Very near the hotel are many different important sightseeing attractions, including Madrid’s main museums (Prado Museum, Thyssen Museum, Círculo de Bellas Artes, Queen Sofía Art Center), which give the tourist a wide range of unique cultural activities to choose from that few cities have to offer.

There are also monuments like the popular Puerta de Alcalá, the Cibeles and Neptuno fountains, buildings of great beauty such as the majestic Royal Palace of Madrid which is located in the lovely Plaza de Oriente square, surrounded by well-kept gardens open to the public. There is also the Almudena Cathedral, the Royal Theater, the post office building at the Plaza de Cibeles, and the Congreso de los Diputados (national parliamentary headquarters), as well as squares like the impressive medieval Plaza Mayor, which has been preserved intact throughout the centuries, the so-called Plaza del Descubrimiento or Colón, named for Christopher Columbus’s discovery of America, and dominated by a monument in his memory.

As for parks, the city’s most important park is the Retiro Park. There you can enjoy large grassy areas with ponds where you can rent a small boat, gardens (el Parterre), beautiful palaces which have been turned into exposition halls (Palacio de Velázquez and Palacio de Cristal), in addition to sidewalk shows of singers, mimes, and much more.