Madrid school Trip in Spain

Famous for its zest for life, Madrid is an atmospheric and exciting destination that will provide a real taste for Spanish life.

A vibrant art scene with some of Europe’s best art collections, Madrid is also a great place to experience traditional Spanish culture, whether exploring the old Madrid of the Habsburgs or visiting the Las Ventas bullring. Magnificent palaces and architecture all add to the intoxicating experience.

Cross Curriculum Excursions

Old Town

Madrid's Old Town features a labyrinth of tightly packed streets with a mix of Medieval squares, Hapsburg and Bourbon Palaces and the Plaza Mayor. Plaza Mayor began as a fifteenth century market square and became the capital's city's main site for events such as bullfights and carnivals. The statue in the centre is of Philip III on horseback and was built in 1616. Now, the Plaza Mayor is an excellent place to soak up Madrid's unique atmosphere and view the spectacular architecture from one of its many typically Spanish cafes.

Right next to the Old Town is Puerto del Sol, Madrid's main meeting point. During the Hapsburg period, the area became a hotbed of monasteries and churches, but in the mid-nineteenth century it redefined itself as a place for social gatherings. The Casa de Correos building, is The Time Square of Spain and is where people come together on New Year's Eve. You can also visit the Puerto del Sol, to see Madrid's most famous symbol: a 20 ton statue of a bear eating fruits from a tree. Apparently, the female bear symbolizes the fertile soil of Madrid and the tree symbolizes the aristocracy.

Madrid is full of museums and the Royal Palace houses just fifteen of them, as well as having dozens of galleries and several private collections. Although, it is the Spanish Royal Family's official residence, much of the time they do not reside there and so a part of it is open to the public. It is the largest Palace in Europe with 1,450,000 square feet of floor space and 2,800 rooms.

Segovia

In 1985, UNESCO declared Segovia an "Heritage of Mankind." It has the highest concentration of Romanesque churches in the whole of Europe and the pedestrian streets make it a peaceful and safe place to break away from the hustle and bustle of Madrid. Visit the Mint which opened in 1583 and is the world's oldest still functioning industrial plant. To the North West of the City, is the Alcazar Castle which is famous as the inspiration for Walt Disney, and as the site at which Queen Isabel promised Columbus the financial backing he needed to discover America. On the South East side of the city is the Roman aqueduct, which is the largest and best preserved of its kind, and served as the mintmark for all coins manufactured in the city from 1455 until 1864. The city is less than 1 hour's drive away from Madrid, buses leave from the city every half-hour and trains leave every two hours.

Toledo

Toledo could be said to have been one of the first truly multi-cultural cities in Europe. In the 8th Century the Arabs arrived to join the Jews and Christians that already lived there and it became dubbed "the city of three cultures." During this period, Toledo flourished, and even opened the famous Toledo School of Translators. Synagogues, Mosques and Churches all exist side-by-side, showing off their various architectural and artistic styles. Aside from ambling through the tightly packed streets and enjoying the general atmosphere, you could visit El Greco's house; Toledo's most famous artist's palace is open to the public and exhibits some of the best works the painter created. There is also the Cathedral, which is considered to be one of the finest representatives of Gothic design. The two cathedral towers are remarkable, one is in flamboyant gothic style and the other is Gothic-Renaissance.

Warner Brothers Park

This is the newest and largest of Madrid's theme parks and is situated 20km south of the city on 250 hectares of land. It is divided into 5 separate areas: Hollywood Boulevard, Cartoon Village, Old West Territory, Superhero World and Warner Brothers. It has action and entertainment, rides and shows based on Hollywood. www.warnerbrospark.com

Art Excursions back to top

El Prado Museum

El Prado has had more than 2,300 paintings added to its collection since when it opened in 1819, when it had only 311 paintings, and it also now has sculptures, prints and drawings. Its superb collection includes works by El Greco, Titian, Goya, Rubens and Velasquez. Due to the size of the collection, El Prado has come up with three routes for visitors to choose from, which allow you to see the most important masterpieces. The website gives options for 1 hour, 2 hour and 3 hour museum visits.

www.museoprado.mcu.es

Real Academia de Bellas Artes

The Real Academia de Bellas Artes, Fine Art academy, has one of the best collections of paintings in Spain, including works by Ribera and Rubens, plus a room devoted to Picasso. It reopened in 1986 and contains more than 1,400 paintings, 600 sculptures and 15,000 drawings. Picasso and Dali were both students at the academy. The twentieth century work is of particular notice because it provides visitors with a very good general overview of contemporary art, allowing the path of artistic movements to be closely followed.

Centro de Arte Reina Sofia

The collection at the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia houses art that principally spans the 20th century, but most famously it is home to Picasso's Guernica. However, despite its host of big-name artists it also features a wide array of Spain's lesser known, but equally interesting, artists.

www.museoreinasofia.mcu.es

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

The Meseo Thyssen-Bornemisza is a private museum of predominantly European art, including works by Caravaggio, Francis Bacon and Van Eyck. It often ends up being Madird visitors' favourite art gallery.

www.museothyssen.org

Descalzas Reales Convent

This is one of the lesser known highlights of Madrid. It was founded in 1559 by Joan of Austria whose mother used the convent as a hiding place so that she wouldn't have to marry Felipe II. More aristocratic women followed suit bringing their dowries with them. This meant that gradually the convent became increasingly wealthy. However, by the mid-twentieth century the convent was mostly home to poor women that were forbidden from selling the valuable treasures to raise funds. In 1960, the State, with a special dispensation from the Pope, opened the convent to the public as a museum and in 1985 it was declared "Museum of the Year," by the European Council.  There are plenty of works including some by Rubens and Titian.

 

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