This is a Lonely Planet city guide video on Madrid. Watch the video and answer the questions below about it.
The activity is suitable for intermediate students.
1 How many inhabitants does Madrid have?
2 Apart from its artworks, what is important in The Prado Museum?
3 What two architectural styles can be seen in the Plaza Mayor?
4 Where can you escape from the city's pace?
5 What are the two moments when Madrileños have tapas?
6 Why is the 18th century mentioned?
To check your answers, you can read the transcript below.
It’s the nation’s capital. One of Europe’s cultural powerhouses and comes with a reputation for being more alive than any other city on earth. Welcome to Madrid.
Built on a plateau right at the very heart of Spain, Madrid is home to over 3 million people. It is the sort of welcoming city best explored by diving straight in, and making it up as you go along.
The city’s great cultural heritage is on display at the Prado Museum, one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Part of the Prado’s appeal is not the artworks hanging on the walls, but the building that houses them, widely considered to be a neoclassic masterpiece in its own right.
The city’s other architectural gems range from the Baroque Royal Palace to the 20th century delight of the Crystal Palace, and the buildings lining the Gran Via. The Plaza Mayor showcases the city’s unique architectural style, Madrid baroque, which fuses Renaissance and Baroque styles.
Take a stroll through Plaza de Oriente, a living breathing monument to imperial Madrid, or relax in Buen Retiro Park, a great place to escape the urban hustle and bustle.
Eating in Madrid is always a social event. Going out for tapas is one of the most appealing of Spanish traditions. Tapas is a selection of appetizers eaten between meals, as an accompaniment to a drink or as a preview to the main event. Diners first go to Plaza Santa Ana, or try Casa Alberto, one of the oldest tapas bars in Madrid.
Madrileños are sports crazy. Head to Las Ventas to watch a bullfight, or catch a soccer match at the Bernabeu Stadium, the home of local favourites Real Madrid.
Flamenco emerged in the southern Spanish region of Andalucia in the 18th century, but the flamenco seen in Madrid is now second to none. Madrid oldest flamenco restaurant is in La Latina, the city’s medieval district. The Corral de la Moreria serves up a variety of high quality dancing, singing and strumming, that is sure to get your hip shaking and your feet tapping.
