TEN FABULOUS REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE IN MADRID IN SEPTEMBER

September sunset on a cloudless day over the  haunting 2000-year old Egyptian Temple of Debod in Madrid
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by Jack Wright

1. Madrid is divine any time of the year. But especially in September. It is still sunny, for one thing. Golden sun is what marks the calendar so that weather-induced depression is simply not on the cards. Madrid is the place to be when autumn blues begins to claw its way into most other cities in Europe.
   Average hours of sunshine daily = 7.
   While you’re still wearing shorts all day, Fall will have been menacing the darker regions of Europe for weeks already.
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2. No more heatwave! You get the best of all weathers: Sunshine and crisp temperatures. Madrid averages 22° C (71°F) days and 14°C (57°F) nights, with a high of 29°C (84.2°). (Exceptionally, though, the first week of the month is proving really hot, as though it’s mid-August!)
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   One of the rarest sights in Madrid!

3. The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain? Maybe. To talk about Spanish plains is really to refer to the Andalusian Plain, a vast river valley where the hot weather produces torrential rains. And Madrid is far away on the Sistema Central, known as the dorsal spine of the Meseta Central, the immense plateau in the heart of peninsular Spain.
   

   The Peñalara glacier circle in the Guadarrama Mountain Range on the Sistema Central

   Save your umbrellas for wet cities elsewhere. Chances are that in Madrid you’ll get six days of rain in the whole of September and only 20 mm! That’s nothing but the heavens going through the unconvincing motions of sprinkling.
   What Madrid is not is a wet blanket!
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4. The elevations of the Sistema Central which rims the capital city of Madrid range from 610 m to 760 m (2001 ft to 2493 ft), with peaks rising to 2,400 m (7864 ft) in the north. In its fold are charming get-away villages for some autumnal quiet far from the bustle of the city.
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5. The city regains its folk. But for the tourists downtown, the city is deserted in August. Except for the few nonconformists, self-respecting Madrileños vacate to the Spanish coastal and island resorts and/or to the tourist attractions abroad.
   But by September they’re back to resettle their beloved city. And you know, one of the best things about Madrid is its own people with their contagious alegria de vivir, the wondrous joy of living that defines the Madrileño.

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6. Madrid is a major European capital with cultural offerings for the season on a par with its status. For example, the Teatro Real, one of the most important opera houses in Europe, is celebrating its 200^th anniversary in 2016-2017 with an impressive line-up of operas beginning with Verdi’s Othello from 15 September to 3 October.
   And there’s the Gran Via whose theaters will make your visit memorable. You can still catch The Lion King in its Spanish version (El Rey Leon), a monumental production!
   

   The Prado

   The half-mile Paseo del Arte (Art Walk), where the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofia Museums are located, is arguably the world’s greatest concentration of awesome art. Unbeatable outdoor setting. Tree-lined. Old historic trees.
   It isn’t culture-ish. But you’ve got to spend a night at the discos. They simply vibrate with enormous energy.
   Try the Teatro Kapital for size. It isn’t by far the only great disco-theater that makes Madrid nightlife pulsate like no other but it’s true that it’s one of the biggest favorites, what with its themed bars and clubs (Cheers!) and lots of space to dance up and down its seven floors.
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7. Shopping/Budget
   

   Mercadillos, especially when spiced up with street performers, could be irresistible!

   Madrid is a city where you can give your wardrobe a Fall overhaul without making a great big dent on your bank book which is doubly great if you’d been splurging gleefully during your summer vacation.
   Madrid is beginning to earn a well-deserved reputation for outlet shopping. For example, there’s the Las Rozas Village for top international and local brands at enormous discounts, awarded the Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor.
   In September the mercadillos (open air markets) will begin to sprout. In their own way, these are harbingers of Christmas, even though the sunny days seem to say that’s still way off.  Here’s your chance to shop to your heart’s (and pocket’s) content!
   Major chains (Zara, Mango, Springfield, C&A, H&M . . .) are right on Gran Via. Perfect for shopping binge.
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8. Shopping/High End
   

   Calle Serrano along Milla de Oro (Golden Mile), with the luxury Carrera y Carrera boutique in the background

   If you must go high-end shopping, head for the Golden Mile along posh Serrano and neighboring streets in Barrio Salamanca. The order of the day: Dior, Hèrmes, Dolce&Gabanna, Chanel, Armani, Gucci, Blahnik, Bulgari, Tiffany, Cartier. . .
   Watch out for Fashion’s Night Out precisely this September. On that one night in the Serrano-Ortega y Gasset-Claudio Coello golden enclave, champagne and live music will partner you while you shop for fabulous items in the high-fashion demigods’ New Collections.
   And if you care about rubbing elbows with some of the celebs of the Spanish fashion world, you’re likely to get that too.

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9. Tapas
   

   Sidewalk cafe on Gran Via

   When is the best time, and the best place, to enjoy your tapas if not in the Fall out on the plazas and sidewalks of Madrid, morning, noon, night, and dawn!
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10. You feel you’ve got to see a bullfight at least once in your life if only out of curiosity? In September you’re still on time. The bullfight season at Madrid’s biggest bullring, and one of the biggest in the world, the Plaza de las Ventas, begins in March and ends in October. There’s a corrida every Sunday, tickets roughly from €5 to €105.
    

    Bullfight in Madrid. The Barrera is the bullring’s front row, the most expensive section of which is the one in  the shadows (Barrera de Sombra) since bullfights are held in the afternoon when the sun could cause great discomfort

    If the cartel is really good, and you’re ready to shell out €135.50 to €147.50 to watch from the Barrera de Sombra, you might get lucky and sit beside King Emeritus Juan Carlos of Spain, savvy and unrepentant bullfight aficionado.
    Did you miss the famous running of the bulls in Pamplona? You can still join a festival in some pueblos of Madrid.

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Images
> Featured image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/jiuguangw, CC BY-SA2.0
> Sun by Jenny Downing via Flickr, CC BY2.0
> Rainy day by Ricardo Bermardes via Flickr, CC BY 2.0, cropped
> Peñalara by Miguel303xm, CC BY-SA2.5
> Madrid crowd by Tom Brogn via Flickr, CC BY-ND2.0
> Prado by losminimos via Flickr CC BY-SA2.0
> Mercadillo by Chainless Photos via Flickr, CC BY-SA2.0
> Serrano Street by Antoine One via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA3.0
> Sidewalk cafe by Michael Coghllan, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
> Bullfight by Johnc24 via Flickr, CC BY2.0