Sunday morning in… Madrid
Annie Bennett hunts for tapas, vermouth and a second-hand bargain as she wanders around a city of eternal blue skies
Sundays may as a rule be a lot less frenetic than other days in Madrid but the city is still very much alive and kicking. A lot of the shops in the centre are open all day and most museums are open until at least 2pm. While some bars, cafés and restaurants do take a break, there is certainly no shortage ready to welcome you.
If you are doing Madrid right, you won’t be up too early and it is usual to see the Madrilenians emerging around elevenish for breakfast, often sliding seamlessly into the vermouth hour (see box, right) after the clocks strike noon, while deciding where to go for lunch, which is often a boisterous affair with friends or family. All this may well take place outdoors in a sunny square under the blue sky that brightens up the city on most days at all times of year.
GOT THE BRUNCHIES
Behind the Prado museum, Murillo Café (Calle Ruiz de Alarcón 27; murillocafe. com) is a handy spot for eggs benedict, avocado on toast or waffles – or just get one of their picnic packs to take to the Retiro Park or the adjacent Botanic Garden. For a romantic experience, book a gorgeous garden table at the Hotel Orfila (Calle Orfila 6; eljardindeorfila.com/ brunch; €62/£53), where Mario Sand
oval, of the two-Michelin starred Coque restaurant, has devised a decadent brunch with choices including marinated tuna and octopus salad as well as more conventional options. Or try the “guilt-free brunch” at the Pestana Plaza Mayor hotel (Calle Imperial 8; pestanacollection.com/uk/hotel/pestanamadrid-plaza-mayor; €64, right on the landmark square. The experience includes a fitness session and a wallow in the sumptuous brick-vaulted spa pool before you attack the buffet in the courtyard restaurant, where there is a DJ to liven things up, not to mention bottomless mimosas.
NOW WALK IT OFF
A Sunday stroll in the Retiro Park, originally the gardens of a royal palace and dating from the 17th century, is one of Madrid’s great traditions – but people come to run, row a boat around the lake, do yoga or just canoodle under a tree, too. There are usually exhibitions at the Cristal and Velázquez pavilions and buskers perform on the paths around the lake. If you fancy some refreshment, the attractive Florida Retiro (floridaretiro.com) complex in the park itself has a range of options, including tapas, street food and cocktails.
Alternatively, head down to the Madrid Río urban park on the banks of the Manzanares river behind the Royal Palace. Hire a bike from Mi Bike Rio (Calle Aniceto Marinas 26; mibikerio. com; €5 for an hour) and cross the river to explore the vast and wild Casa de Campo park. Look back up towards the city centre for a spectacular view of the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral against a backdrop of slate spires.
PRETTY AS A PICTURE
Madrilenians love visiting any of the magnificent big three museums – the Prado (museodelprado.es), ThyssenBornemisza (museothyssen.org) and Reina Sofía (museo reinasofia.es) – on Sunday mornings, whether to see a temporary exhibition or have another look at their favourites in the permanent collections. This means that as tourists start returning you may well have to grapple with crowds, so go on Monday instead if you can. On Sunday, book ahead for a guided tour of the 18th-century Liria Palace (Calle Princesa 20; palaciodeliria.com; €15. The opulent home of the Duke of Alba, just off the Plaza de España, contains one of the best private art collections in Spain, including paintings by El Greco, Velázquez, Murillo, Goya, Rubens, Titian and Brueghel the Elder, as well as sculptures, tapestries, antiques and porcelain.
Then wander up the hill and see what is on at the Conde Duque cultural centre (Calle Conde Duque 11; condeduquemadrid.es). The area is great for laid-back lunch spots, such as La Dichosa (Calle Bernardo López García 11; facebook.com/LaDichosa).
MUSIC MAESTRO
The Teatro Real (Plaza de Isabel II; teatroreal.es), the Spanish capital’s grand opera house, holds Chamber Music Sundays at noon, with tickets from just €12, when musicians from the resident orchestra perform pieces from the opera programme.
Book ahead and maybe take the excellent guided tour beforehand to get to know a bit about the theatre, which has had a rather rocky history since it opened in the 19th century, but is now one of the best in the world, staging dance performances and concerts as well as opera. Afterwards, have a drink at one of the café terraces on the Plaza de Oriente, with a view of the Royal Palace.
MARKET FORCES
Drifting around the Rastro flea market (esmadrid.com/en/shopping/el-rastro; 9am-3pm) on the sloping streets of Madrid’s most traditional neighbourhood is an absolute institution. Get your bearings on the main drag, Ribera de
Curtidores, but veer off into the surrounding streets and squares, where the stalls and little shops are more interesting, whether you are into retro underwear, old postcards, chipped enamel kitchen utensils or exquisite mid-century modern furniture. Don’t miss the antique shops in Galerías Piquer (Ribera de Curtidores 29), and wiggle through the backstreets to Calle Bastero to have a look in Underground (Bastero 13; rastromadrid.com/underground) for vintage clothes and Colindante (Bastero 21; facebook.com/ColindanteStudio) for jewellery, glassware and ceramics. Pop into a bar for a beer and tapas, then head to El Capricho Extremeño (Calle Carlos Arniches 30) for an enormous slab of toast topped with prawns, octopus, ham or cheese. In the second weekend of the month, aim for the Mercado de Motores (Paseo de Las Delicias 61; mercadodemotores.es), a huge indoor market in the Railway Museum in a former train station, with stalls by independent designers, food trucks and often live music, too.
SOMETHING SPIRITUAL
St George’s Anglican Church in the Salamanca district (Calle Núñez de Balboa 43; stgeorgesmadrid.org) holds Sunday services in English at 8.30am and 10am.
Madrid did not have its own cathedral until 1993, when Santa María La Real de la Almudena (Calle Bailén 10; catedraldelaalmudena.es), alongside the Royal Palace, was consecrated after more than a century of fits and starts. Although a mishmash architecturally, it makes an impressive setting for services, which take place at 10.30am, 12pm, 6pm and 7pm on Sundays.
The city’s most important church is arguably the 18th-century Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande (Plaza de San Francisco 1; esmadrid.com/en/touristinformation/san-francisco-el-grande). Mass takes place on Sunday mornings every hour from 10.30am to 1.30pm.
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