2009-10-20
Features of the Madrid City Hop-on Hop-off Tour include:Route 1 - Historical Madrid (75 minutes)
Philip III and Philip IV enlarged and embellished the city but the Bourbons brought new cultural and architectural tastes. It is to them Madrid owes the spectacular Royal Palace, the Paseo del Prado and the Puerta de Alcalá. A drive down the Gran Vía, the capital's most important road during the first half of the last century, gives us an insight into its unique architectural diversity and outstanding examples of the Belle Epoque, such as the Casino de Madrid and the Palace Hotel.
Route 2 - Modern Madrid (75 minutes)
The 19th century saw Madrid expand. The Salamanca neighborhood was built, a residential area and the site of the first bourgeois homes. The Paseo de la Castellana was developed, where the city's palatial mansions give way to modern skyscrapers of great architectural value, and which are a testament to Madrid's position as one of Europe's most cosmopolitan, attractive and modern cities.