SPAIN: Information on Madrid

Madrid may not have the Roman origins that get city historians hot and bothered, and it may be a comparative parvenu, selected from rural obscurity to become capital only in the second half of the 16th century, but it oozes a vitality and character that rarely fails to move. In no other European capital will you find the city centre so thronged so late into the night, as though some unwritten law forbade sleeping before dawn.

MADRID HOT DEALS

Hotels, rates from:

• A&H Hotel El Parque $92
• Best Western Hotel Carlos V $102
• A&H Apartment International Madrid $66
• Wellington Hotel $191
• Best Western Arosa $115
• See all hotels in Madrid

OK, a picture of Madrid wouldn't be complete without mention of the city's bullfights. Those with the machismo of Hemingway and the sensibilities of Sid Vicious can taste the blood and sand at the Plaza de Toros Monumental de Las Ventas, the world's biggest bullfighting ring. The season kicks off in February, and there are small local corridas throughout summer and spring. The main event on the bullfighting calendar is the mid-May feria, the four weeks of bloodletting that are part of the festival of San Isidro.

To experience Madrid is to explore its restaurants and eateries, prop up its countless bars, and be swept up in the nocturnal madness of its music scene and clubs. Madrid has always been a city of immigrants and transients, and the result is an unusually open and accessible city. Ambitious programs to modernise the city are afoot, but the gatos (locals) of Madrid can rest assured that their town remains as refreshingly unlike Paris, London or Rome as ever.

More at ThingsToDo-Madrid.com

Search Best Deals on Madrid Hotels from Lastminute.com - simply enter Madrid as destination and supply your dates:

 Facts:

The city of Madrid is located at almost the exact geographical centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Built on a series of small mounts, between which Madrid's rather inadequate River Manzanares flows, the city's average altitude is 654 metres above sea level, its highest point being 694 metres. At a height of 655 metres, the average barometric pressure is 706.7 mm

The average annual temperature in the shade is 13 C (55 F). In the colder seasons, the minimum temperatures often fall below freezing point, although in the city itself it rarely snows. During the peak summer months the temperature can easily reach 40 C (104 F), but this is made slightly more bearable by the low humidity levels. Having said all this, Madrid's climate is one of the healthiest in Europe because of its privileged position, at a short distance from the Somosierra (to the north and north-east), Guadarrama (north-east) and Toledo (south and east) mountain ranges. Madrid receives the pure mountain air from these Sierras, some of which, like Guadarrama, offer almost year-round winters sports centres.

More at GoMadrid.com