ITINERARY
A PERFECT DAY
by Leah Pattem
MADRID
Club Lounge at InterContinental Madrid
Lunch at Mercado de la Cebada
Morning coffee at Bar Cruz
8:08 AM
7:16 AM
Start your day at the
InterContinental Madrid,
a cosmopolitan retreat
near the high-end fashion
boutiques of Salamanca as
well as Madrid’s world-class
museums. Thanks to booking
this SELECT Collection hotel
through our agency, you can
enjoy access to the exclusive
Club Lounge, a stylish space
complete with a dedicated
Guest Relations team.
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Under the rising sun, Madrid’s
bars are already ushering in
an entire city of early risers in
search of strong coffee and
a hearty breakfast. Join them
on the stools at Bar Cruz and
watch as the owner grinds
coffee beans with one hand
and fills a tortilla with the other.
Order the pan con tomate, a
simple toasted baguette with
freshly grated tomato spooned
on top that you put together
yourself, ensuring the baguette
stays crisp until the moment
you take a bite.
12:45 PM
9:27 AM
Ready to attack the day, walk
east to find the world-famous
Prado Museum. If strolling
the halls filled with paintings
by such masters as Velázquez,
Rembrandt, Caravaggio and
Bosch does not inspire you,
then, a few blocks away, the
boating lake, rose garden and
fountains of the 19th-century
El Retiro Park surely will.
Next, visit the Mercado de
la Cebada, a collection of
little seafood stalls that band
together to create bustling
aisles of pop-up seafood
restaurants. Order a few
plates of fresh-caught fare by
weight, which the fishmonger
will season liberally with salt,
olive oil and paprika. Balance
your sea-foodie odyssey with
a delicate albariño from one of
the chic wine bars nearby.