what type of souvenirs do you guys bring back for friends and family and where are the good places to buy them? i'm definitely bringing back some cava for a few people but other thatn that, what else? i checked the museo del prado's gift shop online and i saw a couple of nice things in there.

Some of my family members keep a collection of refrigerator door magnets and always seem to enjoy getting a new addition. A big big favorite with friends is a "custom" bullfighting poster with the friend's name imprinted between those of two genuine bullfighters as part of the "program". I picked several of these up last November while walking through the El Rastro Sunday flea market. The vendor prints your friend's name on the poster while you wait. My boss is an avid bicycle rider, and so I brought her back a souvenir winter cap (although this was from Barcelona).

what bout rum? we love rum in my family? what are some good spanish rum brands?

it not a spanish run but venezolano. its called cacique but as far as I know its not available here.

There is a large gift shop directly across from El Prado that has everything from tacky to very nice. The sword selection there is not so great, if you are into that sort of thing.

The main El Corte Ingles department store has
a lot of items and it's a fun place to look around.

I go to madrid very often and learnerd that Souvenirs bought at "El Corte Ingles" costs up to four times as in many small souvenir shops, i truly not suggest to buy there.

The shop in front of El Prado is good, but there is a shop in "Puerta del Sol" (the only one souvenir shop in that square) that has amazing prices and an a very wide variety of products, from artisan to tshirts, caps..

For example i saw in Toledo a damacene earings that i bought in that shop, same brand same quality, five times more expensive.

Cheers from Mexico.

thanks for the tips, i'll definitely check them out

For women (or whomever), I find decorative fans to be a VERY nice gift. The come in all qualities and prices, some hand-painted and some by machine, some plastic and some wood, some come with a stand/support and some without. You'll find these in almost any tourist shop but I got mine for my mom in Madrid in the north (in)side of the Plaza Mayor. I'm sure they have more in Andalucía.

For women, it's tougher, I think. If an older man, a Spanish hat/"gorra" can be an interesting gift - IF that man wears hats, that is. It's SOMETHING like - but not exactly - a french beret. I got my father one in Madrid in a hat shop on the north (in)side of the Plaza Mayor and he loves it. All hats are SIZED, though, so come prepared.

For more trinket-like gifts, I like to give keychains with Madrid or Spanish monuments on them. These, you can get in any giftshop in Spain but in Madrid you'll find them either on the west side of the Plaza Mayor or just at the bottom of the steps of the southwest corner of the Plaza Mayor.

Also good gifts are cans of green, Spanish olives stuffed with anchovies - A MADRIDMAN FAVORITE!!!!!!!!!. These are relatively cheap in any grocery (but more expensive at El Corte Inglés, of course), about 0.70 - 0.90 Euros. I got some at the MaxCoop for about that price but bought some more at Madrid Barajas Airport for about twice to thrice the price (hey, that was a rhyme!). Bags of almonds can be cheap, bottles of olive oil from the grocery are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP - AS OPPOSED to those at Barajas Airport but those at the airport are often packaged in a nice, see-through gift box.

Too bad you can't take back an entire Tortilla de Patatas. :p

Saludos, MadridMan

Good ideas MM!

Little boxes of Spanish saffron are very inexpensive in Madrid grocery stores and are a very desirable gift to friends that enjoy cooking.

Books are always a delightful gift

Get a toledo sword.

Toledo swords are a great idea. Marisol Moreno Calle Comercio 30 in Toledo has a great selection of swords, many above the tourist grade. 40 Euros bought a really nice sword in 2004. They make a great conversation piece !

And how does one get a sword past airport security?

Another thought would be small leather wallets, key cases, that type of thing - if you're willing to shop somewhere other than the airport and the larger dept. stores you can usually pick up good quality at half the price - Also, small enough to pack without a problem.

thanks for all the good ideas guys. i didn't think of Olive oil but i know a few people who would love it. the fans are definitely on my list, it's one of the many things that Spain brought to my country (parent's country) which is still used to this day by all women. especially for church or on a hot day. my mom needs a new one and i lost mine, lol

Good question Puna. The shop packed the sword in a special box. The folks at Barajas are so used to tourists carrying around these "sword boxes" that they just scan the box and then check the sword directly onto the plane for you. They did look it over carefully first.

There was no hassle and the security people were courteous, which seems to be the case throughout Spain.

I'm looking for stores that sell those miniature spanish figurines/people that are about 2 inches high. I don't know if anyone knows what I'm talking about but they come in all different typical costumes to just about anything. Anyway, I collect them and would like to buy some more when I go to spain. I don't want to waste time looking for stores in Madrid that carry these figurines since I won't be staying in Madrid but in a town near by and I will only be in spain for about two weeks. Can anyone help me?? Thanks!!!

I'm actually looking for these dolls as well...so if anyone has any ideas please let me know. I know here in the states you can find them at little shops, so I would think it would be the same in Spain. I dunno.