Why go to Madrid?
There may be a slight chill(寒冷) in the air, with temperatures staying around 15℃ in March, but Spain's handsome capital is slowly starting to warm up. Even more attractive are the cultural events.
A new exhibition on the living and working spaces of Spain's greatest artist, Picasso, has just opened in the studio at the Fundacion Mapfre at Paseo de Recoletos. It runs until 11 May with rarely seen pieces borrowed from his family.
Later this summer, the 400th anniversary of the death of the Renaissance(文艺复兴) painter El Greco will be marked with an exciting exhibition at the Museo del Prado at Paseodel Prado from 24 June to 5 October.
How to go?
The widest range of flights is offered by EasyJet from Bristol, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Liverpool and Luton. British Airways and its sister airline Iberia combine forces from Heathrow and London City. Ryanair flies from Manchester and Stansted; Air Europa flies from Gatwick.
Barajas airport is 13km north-east of the city centre and is served by frequent trains on Metro line 8, but the shortest underground journey is a bit complex with at least one change at Nuevos Ministerios station and takes about 30 minutes. The fare to any station in the city centre is £4.50. The airport express bus runs every 15 to 35 minutes around the clock; £5 one way. It takes 40minutes to reach the city centre. A taxi takes half the time. A flat rate of £30 covers most of central Madrid.
