Madrid to Paris Flights

  About Madrid

Madrid is one of the hottest holiday destinations in Spain and no, and we are not talking about the weather here. It's not as popular as Barcelona, but it is definitely a city that you must visit. Spain is one of the cheapest holiday destinations in Europe compared to other countries and is worth every penny spent. Madrid is an architectural marvel and is also known for its rich culture. You will occasionally run into an old Spanish Grandma or another local who is all excited to help you with directions or hand you a list of the best attractions to visit in the city. There are high chances of you befriending a lot of locals and staying in touch with them later on through social media. Not to mention, the city is musically inclined, and you will find yourself attending quite a few music festivals here. Of course, Madrid is also popular for its food, and you will want to visit the city again just for the gastronomic experience.

Best Time to Visit Madrid

Summer is one of the most popular times for tourists to plan a vacation to Madrid. However, a lot of local shops are shut during this time since the owners also take a vacation. If you don't mind the scorching heat, this is the best time to fly to Madrid. The temperature ranges from 15 to 31 degree Celsius in summer. You might also want to book your hotel in Madrid well in advance if you are planning to visit the city in summer. You can attend quite a few festivals and events during summers like the International Gay Pride, Mad Cool Festival, Feria del Libro and Veranos de la Villa. Tourists also prefer taking a taxi to get around the city instead of walking around to avoid the heat.

September to November is the autumn season in Madrid and quite pleasant, too. The temperature ranges from 6 to 26 degree Celsius, and this is also when most locals return from their vacations. The shops remain open, and you get to enjoy the highlights of the city at its best. You can also attend the Autumn Festival that happens in October and November. December to February are the coldest months in Madrid. The temperature ranges from 2 to 12 degree Celsius, January being the coldest month. This is also the best time to book a hotel in Madrid or get cheap flight tickets to Madrid since it is not a high season.

Spring season is from March to May and is a pleasant time to head to Madrid. It is right before the high season, so the locals are preparing to welcome a lot of tourists. The hotel prices are low this season and flight tickets are also pretty cheap. The temperature ranges from 5 to 21 degree Celsius and a lot of tourist spots are also open. The best part is that you get to hog the city to yourself since it is not very crowded.

Places to Visit in Madrid

Plaza Mayor, originally called Plaza del Arrabal, is a major tourist attraction in Madrid. You will find yourself admiring the architecture of the place and take lots of pictures. Royal Palace of Madrid is yet another tourist spot that has a lot of historical importance. It was built right where the Moorish Castle was destroyed in 1734 after a tragic fire broke out. It is one of the most important tourist spots in the city. You can also visit the National Museum of History, called the Museo Nacional Del Prado. It houses some of the best masterpieces by renowned artists like Van Dyck, Goya, El Greco, Rembrandt and so on. You will find paintings that date back to the 11th and 18th century. The Temple of Debod was a gift to the city by former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. Catch the best of artist Francisco Goya's paintings at the Royal Chapel of St Anthony of La Florida. The church also has the remains of the artist who was buried in front of the altar.

Teatro Real, or the Royal Theatre, is considered to be one of the best opera houses in all of Europe. It has a seating capacity of 1745 people, and you can even get a guide to take you through the theatre. You can also visit the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a monument that took approximately 20 years to construct. Watch some of the most beautiful fountains at the Plaza de Cibeles. It is also home to the bank of Spain, Linares Palace and Buenavista Palace. Madrid also has a happening nightlife scene. You can head to Barrio de La Latina for some delectable tapas, go dancing and have some amazing beer. However, if crowded places are a deal-breaker for you, you might want to steer clear of visiting the place on weekends.

Things to do in Madrid

You can go on a guided tour of the city. Reserve a day for museums, another day for art tours and a few days to sit back, relax and party. Madrid's nightlife scene is quite exciting. Make sure you visit museums like Museo del Prado, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Museo Sorolla and Museo Reina Sofia. It would be advisable to hire a guide for your museum tour. You'll get to know a lot more interesting facts about the city. You will find yourself appreciating the architecture, and you will be amazed at everything that you see in the museums. If you want to spend your evening relaxing at El Retiro, one of the most beautiful parks in Madrid. You can either plan a picnic on the grass or go boating around the lake in the park. If you are at Plaza Mayor, make sure you try the squid roll here. You will find a lot of restaurants here that serve delicious squid rolls. It is one of the most popular dishes to try here. You can head to Gran Via for a shopping spree and to La Latina for some tapas. Madrid is also easily accessible to other cities in Spain, and you can also cover other major cities in Spain like Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Ibiza and more. Madrid is a place you can visit with your family or your friends. You can also pack your bags and head for a solo trip to Madrid.

