I’m normal sized by American standards – 6′ tall, 180-ish pounds, but by Spanish standards I’m pretty large; for the 70’s a regular giant. Sometimes this is really handy – for example I never get harassed in crowds and I can get some great sale bargains during rebajas, but when shopping for clothes it is not handy. Fortunately I found some clothes that fit, but there were not lots of choices so my style will be questionable at best in SF. As if to remind me (painfully) of this, some of the older metro lines in Madrid have handholds that go across the ceiling at roughly 5′ 10″, making it impossible for me to walk inside the train cars without ducking every 2 steps and occasionally hitting my head when the train stops fast. Ouch!

Trains: The new high-speed (300km/h) train system called AVE is centered around Madrid. You can travel from there to and from Barcelona, Sevilla and Cordoba very quickly. The trains are a nice way to travel, leave on time and offer sleeper cars for longer trips however sometimes its actually cheaper to fly (see below). You can find tickets and other info (including all the normal speed trains) at http://www.renfe.es/, it looks like in the bottom left you can pick English language timetables.

Planes: There are a few low-cost carriers to move around Spain in that you can’t book anywhere except their web sites. Often you can fly 1-way from Barcelona to Granada for 40e, prices vary a lot based on time and date but I don’t quite understand the logic of what is cheap vs not so its best to just try a bunch and see what you get.

Ryanair – http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/

Vueling – http://vueling.com/EN/index.php

Spanair – http://www.spanair.com/web/en-gb/

Automobiles: Driving is fun but can be a pain in many cities, the streets are very confusing in older parts of the cities. A GPS rental is a nice add-on and I think worth the extra few $$ if you decide you want to drive. You can rent from the usual big US companies like Avis and Hertz but they are also the most expensive. 1-way rentals normally cost a lot more than round trips and often places will charge you an extra day if you return the car a couple hours later than you said when you took it.

I like EuropCar more than Avis and Hertz (http://www2.europcar.com/EBE/module/booking/FirstStep.do), they have better rates and are at most airports and train stations.

Buses: Buses are the least expensive way to travel around and often have the most frequent departures from any given city. There are typically multiple bus operators at any given bus station, sometimes its best to go to the bus station to figure out the times and costs if you don’t have a route already planned. We use Continental Auto to book tickets online, they might have your route too.

When looking for a place, a few helpful rules of thumb we all know but often forget can serve you well in Madrid.

• Are there other people there?
• Do those people seem to be enjoying themselves?
• Is the menu in Spanish?

Here are some places where we like to go.

• Cafe Oliver – C/Almirante 12. 915 21 73 79, near metro stop Chueca. You probably want to make reservations for the Fri & Sat nights. The food here is what I’d call french-inspired, from both france and north africa. The food is tasty and its easy to order too much, we generally share a couple starters and one entree. We’ve also had lunch here and enjoyed it too. Expect to spend 30-50 euros for 2 plus drinks.
• Casa Lucas – Cava Baja 30. Located 3-4 blocks from Plaza Mayor this is one of our favorite places for lunch or lunch-time tapas. The food is excellent – try the cariñena (pork on carmelized onions) and the alaella (chicken with polenta), two of our favorites – but you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. They are also a wine bar and have a great but often expensive selection, you can easily pay 8€ for a glass if you aren’t paying attention. Don’t be afraid to order a beer if you’re not in the mood for wine.
• El Brillante – Atocha 122. If you find yourself waiting for a train at the Atocha station I’d recommend a quick trip across the street to El Brillante for a quick coffee or snack. The food is good but not fancy and includes just about anything you can fry as well as sandwiches. The counter staff is always friendly and the food often hits the spot for us when we’re waiting for a train.
• Antojos – Alamo 3. Near metro Plaza de España. Antojos serves wonderful Columbian food in a homey atmosphere. The staff is friendly and the restaurant can feel like you’re in the owners living room watching TV with them (if you come at the right time that is exactly what will be happening).
• Balzac – Moreto 7. Located near the Prado and metro Banco de España, Balzac is purportedly one of the finest (and priciest) restaurants in town. We wouldn’t know for sure, we’ve only been to the bar/cafe part in the front. We found the food and service to be excellent, with the tapas artfully placed on the plates. You won’t break the bank in the café but we think you’ll have a great lunch!
• Yataki – Hortaleza 72. In the Chueca neighborhood near metro Alonso Martinez. If you’re in the mood for sushi go here. The restaurant has a front and back room, if you look in and it seems full try walking past the bar into the back room to find a table.

Some of our favorite places to stay are:

Hotel Mario and Hotel Laura, both are part of the Room Mate hotel chain (Casa Migueletes which we mentioned in our Granada recommendations is also part of the chain, this is one weird coincidence, we discovered these places when they were independent hotels, they have since joined this marketing group but the quality and feel has remained that of a trendy independent hotel).  Both hotels are located near Sol with easy access to the Metro.  Both also feature modern rooms with funky modern decor; the standard rooms can be quite small but are well equipped, the executive rooms are much bigger for not much more money.  A word of caution on the Laura, some rooms are 2 stories with a clever but steep staircase leading to the bed; if this will cause you trouble be sure to ask for a single-story room.  Like Migueletes, these both also have a great breakfast and friendly staff who speak both Spanish and English.  Expect to pay 80-100€ per night for a standard room, depending on the time of the year.  They have another hotel in Chueca called Hotel Oscar which we have passed by, its in a great location, and we plan to try it on a future trip; I expect you won’t go wrong here either.

Hotel Preciados is a modern hotel near Sol with a polished warm and very modern european feel.  The rooms are very nice, we were lucky enough to be upgraded to a corner room last time we were here, it was huge and very nice to relax in.  The staff is friendly here too and speak English and Spanish, but they are a touch more formal than the staff at the Mario and Laura.  Expect to pay 150-180€ per night for a standard room.

Hostal La Macarena – 913 65 92 21, Cava San Miguel 8.  Around the corder from Plaza Mayor in a cute twisty street (making it a little tricky to find at night) is the La Macarena.  Its not fancy but its not run-down either; its a low to moderately priced hotel that is comfortable, quiet and a great value.  The rooms are nicely sized but the décor and furniture is what you might expect in a lower-priced place – nice, comfortable and durable but not fancy or modern.  Expect to pay 60-70€ per night, you need to call for reservations and its unlikely the receptionist will speak much English but they will be forgiving of your Spanish if you get the words mostly right.  A good guide book probably has the phrases you need in its dictionary.