MADRID: (Only You Boutique Hotel - in Salesas - loved)

• ✔ Madrid is beautiful —for strolls down streets with shops, plazas, and restaurants. No major sites.
• ✔ RETIRO PARK: palacio de cristal and small botanical garden
• Madrid City Tour: bike, tuk tuk, bus
• ✔ La Latina Neighborhood
  • El Rastro — Sundays (massive flea market covering the streets + all the streets around it are filled with little antique shops and vendors)
  • Plaza de la Cebada
  • Calle de la Cava Alta and baha
  • Plaza de la Paja
  • Surrounding shops: Calle Ribera de Curtidores – main flea street, Plaza de Cascorro – center of the market, Calle Carlos Arniches – antiques and oddities, Calle Mira el Sol – vintage furniture + collectibles
• ✔ Lavapiés (arts + immigrant culture)
  • Calle Argumosa (long stretch of India restaurants people eating outside)
  • Mercado de San Fernando (big lively food hall)
  • Cultural Space: La Tabacalera – art space inside an old tobacco factory.
• ✔ Malasaña (vintage stores/cafes)
  • Plaza del Dos de Mayo (center)
  • Calle Velarde
  • Calle Espíritu Santo
  • Calle Corredera Alta de San Pablo
  • Bars everywhere
• ✔ Chueca Neighborhood
  • Calle Fuencarral – main shopping street
  • Calle Hortaleza – independent boutiques
• ✔ Salesas - small soho vibe between Chueca and Retiro
• Mercado de Motores - lovely indoor marketplace once a month - check schedule
• ✔ Plaza Mayor with Mercado De San Miguel (cute but busy!!)
• Matadero Madrid - Old slaughterhouse turned massive arts complex.
• ✔ Gran Vía — touristy like 42nd Street
• ✔ Barrio de las Letras - Madrid’s “literary quarter (cute backstreets) - walk down Calle De Las Huertas and Plaza de Santa Ana
• ✔ MUSEUMS: Banksy Museum, Reina Sofía, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Museo del PRADO, Former homes: Sorolla Museum and Cerralbo Museum
• Flamenco Shows

PORTUGAL:

• Maxime Boutique Hotel - velvet room on sweet park.
• ✔ Shoo Loong Kan Hotpot (so fun to eat here a bit north and near airport but there’s also a nice mall and waterfront nearby: Parque Das Nacoes)
• ✔ Intendente (less concentrated but interesting, will one day be gentrified): Groovie Records, Retro City Lisbon Vintage shop, Largo do Intendente Pina Manique: a square with this beautiful shop “A Vida Portuguesa” and underground bar/club: Casa Independente, main street: Avenida Almirante Reis
• ✔ City Tour by electric car
• ✔ Hail Mary Movie
• ✔ Depeche Mode cover band
• ✔ Alcântara
  • LX Factory market - (Creative Market) + Ler Devagar — cool bookstore.
  • Doca de Santo Amaro (docks with restaurants)
  • Village Underground Lisboa (shipping container restaurant/venue open in evenings check schedule)
  • Prazeres Cemetery (very cool and pretty)
• ✔ Bairro Alto by night (A Capela bar - check it out but mostly young people but with hidden bars for adults)
• ✔ Baixa - pedestrian streets. Shops: A Outra Face da Lua, Humana Vintage, Paraphernalia, New Jester
  • Santa Justo Elevator, Rua Augusta (main pedestrian street with restaurants - touristy), Praça do Comércio (plaza)
• ✔ Bairro Alto neighborhood (hip)
  • Better at night for dinner and bars down tiny alleyways
  • Rua da Rosa
  • Rua do Norte (night life, restaurants)
  • Rua Dom Pedro V — overlaps with Príncipe Real
  • Shops: Ás de Espadas
• ✔ Principe Real neighborhood (neighborhoody stroll)
  • Rua Dom Pedro V — boutiques along with Green Street Lisbon (tiny alley of cute restaurants) and walking to Rua Do Poco Dos Negros (cute street)
  • Rua da Escola Politécnica — antiques and concept stores near Park Real in both directions
  • Rua de São Bento
  • Shops: Embaixada Palace (design shops inside a palace) - good starting point
  • Príncipe Real Park & Garden Market
• ✔ Chiado neighborhood
  • A Vida Portuguesa shop
  • Livraria Bertrand – oldest bookstore in the world (1732) on main shopping street
  • End: Time Out Market + Pink Street - 4 minutes walk
• ✔ Graça:
  • Feira da Ladra — Lisbon (historic flea market) TUESDAYS (and SAT) 9am to 6pm
  • Disgraça - punk collective
  • Miradouro da Senhora do Monte — best sunset view
  • Street art around the neighborhood
• ✔ Alfama
  • Cruise Alfama backstreets. This is also where Fado restaurants are.
  • Miradouro das Portas do Sol View Point
• ✔ Avenida da Liberdade - fancy shops street
• Day trip to Nazare (100 foot wave) 1.5hr
• Day trip to Porto 3 hrs

TIDBITS:

• Rideshare: Use bolt in portugal and cabify in spain
• Marrakesh: ask petit taxis to turn the meter on. At airport you pay in advance for taxi with a machine just outside the airport.
• Cash for Marrakesh - Use bank ATMs only. Look for: Société Générale, Bank of Africa, BMCI - Always choose THIS option on screen: “Decline conversion” or “Charge local currency (MAD)”
• Honest Greens - chain and amazing favorite