Madrid: Gastronomic markets and spaces

April, 2018 Gastronomic markets and spaces A significant share of the city of Madrid’s exceptional range of gastronomic offerings can be enjoyed in its gastronomic markets and spaces, where in addition to buying first-rate products and ingredients you can also consume them on-site. Municipal markets such as San Antón and Vallehermoso, the iconic San Miguel Market, the unique Gourmet Experiences, innovative complexes like Platea Madrid and themed spaces such as Organic Market & Food, are sure to surprise your palate. Discover these and other gourmet spaces in the capital. [+] Madrid Destino Activities Presentation of Vuelve a Madrid The City Council’s Tourism Department presented its loyalty programme, Vuelve a Madrid, to Madrid’s tourism sector. The programme offers incentives to encourage visitors to return to the city. With Vuelve a Madrid, the city of Madrid is the first major destination to offer its own loyalty programme based on a catalogue of offers and exclusive deals which are available through a system of exchangeable points. [+] Madrid, nominated at the World Travel Awards Madrid Destino has been nominated in the Europe’s Leading Tourist Board category at the World Travel Awards, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, in 2018. The city of Madrid has also been nominated as Europe's Leading Meetings & Conference Destination. You can cast your vote for Madrid until 20 May. [+] Promoting Madrid in Germany, Hungary, Russia, France and Italy  In the month of March, the City Council’s Tourism Department, accompanied by companies and organisations from Madrid’s tourism sector, promoted Madrid as a destination at the ITB trade fair in Berlin. It also took part in the Utazas exhibition (Budapest), the Luxury Travel Mart (Moscow), the Salon Mondial de Tourisme (Paris) and the Borsa Mediterranea del Turismo (Naples). Content only available in Spanish. [+] The Golden City Gate Award for Flamenco Madrid The video Flamenco Madridrecently achieved recognition at the Golden City Gate 2018 Awards (Berlin), where it won the First Star in the City category. In addition to this new award the video, which was produced by Madrid Destino, won three awards last year: the Grand Prix as well as first place in the Cultural Tourism category at the Art & Tur Festival in Portugal, and the Bronze Award in the Culture and Tradition category at the Baku International Film Festival. [+] What’s new in Madrid The Alfonso XII observation tower opens in El Retiro Park From 25 April onwards, the city of Madrid will offer a new tourist and cultural attraction for visitors. The occasion marks the reopening of the observation tower in the monument to Alfonso XII next to the lake in Madrid’s El Retiro Park. The tower had been closed for 30 years. Located more than 20 metres above ground level, the space will offer a new perspective on the city with a free 30-minute tour led by a specialised guide. Places are limited and prior reservations are required. [+] New five-star hotels in Madrid The city of Madrid has recently added three new five-star establishments to its hotel offerings. December saw the grand opening of the Hyatt Centric Gran Vía Madrid hotel, housed in an Art Deco building on Madrid’s Gran Vía, an avenue over one hundred years old. Other recent openings included the VP Plaza de España hotel, with an excellent location and exclusive and contemporary interior design, and the Gran Hotel Inglés, which combines urban sophistication with the glamour of bygone eras, right in the heart of Barrio de las Letras (Literary Quarter). [+] Madrid in numbers The city of Madrid has 787 hotels, with a total of 83,164 hotel beds. Its 46,267 shops make it the second-best city in Europe for shopping. Of particular note amongst the city’s culinary offerings are its 17 Michelin-starred restaurants and 16 gastronomic markets. Its cultural programme is unique, drawing on 68 museums, 54 theatres and 4 theme parks, among other venues. Find out more about these figures and other relevant information on the capital in our Tourism Resources in Madrid in 2017 infographic. [+] Monthly calendar of events Meninas Madrid Gallery From 20 April to 20 July, over 150 meninas (ladies-in-waiting), custom-made by prominent figures from the world of art and culture, will be placed along the capital's main streets and in its squares and other iconic sites. This original initiative will turn the city into a big open-air museum in order to reflect its diversity and plurality. [+] Duchamp, Magritte, Dalí: Revolutionary Artists from the 20th Century Gaviria Palace continues to strengthen its position as a new exhibition space in the capital, with an exhibition focusing on the lives of three of the great masters of 20th century art: Duchamp, Magritte and Dalí. The exhibition features works on loan from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, most notably Dalí’s Surrealist Essay (1934) and Magritte's The Castle of the Pyrenees (1969). From 10 April to 15 July. [+] EDP Rock’n’Roll Madrid Marathon & 1/2 Marathon 2018 April comes with the chance to enjoy one of Spain’s main sporting events, the Madrid Marathon fun run on Sunday 22 April. The race combines sport -a 42km circuit that winds through some of the city's most unique sites-  with live music performed on more than 20 stages, a festival at the finish line and two parallel races, which all add up to make Madrid the capital of sport. [+] Madrid para todas y todos Guided Tours Discover the city's history with the guided tours offered as part of the Madrid para todas y todosaccessible tourism programme. The standardised tours are offered in Spanish free of charge and are geared towards people with functional diversity. Four different options are available: Historic Madrid, Monumental Madrid, Cervantes’ Madrid and Women Who Left Their Mark on Madrid’s History. Content only available in Spanish. [+] Vuelve a Madrid Programme The city of Madrid’s loyalty programme, which recently celebrated its first anniversary following its launch in March 2017, already has nearly 2,000 users who return to the city to enjoy its exclusive offers, made available via a system of exchangeable points that can be used at over 50 participating establishments. Since its creation, Vuelve a Madrid has secured exclusive offers for its users at the best shows, museums, restaurants and annual fairs in the city. It has also suggested new ways of getting around Madrid, gastronomic and cultural routes and other fun plans. [+] Officials products T-shirts featuring iconic places in Madrid's 21 district Get one of the new t-shirts featuring the most representative places in the capital's 21 districts, designed by the City Council's Tourism Department. You can purchase them at the Plaza Mayor Tourist Information Centre for just 14.90 euros. The places featured on the t-shirts include architectural attractions in the city such as La Corrala (Centro), some of its green spaces like Quinta de los Molinos Park (San Blas-Canillejas), gastronomic venues such as Maravillas Market (Tetuán) and cultural centres like Matadero Madrid (Arganzuela) and the Sorolla Museum (Chamberí). [+] In The Press Spécial tourisme: Madrid par les toits. Le point [+] Anniversary celebrations They Shall Not Pass, 16 Days, Madrid 1936 Plaza Mayor, which celebrated its 4th centenary in 2017, continues to strengthen its position as one of the city of Madrid’s top cultural sites. From 3 April to 1 July the Sala de Bóvedas (Vaulted Room) at Casa de la Panadería will host the exhibition They Shall Not Pass, 16 Days, Madrid 1936, consisting of a collection of photos, posters, films and unpublished documents that recount the days during which the people of Madrid rose up against the rebel troops laying siege to the capital. [+] ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________