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Best Free Things to Do

by Frommers Travel Guides
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Content provided by Frommers
  • Enjoy the Weekend Cultural Treats: Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings are free at the Museos Naval, de America, Arqueologico Nacional, and Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. The tiny Casa Museo de Lope de Vega is free on Saturdays, and Sunday morning-only treats include the famed El Prado and Museos Sorolla, Casa de la Moneda, and Nacional de Artes Decorativas.

  • Don't Forget Weekday Freebies: Some of the private museums (such as Lazaro Galdiano and Cerralbo) are free on Wednesdays (Cerralbo is also free on Sun), while the Museo San Isidro in Plaza San Andres gives you a gratis daily rundown on the city's history. Attractions that are permanently free include the Bolsa (Stock Exchange), Museo Municipal, Casa de America, private Fundacion art exhibitions such as La Caixa and Juan March, and the Conde Duque cultural center.

  • Take an Ecclesiastical Trip Back in Time: We're particularly fond of Madrid's two oldest churches, hidden in the heart of the Austrias district. They're both tiny, giving you an idea of what Madrid must have been like with a population of just around 10,000. San Nicolas de los Servitas (full title: San Nicolas de Bari de los Servitas) was named after an Italian saint, and its 12th-century Arabic torre rises above a narrow lane just behind the Calle Mayor. Nearby San Pedro el Leal (also known as San Pedro el Viejo) has the best-preserved 14th-century Mudejar brick tower in the capital. No charge for either, of course -- though you may care to leave something in the collection box to help toward the preservation of these two gems.

  • Stroll in the Parks: Madrid's best central parques are particularly rewarding to explore, especially the Retiro, with its rose garden, fountains, statues (including the Angel Caido, or Fallen Angel, depicting Lucifer), central lake, Casa de Vacas, and 19th-century Palacios de Cristal and Velazquez cultural showrooms. Below the Palacio Real, the Campo del Moro has a verdant neatness more associated with northern Europe, while on the edge of Arguelles the Parque del Oeste's marked nature trails wend their way down past an international selection of trees and plants to the River Manzanares (where you can view the Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida's Goyan frescoes).

  • See Madrid's "Little Egypt": On the ridge overlooking the Casa de Campo, you can visit the Templo de Debod, a unique slice of Egypt in Spain. It's the real McCoy, shipped stone by stone from the banks of the Nile.

  • Be a Politician for a Day (or Morning, Anyway): Visit the Congreso de los Diputados on Saturday mornings and imagine yourself changing the direction of the Spanish nation. No need to book: Just turn up at 10am (except during the summer recess).

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