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MADRID, the City

MADRID, THE CITY

At present, the city of Madrid represents the perfect symbiosis and harmony between efficiency and quality of life, at a price which is hard to beat any where else in the world. It is a city where you will find everything... Cutting-edge facilities, devoted professionals and a modern infrastructure, allowing you to comply with the most demanding quality levels. Furthermore, you will find a booming culture, a thriving lifestyle, warm people and blue skies. Thanks to all this, we are sure the event will be a unique experience.

Madrid has plenty of possibilities

Art, Culture, Leisure, Shopping, Gastronomy, Sport, Business

The Art Avenue, the premier artistic itinerary
  • Museo del Prado , the best Spanish painting collection from the XVI-XVIII centuries, Velázquez, El Greco, Goya, and the Flemish, Italian, German, French and British schools.
  • Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, 800 western art masterpieces, early Italians, German, Renaissance and Dutch paintings from the XVII century, North American paintings from the XIX century and vanguard collections from the XX century.
  • Centro de Arte Reina Sofia  cubism, surrealism, vanguard collections from the 40's and 50's, pop-art..., Picasso, Dalí and Miró masterpieces.


A green city

2nd world capital in green areas (16 m 2 / inhabitant), 250,000 ha of green area, 43 parks and gardens: Parque del Retiro, Real Jardín Botánico, Parque del Oeste, Casa de Campo, Jardines de Sabatini, Parque Juan Carlos I, Campo del Moro...

A pleasure for the taste


A paradise for shopping
  • National and international brands (Salamanca quartier)
  • Traditional and artisan shops (City center)
  • Antiquities and galleries (Paseo del Prado)


The high quality of Madrid’s airport, train stations and its all embracing public transportation system places it among the best in the world, due to the ease and freedom of movement throughout the city resulting from excellent connections between the airport, the Metro, bus and regional train networks.


City Data


58,995 hotel beds
3,132,463 friendly people (of which 14.25% are foreigners)
144 museums (92 in Madrid city centre and 52 outside Madrid)
5,077 restaurants, 1,531 coffees, 2,073 pubs, 18,726 bars, 345 discos
During 2006 12,384 meetings attending 1,185,521 delegates
4 major convention and trade fair centres
186 members of the Madrid Convention Bureau
166 direct flight destinations
293 metro stations covering 283.3 km of underground transport system
15,023 taxis
7,314,337 tourists per year
24 golf courses
6 public and 7 private universities
6 world heritage sites within 1 hour drive (Toledo, Segovia, Ávila, Alcalá de Henares, El Escorial and Aranjuez)
5,380.86 ha of green space and 281,531 trees (1 for each 14 inhabitants)
666 metres altitude
2,769 hours of sunshine per year


BARAJAS AIRPORT

Madrid has three airports, the main one being Madrid-Barajas Airport. In terms of infrastructure, equipment, resources and air traffic, it is the most important air hub in Spain and the fourth in Europe. It is just 13 km away from the city, and access to it by public transportation is one of the quickest and easiest to use in the world: besides bus or taxi, travelers may take the Metro, where every five minutes a train to Madrid-Barajas Airport leaves from Nuevos Ministerios Station in the City Centre at a cost of 2 euros while you will pay only 1.50 euro for a ticket within the City! In September 2011, the suburban rail network has opened a new service that directly links Principe Pio station to Terminal 4 of Barajas.

In 2007, the airport handled 52,143,275 passengers, 483,284 operations and 322,244 tonnes of cargo. Madrid-Barajas International Airport receives flights from over 166 destinations, including several low cost airlines, and is the main European air hub for Latin America. The inauguration of the new terminal that has set its capacity in 70 million passengers a year took place on 5th of February 2006. The building was designed by Richard Rodgers and Lamela and it has received the Stirling Architecture Award.

METRO NETWORK
 
The underground (Metro) is the fastest, most efficient and most affordable way to move around Madrid. The city has a vast metropolitan network, one of the most comprehensive in Europe, and covers almost all the points in the capital and many of the neighboring areas.

Currently, there are twelve metro lines and three Metro Ligero (tramway) lines. Out of all these, Line 8 (Nuevos Ministerios – Airport T4) is particularly noteworthy. This modern line connects the capital to Barajas international airport, arriving in only 12 minutes to the rest of terminals, and to Madrid’s Trade Fair grounds (Ifema).

The underground system covers a total of 383.3 km. The price of a single ticket with a validity of 1 hour is 1.50 euro, and can be purchased at all Metro stations.

BUS, METRO & TRAIN NETWORKS

Madrid has an extensive city bus network (215 lines), run by the company Empresa Municipal de Transporte (EMT), which covers the whole city. All the vehicles that make up the EMT fleet, 2,022 in total, are air-conditioned.

Madrid’s buses have special facilities for disabled access. The cost for a single ticket with a validity of 1 hour is 1.50 euro.

TAXIS SERVICE

There are more than 15,000 taxis in Madrid, so it is not usually difficult to find one available in the city’s main thoroughfares. You can order them by phone or through internet. In the streets, just make a sign and they will be keen to stop! Prices are quite reasonable, considering that a one-way trip from the city centre to the airport costs around 20-25 euros.

TOURIST TRAVEL PASS
The Tourist Travel Pass is the most affordable and practical way to get to know Madrid. It can be used on all public transport in the Region as many times as necessary within the valid dates. There are five passes valid for 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 days. The Tourist Travel Pass can be purchased at:
  • All Metro stations
  • Metro Passenger Information Office at Barajas Airport (T1-T2-T3 Metro stations)
  • Certain tobacco shops and press kiosks
  • Municipal Tourist Office (Plaza Mayor 27)
  • Regional Tourist Offices (c/ Duque de Medinaceli 2 and at the Atocha Station
  • National and International Tour Operators
  • Spanish Travel Agencies and hotels in the city
  • Internet

Children under 11 years old get a 50 per cent discount.

SOME TOURIST OFFICES

Organised by

  • UPM
  • CESVIMA
  • IEEE COMPUTER
  • IEEE
  • TCSC IEEE