The Community of Madrid, or Comunidad de Madrid, is one of Spain's 17 autonomous communities or region. It is located in central Spain, the Iberian Peninsula. It is conterminous with the province of Madrid, bounded to the south and east by Castile-La Mancha and to the north and west by Castile and León. The capital of the region, also the capital of the country, is Madrid. The other cities in the region are Alcalá de Henares, Aranjuez, Chinchón, El Escorial, Getafe, San Martin de Valdeiglesias, Sierra de Guadarrama, and Torrelaguna.
What to see & do
Buen Retiro Park - Buen Retiro Park, or Park of the Pleasant Retreat, is one of the largest public parks in Madrid. It occupies an area of 1.4 square kilometres at the edge of the Madrid city centre, near Puerta de Alcalá. The park is peppered with wonderful sculptures and monuments, and features a peaceful lake and several galleries. Several events are hosted in Buen Retiro Park, including free concerts, fireworks shows, cultural events, and an annual book fair. An outdoor exercising area and equipment are available for people of all ages. The park is also filled with street performers and fortune tellers, playground areas for children, places to have a picnic, ducks to feed, horse-drawn carriages, and rowboats that can be rented for a nice stroll in the lake.
La Plaza de Cervantes - La Plaza de Cervantes is a large plaza with beautiful gardens, located in the centre of Alcalá de Henares' historic sector. It is a nice place to take a leisurely stroll and go people-watching, and there are plenty of restaurants and shops around.
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía - Also called the Museo Reina Sofia, Queen Sofia Museum, El Reina Sofia, or The Sofia, MNCARS is the national museum of Spain devoted to 20th century art. The museum, located at the southern end of the Golden Triangle of Art in Madrid, was named after Queen Sofia. The Sofia is primarily dedicated to Spanish art, with its most important features being extensive collections of Spain's two greatest 20th century artists, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Though few, the museum also features international artists, and occasionally showcases a mixture of national and international temporary exhibitions. The Sofia maintains a free-access library with a collection of more than 100,000 books, more than 3,500 audio recordings, and almost 1,000 videos centred on art.
How to get around
The city of Madrid and its metropolitan area is served by a commuter rail service called Cercanías Madrid, operated by Cercanías Renfe, the commuter rail division of RENFE. The rail network comprises of nine lines. There are suburb-to-Madrid lines and suburb-to-suburb lines. Additionally, the Madrid Metro provides frequent service. It is one of the world's most extensive and fastest-growing metro networks, as well as the second largest metro system in Western Europe. The buses that radiate into and out of Madrid also cover a large part of the region. For a more private and flexible method of transportation, visitors can take a taxi; wait for taxi cabs at the ranks throughout the city or flag one down.
How to get there
The main airport within the Community of Madrid is Barajas International Airport, also known as Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. It is the main hub of Iberia Airlines and the primary gateway into the Iberian Peninsula, in addition to being the largest airport in the country. Barajas International Airport is served by many airlines, with Air Europa, easyJet, Iberia, Iberia Express, Iberia Regional, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryanair, Vueling, and Wizz Air providing the most connections. There are flights to Madrid from other parts of Europe, the Americas, and the rest of the world.