Madrid - The Don'ts of Visiting Madrid, Spain

hey there fellow Travelers Mark here with Walter's world and today we're in Madrid Spain for the don'ts of visiting Madrid we got quite a few here some of these work for a lot of Spain and some are just for here in Madrid but we thought we'd help you out to kind of supplement our don'ts of Spain video anyway first things first when you're exploring Madrid you're probably going to get lost it does happen and it's okay to ask for directions and stuff like that but the thing is when you ask directions make sure you're not looking at your phone trying to figure out they said go right then left yeah left and right no no you need to watch them because the motherlandyos the people from Madrid they speak with their hands so they'll tell you I'll just go that way for a bit and then take a left and then a right you know and the hand gestures kind of tell you how far you go because oh it's just down there oh it's close we'll go it's just down there that means like it's way way far away so make sure you pay attention to the people when you're getting directions because the number of like Wags of their hand really can indicate oh you go this way and then take a left and then go for a ride so it's okay oh a long way straight then a little left and then a long right so just make sure you do that okay second thing is don't be scared to ask directions if you get lost the cops here are super helpful and there's a lot of tourist information offices around here that can help you out the locals are super helpful as well so don't be worried if you're like I'm not sure where where the cathedral is oh it's it's right behind me okay don't be upset to ask because people are very helpful here and like especially the cops they are really nice about that but another don't I have for you is don't take pictures of the guarda Seville you know Spain has had you know etsa and other problems and other issues out there so you know don't take too many pictures or just don't take pictures of the cops like water Seville when you are here because they are super helpful and you're gonna be like hey thank you so much can I get a picture and they might be like yeah maybe not so it is different between the police and the guard of Seville so best bet just kind of stay away from taking pictures of the cops though a lot of my female friends have told me how good looking the police officers are here and how they wouldn't mind getting arrested by some of them but just know they are super super helpful so don't be scared to talk to them okay now these next couple don'ts kind of tie together one thing is don't eat the paella in the center okay you're going to get off its soul and you're going to see all these restaurants and bars just right there you say oh I want to go eat right here you can that's okay they're tourists say yes but don't eat the paella because most of the time what you're gonna see is a board with like 10 different versions of paella well the thing is they're all cooked the same way in a microwave they're just Frozen versions of it so don't get the pie in the center of the city what you should get is arroz caldoso which is the stew they can have seafood or it can have chicken in it and stuff like that with rice that's going to be a much more traditional dish from here and most likely it's going to be made fresh so it's gonna be a lot better than the microwave paella you're getting a lot of those restaurants in the center the next don't we have for you is don't get the sangria in the center I know you're coming to Spain and you want to have your sangria and your topless and stuff like that but look a lot of places in the center they might water down the sangria it won't be as quite as tasty as you're used to so what I recommend is get the Tinto de Verano which is like the Summer Wine which is basically red wine and Sprite or Fanta mixed together it's a lot more fresh and fruity and you feel like you get a better kind of value with it and it doesn't get watered down like the sangria does okay now sticky when you're eating here one thing I'll tell you this don't get confused between Tapas and russianes butaciones are a really big plate of some of these Tapas you might see and you're going to pay for those a tapa you're gonna get if you order a beer pretty much there's like an Unwritten rule here that if you order an alcoholic beverage like a wine or a beer they're going to give you some kind of Taco maybe it's a tortilla Espanola or maybe a little potatoes Bravos or maybe a little rice thing or maybe a croquette or something like that usually comes with weird drinks so it's not even something you pay for but if you get a we want a big plate of some then you're gonna pay you know maybe 10 euros for that and that's one where I've seen tourists getting screwed over here is that they'll go to like what they think is the topless bar or something like that and they see them they think like oh yeah I want a big plate of those Croquettes like 15 euros what's this oh because you got the russianes the ration size so make sure you're in the Tapas also don't be stingy when you go to the Tapas bars and you're eating here in Spain in Madrid too obviously because here you're gonna share okay I might have boy I might have ox and and you might have you know fish and and your other buddy will have some paella or Rose Carlos or whatever but you're gonna share oh that looks good if your friend says oh that looks good they want to try it so yeah go ahead and try some and you're going to share all your stuff and I have seen people like tourists around here and I've brought groups here as well and I'll see them and they'll have Spanish people with us like oh and they're like reach no to grab from somebody's plate and they're like in jail no you cannot have any of my stuff look here you don't be stingy you share this stuff when you go out to eat and sometimes you actually throw your napkin on the floor and things like that so you know don't be stingy and do share when you are eating out with the Spanish people here because it's a normal thing to do now the next donut I have for you is don't be kind of lackadaisical with your wallet or your purse when you're at Seoul or on the Metro or any kind of tourist places even in court to English downtown there are pickpockets that do work here in Madrid it's not as bad as Barcelona but there are some out here so always keep your wallet if you're a guy in your front pocket if you have a purse or a bag you know keep it