The best way to explore an off-beat destination

It sure gets hot during summer in Madrid. Without doubt one of the drawbacks of visiting Madrid at this time of year is the lack of beach time. There are plenty of parks, shady plazas and rooftop terraces to help cope with the heat. I like to escape the scorching 35+ Madrid temperatures by going swimming.    There are actually quite a few great places to go swimming in Madrid so if you are visiting the city during summer and don’t have access to a pool at your accommodation don’t worry. Head to one of these great spots to have a dip, do a few lengths or just splash around.   Each of the below options for where to go swimming in Madrid are within easy reach of the city centre and are either free to access or reasonably priced.   Outdoor public pools in Madrid  Lago in Casa de Campo  Just past the Lake in the south east corner of Casa de Campo park is the Lago public swimming pool. It’s located just behind the Lago metro station. For €5 entrance you can access two large outdoor poo...

  Madrid is not a city I had ever thought about visiting, but after my Madrid city break I was pleasantly surprised. It isn’t just all about football! Who knew?! There’s so much to discover about Madrid from food to flamenco and more. The city is vibrant, bustling, young and full of little side streets to explore. 48 hours in Madrid won’t be enough to see everything (it never is), but you’ll certainly get a great taste for the Spanish capital, especially if you do what I did and spend your days being shown around by the wonderful people at Mad Snail Travel . A Madrid City Break How to Get to Madrid & Getting Around Madrid Airport Being the capital of Spain, Madrid is easy to get to. I flew with Ryanair , but Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia all fly direct from Dublin. The city itself is well served by trains making it easily reachable from other cities within Spain. Within the city the metro and buses make getting around easy. It...