In Madrid, a city for all seasons and all times, you will find the most traditional customs and secret corners alongside universal art and the most state-of-the-art fashions. It's a historical and architectural treasure-house, a cosmopolitan capital of nightlife, a melting pot of cultural and literary trends... Town and court, the political and business heart of Spain, a great city with a dizzying life-style, but that still preserves the charm of its own personality. The life-style of the madrileños - the natives of the city - contributes to this, as they are modern in their outlook but still enjoy the traditional life of the streets and plazas and the thousands of entertainment venues scattered around this bustling urban centre.

Location
Located in the geographic centre of the Iberian Peninsula, at 646 meters above sea level, on the plateau at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama, Madrid is a huge communications hub connecting the four corners of Spain via road, air and rail. The Manzanares River flows through the city which is surrounded by a huge green belt. Madrid is also the capital of the autonomous community of the same name which is home to more than six million people. The neighbouring communities are Castile and Leon and Castile-La Mancha.

Population
3,132,463

Tourism
El Centro de Turismo de Madrid - the Centre for Tourism in Madrid - located in the Plaza Mayor, offers centralised tourist information for the capital city. There are other information points in keys spots elsewhere in the city.
Centro de Turismo de Madrid. Plaza Mayor, 27 (Salon de Columnas de la Casa de la Panaderia). Open every day from 9.30am to 8.30pm. Metro: Sol & Opera.
Centro de Turismo Colon. Plaza de Colón (underpass alongside Paseo de la Castellana, junction with Goya). Open every day from 9.30am to 8.30pm. Metro: Colon.
Punto de Informacion Turistica de Cibeles. Paseo del Prado (junction of the boulevard, opposite the bus stops.) Open every day from 9.30am to 8.30pm. Metro: Banco de España.
Punto de Informacion Turistica de Callao. Plaza de Callao (junction with Preciados). Open every day from 9.30am to 8.30pm. Metro: Callao.
Punto de Informacion Turistica del Paseo del Arte. Santa Isabel (Glorieta de Carlos V). Open every day from 9.30am to 8.30pm. Metro: Atocha.
Punto de Informacion Turistica del Aeropuerto de Barajas. Terminal T4 Madrid Barajas Airport (arrivals). Open every day from 9.30am to 8.30pm. Metro: Aeropuerto T4.
Servicio de Atencion al Turista Extranjero (SATE). Comisaria de Centro (Central police station). Leganitos, 19 (alongside Plaza de España). Tel. +34 915 48 85 37/80 08 y +34 902 10 21 12 (24 hour service for crime reporting). Open every day from 9.30am to10.00pm. Metro: Santo Domingo, Plaza de España or Callao.