Food and Restaurants in Madrid

Traditional Madrid food consists of meat, bread and cheese. It's best tasted in tapas, samples of small plates of Spanish dishes. They come free with the drinks that you order at the bars. Mercado de San Miguel, a popular market that is located right outside Plaza Mayor, offers tapas along with cocktails, dessert, coffee and produce stalls. You can head over to El Tigre if you want to try some complimentary tapas along with your favourite cocktail. The restaurant serves a large plate of tapas, and even though the place is quite loud, you will enjoy your time here. You can also try paella (which is rice with fish), croquetas (fried breadcrumb rolls dish that is filled with mashed potatoes, meat and cheese), Espanola (potato omelette that you will fall in love with) and gazpacho, which is cold soup. You cannot leave Madrid without trying the famous jamón Iberico, one of the most expensive hams in the world. You will also find a lot of Indian, Asian, Chinese and Latin American cuisine in Madrid. Kathmandu Tandoori House Nepali serves the best Indian and Nepali cuisine. You can head to Antonio of Italia a Tavola for authentic Italian food. If you want to try street food that's also healthy, you can try Azotea Forus Barcelo and to Empanadas Malvon Retiro for Argentinean cuisine. Gramabar is a popular spot for everyone who is in the mood for American, Caribbean and Venezuelan cuisine.

How to reach Madrid (Transportation)

Madrid International Airport is called Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport and is situated in the Barajas district. It is about 12 km away from the city centre. The flight connectivity to Madrid from India is excellent. Turkish Airlines, EgyptAir, Lufthansa, Air France are some of the airlines that fly to Madrid quite frequently with layovers at Istanbul, Cairo, Munich and Paris; these are the most popular routes to Madrid by air. If you book in advance, there are high chances that you get cheap flight tickets to Madrid. You will also come across decent flight deals to Madrid online. Madrid Airport is well-equipped with WiFi, lounges and also has a sleeping room in case you want to reach the airport early and wait for your flight. There are lots of taxi and bus services from the airport to your hotel. If you are on a Europe trip and Madrid is on your itinerary, you can also take the Eurail that connects to France and Italy as well. Though you can reach Madrid by rail and road from any other European country, taking a flight to Madrid is one of the most convenient ways to travel.

  About Paris

The City of Love and capital of France, Paris is one place where you would literally want to stay back. It is a global hub for fashion, art, culture and gastronomy, which only makes it more desirable. The city is also an abode to many of the biggest tourist attractions in the world such as Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the famous Musée du Louvre.

Best time to visit Paris

Summer is undoubtedly the most ideal time to visit Paris. The city opens its tourist avenues for the crowds that arrive from different parts of the world. The city of love bustles with joyful travellers soaking in all the lovely vibe. Not to mention how the sun is pleasantly adding to the fervour while you wrestle through queues to see some tourist attractions. Lovely as everything about a summer in Paris might sound, you should know that it comes at a whopping sum. The peak season comes with exorbitant accommodation charges. To book a hotel in Paris during this season, you will have to have a lot of savings or enough budget reserved. The city does witness some of its fun holidays and festivals such as Tour de France, Bastille Day, fete de St-Denis, Fête de la Musique, to name a few. It also rains during this period so best to carry an umbrella or a raincoat if you wish to go ahead for a summer trip to Paris. However, for those who want to keep away from all the excess touristy crowd and experience a quaint Paris, you should pick September and October.

Paris in fall is typically cheaper with fewer tourists and more space to soak in the romantic city. Much like how the temperatures start to drop in these months, the prices of hotels and hostels also fall. This is definitely the best time to visit Paris, especially since you will get to see the top attractions of the city without having to wait in long queues. However, make sure that you book your hotels and trip in advance if you're rooting for September. The month hosts the famous Paris Fashion Week in September, so getting a cheap hotel in Paris would be difficult.

Places to visit in Paris

You will need a good number of days in hand to cover the majority of tourist attractions in Paris. The city of love is quite gifted in terms of attractions which include the Eiffel Tower, the Notre-Dame, the Louvre, to name a few. You can start with the Notre-Dame Cathedral. It is easily one of the iconic locations of Paris that are on par with the fame of the Eiffel Tower. Speaking of which, your next destination could be the Eiffel Tour. As part of the staunch Wonders of the World list, Eiffel Tower architecture and the romanticism it has followed over the years makes it a landmark. One can simply not skip the Eiffel Tower. In fact, if you've got enough euros in your kitty, you can further go to the top of the structure and indulge in some fine dining while looking down at the stunning city. Little needs to be told about Paris' Musée du Louvre, one of the biggest art museums in Europe and the most colossal museum around the world. The museum has actually been converted into one from the palace of the 13th-century French king Philip II. With a grand exhibition of over 35,000 artwork, including the famous Mona Lisa painting, the museum is too beautiful for words and brings back history and art culture from ancient times.