in front of you if there's any kind of busy stuff because you don't want to take the pickpocket slightly here they do do a pretty good job they do a good job here of pickpocketing people so do be careful another don't if you get pickpocketed on the Metro let's say you're walking out of the metro and you notice that you know something's missing don't freak out what you should do is retrace your steps back to the metro station you're at or back to the metro stop or the the platform because the people that are picking your pockets they're not looking for the credit cards or the IDS what they want is the cash so what they do is they get the wallet they get the wallet they take the cash out and then they just drop the wallet on the ground because you can't say that that was your cash unless you memorize the serial number and so the wall is just on the ground so they don't get in trouble so what I've seen people do is they walk back and sometimes they actually find their wallet just laying on the ground in the Metro so don't freak out just take your steps back and if you got to report it the cops will be helpful and help you fill out the forms so don't worry about that okay some other don'ts I have for you have to deal with when you're going to eat one thing don't expect to eat before like one o'clock for lunch and don't expect to eat before like nine o'clock for dinner Spanish people eat later in the day but the thing is they have this kind of joke it's like oh you have five fingers you have five meals you have breakfast second breakfast because I guess they're like Hobbits lunch merienda and dinner so like early first breakfast you know seven in the morning then at 10 or 11 you know your coffee break there might be one there then you have lunch at like one to two thirty three and then you have marienda maybe that's my Spanish friends say yeah merienda coffee in a cigarette that's normal you have that like five or six and then you have dinner at like nine to eleven o'clock at night and don't be surprised seeing kids playing out with their grandparents at midnight in the squares because they eat much later here so don't expect to eat early now you can find food between the normal eating times but a lot of times it's gonna be fast food places or tourist places what I recommend is getting a bocadillo which is a baguette sandwich basically ham and cheese that's that's the book of D you get here man it is awesome here in Madrid so that's one thing you really have to have okay other things when you are they there when you're at when you go to a restaurant for lunch don't skip the menu of the day because what's cool is they have this kind of Unwritten rule here that they're going to have a meal for everybody that anybody can afford like a full like three-course meal and these menus they get you get a starter like a good starter you get an entree like a meat dish and you get a dessert and you get the bread and you get a drink like wine or a soda or a beer or something like that they have all those things and usually you're gonna pay like 10 to 13 euros for it and you're gonna get great food and if you're a tourist this is a great way to save money and get a great meal have that big meal at lunch because you don't need to spend a lot to enjoy these menus of the day and they'll have lots of different options out there here which is really cool also don't buy bottled water in Madrid you don't have to the water here is perfectly fine you can get a pitcher of water no problem so think about it you get the menu of the day okay for example today I had it so I had a beer and a water so I I got my drinks to get through it for my starter I had a seafood soup Mariscos I was so good then my main dish was a ox steak with with fried potatoes oh so good dessert I had flan this like custard thing and of course the great bread that's here all that probably was what 13.50 man you can't beat that I mean it's a great deal so don't skip that had lunch be that big meal and that water is free so don't get the bottled water it's not worth it okay get the bottle from your hotel you know if you want to fill that up you can walk around all day get filled up with water that way you're okay another donut I have for you is don't expect a super lot of English and English menus and stuff like that here in Madrid I know there's a ton of Tourism here in Spain and in Madrid but even with all the tourism you're not always going to have a lot of English but the people will be really helpful even if they don't speak English learn some Spanish before you come because honestly I'm with some friends here and I speak explain I speak fluent Spanish so it's no big deal but my friends like like people bring the food I'm like gracias they're so happy my friends finally said it says saying thank you they said gracias and the guy's like oh gracias he was dead he's like thank you to you sir he was so happy because they tried so just try a little Spanish they'll open up even more the people in Madrid really are fantastic I've always enjoyed coming here I've had lots of students from here Carol I mean there's with all kinds of cool people I've known from here I visited Madrid many times there's so many cool things to do here The Prado museums one of my favorite museums in the world the reign of Sophia going to the plaza mayor there's great day trips okay there's another dump don't not do a day trip when you're here so goalie with the aqueduct the Alcazar Toledo there's all kinds of trips to do here so don't miss out on Madrid it is a fantastic place if you want to learn more we've got videos five things you love and hate about Madrid I do it without a beard hey see it that way uh 10 things a little shock you about Madrid uh five things you love and hate about Spain 10 shock to Spain don't to Spain in general we've got all kinds of videos on our website at waltersworld.com with us on Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube and we really appreciate your life subscriptions and we hope you have a great time here in Spain and in Madrid because it is a really fun place with really great people so do you come help out that Spanish economy and help them enjoy you and you enjoy them and have a great time so I'll say adios bye from Madrid

Channel: Wolters World

Views: 162,239

Keywords: travel, europe, wolters world, travel advice, tourist attractions, travel vlogger, honest travel, Walters World

Id: DaLXT3ato2k

Length: 10min 48sec (648 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 17 2022