What you didn’t know about Madrid, Spain.
Madrid’s beauty runs deeper than its grand architecture and world-famous museums, it’s rooted in geography, history, and an unexpected blend of forces that shaped the capital into the city it is today.
Sitting nearly 2,100 feet above sea level, Madrid is the highest major capital in Europe, which gives the city its crisp winter air, blazing blue summer skies, and that uniquely intense sunlight you feel the moment you arrive. Retiro Park, now the city’s green heart, was once a royal retreat closed to the public for centuries. Puerta del Sol, the symbolic center of Spain, isn’t just a plaza, it marks Kilometer Zero, the point from which all major national roads originate. Even Madrid’s tapas tradition has surprising origins: bars offered small bites placed over glasses to keep dust and flies out in the arid climate. Beneath the city sits a labyrinth of historic tunnels, crypts, and remains from earlier eras, some medieval, some Roman, some still being uncovered during construction. And though Madrid feels quintessentially Spanish, its neighborhoods are worlds unto themselves: La Latina’s medieval grid, Malasaña’s counterculture edge, Salamanca’s refined symmetry, Chueca’s electric energy, and Lavapiés’ global blend of languages and traditions. Madrid isn’t just a capital, it’s a layer cake of stories stacked over centuries, each one shaping the easy grace you feel as you wander through it today.
Five fascinations about Madrid.
5. Madrid has the oldest restaurant in the world.
Restaurante Botín has been open since 1725, and still serves its signature suckling pig in a wood-fired oven that hasn’t gone cold in centuries.
4. Madrid has more trees than most cities on Earth.
With over 250,000 trees and massive green spaces like Retiro Park, Madrid ranks among the greenest capitals globally, despite its warm, dry climate.
3. The Royal Palace has 3,418 rooms.
Though it’s rarely used by the royal family today, Madrid’s Palacio Real is Europe’s largest functioning royal palace by floor space, opulence in overdrive.
2. Locals often eat 5 meals a day.
Forget the classic three, Madrid runs on a rhythm of desayuno, almuerzo, comida, merienda, and cena. Translation: you’re never far from your next bite.
1. The bear and the strawberry tree are more than symbols.
El Oso y el Madroño, seen in Madrid’s coat of arms and central statue, reflect the city’s medieval identity and its once-forested surroundings, a nod to nature and history alike.
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