parks need a trash cleanup at times, or have newly painted graffiti. The area around the Templo de Debod is usually in good shape.

All the best!

jimbo1976

Whatever happens and where you pop the question, we would like to know how it went.

Good luck!

Bill

No-brainer:

Toledo at night. There are about 500 romantic corners and 50 super-romantic ones. Let me remind you that Toledo was the capital of Spain a milenium before Madrid and that the concentration of monuments per sq meter can´t be find anywhere in the current capital. BTW Madrid was built to protect Toledo.

A.

You're all forgetting the botanical gardens! (my fiancé agrees it'd be a good place, as well)

And then, if she says yes :p , you might want to check out the nearby restaurant Samarkanda to celebrate (sorry they don't have a website!)

Best of luck!!!

Thank you everyone. There are so many places to choose from. I think i'll try to ask her at sunset or towards the end of the day. I'd like to go out to a nice restaurant afterwards. Any suggestions? I don't mind spending a lot on the dinner, but i don't want something too uppity and stuffy. Something romantic, yet not too boring.

If you make it a weekday retiro park won't be too packed. You will just know when you get to the right place anyway.

I'm curious to know how the proposal went. I proposed to my girlfriend, which is now my wife, while visiting her in Madrid. I actually asked her during a day trip to Toledo. We have now been married for a little over five years. Anyhow, it brings back great memories.

Maybe she said no and that why we have not heard from him.

Of maybe she said yes and now has second thoughts.

But I think he just forget about us, he is to busy planning the wedding day!

Bill

I will also be in Madrid to propose to my girlfriend in around a month, the only catch is that she has no idea that I will be comming and it will be somewhat of a suprise visit, the only person that will know of my trip would be her roommate. She has been studying in Madrid for almost a month now so she has been to most of the sites around the city. I was wondering if someone could suggest a less know site that would still be romantic. Also with my coming unannounced it would be somewhat hard to get her to leave the city. Any help would be amazing.

The Plaza de vistillas with views across to the cathedral and the Casa de Camo is really nice at sunset, perfect for a walk through La Latina afterwards. But for anyone that can get out for half a day, you can't beat El Escorial - I got married there and I'm telling you, it is VERY romantic - head for the gardens behind the Monasterio - lovely place. I once proposed on someone else's behalf in El Escorial too (on a podcast) and she (the lady in question) said yes when she heard it, so it has good precedents!

Hi All,

Its been a while since i've logged on to the site, but I wanted everyone to know that yes, she did say YES and we are getting married next month. Its almost exactly one year to the day I proposed to her. When we first arrived, I went to all the places that came up on this board that people suggested, but in the end ended up proposing in the Plaza de Oriente in front of the Royal Palace. I proposed the second day we were in Madrid, and we were able to turn the rest of the vacation into an engagement trip. We visited Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, and Barcelona. It was an engagement to remember. Thanks to all!

A happy ending to this story!

I wish the both of you a long happy life.

Bill