These might be the iconic sites to visit, many other lovely locales deserve your attention too. Le Marais is one such place to visit as it has been related to the famous French author, Victor Hugo (who authored The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables). The place has the tendency to take you back in time to medieval Paris. Musee de l'Orangerie is a museum that has been brought into existence to feature a variety of impressionist and post-impressionist art. Many artists have dedicated their lives to emulating the works of famous artists. The museum basically celebrates these heroes for their work. It might be odd to add a cemetery in the list of places to visit in Paris. However, the Père-Lachaise Cemetery is so stunning with a maze of cobblestone pathways that it automatically brings forth a charm to space. Palais Garnier - Opera National de Paris continues to send a vibe of architectural opulence and grandiose after all these years.

Things to do in Paris

Balancing between sightseeing, shopping, exploring the city, attending the opera, delving in the culinary bliss of Paris is all too much to do. You will need to fix a good plan to at least cover the big attractions before you settle to go on your own Paris expedition. You can take your loved one on a lovely river cruise by Bateaux Parisiens. It will be just as dreamy as it sounds. Not to mention A walk down the Champs-Élysées is all you need to invoke the shopaholic in you. From luxury stores of Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss to widespread establishments such as Gap and Zara, the street has a treat for all your shopping needs. You can splurge by taking home a designer Chanel Number 5, or you can resort to just walking the streets and marvelling at the sights of what is considered as one of the fashion industry's meccas. You can also take a stroll around Paris and stand atop the bridge over the Seine River. It is a beautiful and romantic site. Indulging in winery and visiting a vineyard is something you shouldn't miss as the best wines come from France.

Food and Restaurants in Paris

Parisians or rather the French in general, pride themselves for being food connoisseurs globally. Thanks to their contribution towards the culinary world, the food in Paris is nothing short of Très Bien. The city of Paris, with its extra rich landscape, has some exquisite establishments that celebrate food the French style. Places such as Marais, Champs-Elysées and Eiffel Tower are places where you will find upscale fine dining experiences. Meanwhile, 2ème arrondissement (second district) is reserved for cheap and affordable eateries as well as cafes. Wherever you travel in Paris though, the lovely scent of French onion soup, steak frites, croque-monsieur and coquilles St-Jacques will follow you. Their patisserie scenes are just extraordinary. With desserts like macarons, crêpes, pain au chocolat and puits d'amours, you cannot escape those urges to rake in more calories during your trip. Well, you might as well read celebrated American foodie Julia Child's book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" or watch Meryl Streep-Amy Adams' starrer Julie and Julia, to know more about French cooking.

French food is an experience and a culture you should learn more about. It just gets more fascinating as you divulge into their styles and tastes. To get some upscale dining experience in Paris, make reservations at Guy Savoy, Chez Andre, Bistrot Paul Bert and Allard. As for some cafes that fall in your budget, visit Cafe Pinson, Semilla, Du Pain et des Idées, Frenchie Wine Bar, La Tête dans les Olives, L'Ami Jean and L'Autre Café, to name a few. The city has a flourishing food culture with new restaurants and culinary establishments cropping up in corners of every street.

How to reach Paris (Transportation)

Flight connectivity to Paris from India is excellent thanks to the demand for the city. There are three airports in Paris which connect the city to major international and European cities. The Charles de Gaulle airport receives all international flights coming from major global cities. There are regular flights to Paris from Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. In fact, there are dedicated flights to Paris that fly from Mumbai daily. Air France, Air India, Etihad, Vistara Airlines are some of the airlines that have services to Paris. Air France has direct flights to Paris from Mumbai, without any layovers. However, depending on the ticket price of the airlines you choose, the duration will increase. In fact, you might have to opt for connecting flights from Munich or Zurich to Paris too, depending on which airlines you choose. The most popular international route to Paris from India is over the Middle East. Hence, much of the layovers and connecting flights can be taken from the cities within the Middle East. Istanbul, Dubai, Doha are some of the cities where layovers and connecting flights to Paris are available.

For a European trip, tourists often opt to travel to several countries and cities. Hence, the EU Union has also made travelling to other cities and countries in Europe possible via trains. There are some lovely express trains that connect cities, including Paris. The fashionably posh city comes with a plethora of accommodation options ranging from high-priced luxury living to budge-hostels. With such a varied choice, you can make your hotel reservations in Paris or book hostels or small quaint hotels. The ticket price of flights to Paris is not very expensive, provided you choose an off season time.