I have visited Madrid several times and did not realize that you can a) go into the Palacio de…read moreCibeles and b) that it is free. My bf made this discovery when he was exploring while I was at work. Great discovery! After entering through a security/bag check, you walk upstairs onto the 2nd floor. There is a tourist office as well as a large relaxing/working space. An exhibit offers an overview of the commitment to green spaces in English and Spanish. The floors above house the history of the building, including the architecture and design. There are also special exhibits featuring different artists. If you are visiting before early May 2026, I highly recommend Ana Juan's "Wunderkammer" exhibition. Beautiful and thought provoking! There is an observation deck that can be accessed for €4. It was closed in mid-Feb for technical repairs without a confirmed reopening date. Hopefully it will be available to the public again soon! A bit farther away but you can always venture to the top of the Riu hotel for incredible views.

Madrid is truly a treasure trove of architectural riches, but unlike Paris or London, I didn't…read morethink Madrid had a single defining landmark that came to mind. This mammoth building might be it. Jamie W and I just happened to be walking on the Gran Via when we were gobsmacked by the architectural grandeur of this dual purpose building (Photo 9). It's not only Madrid's City Hall but also CentroCentro, a thriving public cultural center. Designed by Antonio Palacios and open since 1919, the building has soaring ceilings with neo-Gothic towers that make it look like it started life as a cathedral. It didn't and was actually the main post office for years. The main draw here is the rooftop terrace which offers a panoramic view of central Madrid, in particular, the bustling Plaza de Cibeles below (Video). Admission is 4€, and a timeslot reservation is required to use their glass elevator. It's easier just to take the curving stairs from the top. En route, you can stop at Cornamusa Cibeles for a moderately priced set-menu lunch. We did and thought it was decent enough (review: https://yelp.to/wlIeOvQ_vQ). There's also a glass-vaulted gallery that hosts contemporary art exhibitions. On the ground floor is a cafe where you can have a light lunch or just a cup of coffee (Photo 8). We opted for the latter. It was hodgepodge but somehow it worked. RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/wzXOFbYL73

I came to the post office with 3 post cards that I needed to send home. Some of us actually do…read morestill write letters believe it or not. They speak English and Spanish 100%, however, thought that I would practice my Spanish which I just butchered in error. The guy at the til face palmed, gave me the stamps and told me that I needed to keep practising Spanish. It was painful for him to listen to me form the sentence and then start again. A sentence like, "I need to send this to Canada" took 10 minutes. In case you're wondering it takes 92 cents to send a letter from Madrid to Canada 12 days vs. $1.29 from Canada to the US.....think about that one for a sec.

Despite the fact that my package only contained used personal books, nothing else, and books are…read moresupposed to be duty free (as are used personal items) they held my package for about a month after arrival for payment of duty. I eventually received a letter that I had to pay a duty to get my package released, but the due date was for 2 weeks prior to the date I received the notice. So my package was shipped back to the US. Cost me around $250 in shipping, plus the loss of a box of books I needed and can't get in Spain. I love Spain, but the inept bureaucracy here makes living difficult at times.

There is a post office at the Madrid airport! It is located in the Arrivals Hall of Terminal 1,…read morewhich is the ground floor. I was fortunately able to get stamps and post my remaining postcards. Everything was straightforward and the staff woman was kind. It's only open in the morning and early afternoon and closed on Sundays.

The exact center (or at least the cartographic center) of Spain, this small slab in Puerta del Sol…read moreis the starting point for Madrid's numbered streets and the measuring point for the country's six national roads, A-1 through A-6. Placed in 1950 and updated in 2002 and then again in 2009. The stone can be hard to miss, but you'll find it in front of the old Post Office building. [Review 12522 overall, 2312 of 2019.]