Tag Archives: Madrid

Madrid sights

Not far from our hotel, but also on the Madrid City Tour (Hop-on/Hop-off bus tour), is the Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) public square. This square is definitely worth a visit, as it is home to some really stunning architecture and several statues:

Puerta del Sol

For the rest of today’s Hop-0n/Hop-off tour I’ll leave you with some fun images along the bus route:

Madrid sights

Madrid sights

Madrid sights

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

Madrid sights

Madrid sights

Madrid sights

Madrid sights

Almudena Cathedral

Madrid sights

Iglesia las Calatravas (foreground); Unión y el Fénix Español building (background)

If you’ve been following my travel blogs for very long, then you know that Ursula and I are huge fans of Hop-on/Hop-off bus tours that allow you the freedom and explore a new city, get off at any scheduled stop, and jump aboard a subsequent tour bus whenever you’re ready to continue. It’s a great way to explore and decide what you’d like to revisit later. On Day Two in Madrid we purchased a two-day pass and began our exploration beyond the city center. This next photo is the Temple of Debod, an ancient Egyptian temple dedicated to Isis. It was relocated here to Madrid when the original site was to be flooded following construction of the Aswan Dam.

Templo de Debod

Next on the tour, as we headed toward the Royal Palace (detailed tour next week), we got a glimpse of Almudena Cathedral:

Almudena Cathedral

And just two minutes later we were there:

Almudena Cathedral

In between these two views I snapped this fun photo:

Madrid

One of the least appreciated aspects of a double-decker bus tour is the elevated vantage point that allows for shots such as these:

Madrid

Madrid

The bus tour we took in Madrid was with the company Madrid City Tour. The buses were comfortable, and they came equipped with multi-lingual headset jacks. Earbuds are included in the price. An added benefit is that you simply won’t have any difficulty finding one of their buses:

Madrid City Tour hop-on/hop-off double-decker in bright red

The upper-deck cover seen above can be retracted during good weather, which it was during our two days of bus touring. Included on the two tour routes are sights such as the Puerta de Alcalá in the Plaza de la Independencia:

Puerta de Alcalá

The bus also swings by the impressive Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. This stadium was originally completed in 1947, and it has been renovated and enlarged several time since. Today, it seats just over 81,000 fans:

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

I’ll leave you with two final shots for today, and we’ll continue the tour on Wednesday:

Madrid

Madrid