ENJOY THE CITY OF MADRID

Faro Explorer Turn a visit to the Faro de Moncloa observation deck into a unique experience with its new service, Faro Explorer. With this augmented virtual reality tool, visitors can enjoy close-ups of the capital's most iconic monuments as well as relevant information about them. They can also walk through more than ten spots, enjoying 360° views with unprecedented clarity, and even step into some of the city’s most famous buildings to see them on the inside. With Faro Explorer, users can enjoy Madrid from high up, moving up to 20 kilometres above the Faro de Moncloa for views of the entire Iberian Peninsula and the sea. This new service is available in Spanish and English and costs three euros. [+] Madrid Destino Activities XI Recognition Night Madrid City Council's Tourism Department, represented by Madrid Convention Bureau, paid tribute to 16 people associated with 14 important international congresses held in Madrid in 2018, in recognition of their efforts to promote the city as a venue for professional meetings. [+] Promotion of Madrid in the USA and Germany Madrid promoted its tourist and cultural attractions in two of its top international inbound tourist markets, the USA and Germany. The City Council's Tourism Department took part in Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas and the Museum Embankment Festival in Frankfurt (content only available in Spanish). [+] LGBTI 2018 commemorative video With the aim of promoting Madrid as an LGBTI tourism destination, a video was produced to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the capital’s Pride celebrations.  The audiovisual project revolves around diversity and increasing the visibility of transsexuality and elderly members of the LGBTI community. [+] A new record for esMADRID.com The city of Madrid’s official tourism website, esMADRID.com, set a new all-time high for web traffic in the first half of 2018, with 17,380,004 pages viewed, 6,236,641 sessions and 4,287,560 users. [+] What’s new in Madrid Quinta de los Molinos Open Space The city of Madrid recently opened its first cultural centre aimed exclusively at children and young people. Located in a stately home in Quinta de los Molinos Park, it's an innovative space where visitors can spend time, learn and create. Its programme consists of activities and workshops designed to foster creativity in children aged 0 to 16, and it features areas devoted to leisure and entertainment such as the Urbanoteca, a space for free play, the #PlayQuinta common area and a garden café. Head to the capital’s new cultural space with your whole family and discover all that it has to offer. [+] Terraza Flower Experience Barceló Market's range of gastronomic offerings has expanded to include Terraza Flower Experience. This new restaurant venture by Street Market Barceló is designed to be an integrative space where visitors can enjoy Spanish market cuisine in the heart of Madrid.  Its culinary offerings feature organic foods and seasonal ingredients. [+] Madrid in numbers According to the Hotel Occupancy Survey conducted by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the destination of Madrid received 869,215 travellers in June, an increase of 5.5% with respect to the same month in 2017. In addition, 1,725,984 overnight stays were recorded (+0.6%). Both of these figures are the highest ever recorded for the month of June (content only available in Spanish). [+] Monthly calendar of events Apertura Madrid Contemporary art takes centre stage at Apertura Madrid Gallery Weekend, an event that will see 49 art galleries from Madrid kick off the new season simultaneously, offering extended opening hours. The event, now in its ninth edition, will take place from 13 to 16 September and will also feature the participation of other cultural institutions from the city, which will organise parallel activities. [+] Last stage of La Vuelta bike race La Vuelta bike race will finish in Madrid on 16 September.  In this final stage of the competition, cyclists will depart from the municipality of Alcorcón, following a route that will cover 112.3 kilometres. The streets of the capital will turn into one big stage, where the winner of the general classification will be awarded the red jersey. [+] Horse races at La Zarzuela Racecourse The new racing season kicks off in September at La Zarzuela Racecourse, and will run from the 16th of the month until 2 December. The venue, which celebrates its 77th anniversary this year, will hold more than 70 races on 12 days in total. [+] International Chocolate Fair  Madrid will celebrate World Chocolate Day by hosting the first edition of this fair, which was created to further awareness of the historical importance of the production of this sweet food. Exhibitions, workshops taught by master chocolatiers and a host of other surprises will take place from 14 to 16 September in the Glass Gallery of Cibeles Palace. [+] Vuelve a Madrid Programme Enjoy the city and its gastronomy once more with the Vuelve a Madrid loyalty programme. You can obtain invitations, discounts and special offers for some of the capital’s top restaurants, because Vuelve a Madrid’s best offerings don’t finish along with the summer! Madrid Points make it possible for you to enjoy unique gastronomic experiences at establishments like La Bola, Palacio de Cibeles restaurant and Hard Rock Café Madrid. Come visit us and the savour the city![+] Officials products T-shirts featuring iconic places in Madrid's 21 districts Madrid City Council's Tourism Department offers T-shirts featuring key places and iconic sights in the city of Madrid’s 21 districts to visitors and residents alike. From natural spaces like El Capricho Park (Barajas) to architectural attractions such as Colonia de la Prensa (Carabanchel), Puente de Segovia bridge (Latina) and Silo de Hortaleza (Hortaleza) to innovative cultural centres like La N@ve (Villaverde). The T-shirts are sold in Plaza Mayor Tourist Centre for 14.90 euros each. [+] In The Press Madrid en 5 tiempos. Food and Travel México [+] Anniversary celebrations CaixaForum Madrid. Disney, The Art of Storytelling In 2018 Caixaforum Madrid is celebrating its tenth anniversary in the capital by offering one of the most notable cultural programmes on Madrid’s calendar. It is now hosting the exhibition Disney, The Art of Storytelling, which will run until 4 November. This wonderful exhibition uses original materials to offer a look at the creative process behind some of the company's key characters and stories. [+]