Brussels Midi/Zuid

Station Brussel-Zuid/Midi (IATA: ZYR) is the largest railway station in Brussels, Belgium. There is a subway station at the train station. Every day, 1000 trains pass through the two stations in Brussels.

The station has 22 months of trains, including the Eurostar, Hercules high-speed train, TGV, ICE and so on. This station is the terminus of the HSL 1 railway route. To the east of the train station is Fonsny / Fonsnylaan Avenue and to the west is Rue de France / Frankrijkstraat. The subway station was named Gare du Midi / Zuidstation and was opened in 1988. Since 1993, the station has also provided premetro (underground tram) services on different platforms. The shuttle service to Brussels South Charleroi Airport departs from the stop at Rue de France / Frankrijkstraat.

The tallest building in Belgium, the South Tower, is located in front of the main exit of the station (Fonsny / Fonsnylaan Avenue and the intersection of Rue Couverte / Overdektestraat), next to the Pension Service Centre (FPS).

Madrid

Brussels (French: Bruxelles [bʁysɛl] or [bʁyksɛl]; Dutch: Brussel [ˈbrʏsəl] ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (French: Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest), is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the Flemish Region (in which it forms an enclave) and the Walloon Region. Brussels is the most densely populated and the richest region in Belgium in terms of GDP per capita. It covers 161 km2 (62 sq mi), a relatively small area compared to the two other regions, and has a population of 1.2 million. The metropolitan area of Brussels counts over 2.1 million people, which makes it the largest in Belgium. It is also part of a large conurbation extending towards Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven and Walloon Brabant, home to over 5 million people.Brussels grew from a small rural settlement on the river Senne to become an important city-region in Europe. Since the end of the Second World War, it has been a major centre for international politics and the home of numerous international organisations, politicians, diplomats and civil servants. Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions, including its administrative-legislative, executive-political, and legislative branches (though the judicial branch is located in Luxembourg, and the European Parliament meets for a minority of the year in Strasbourg) and its name is sometimes used metonymically to describe the EU and its institutions. The secretariat of the Benelux and headquarters of NATO are also located in Brussels. As the economic capital of Belgium and one of the top financial centres of Western Europe with Euronext Brussels, it is classified as an Alpha global city. Brussels is a hub for rail, road and air traffic, sometimes earning the moniker "Crossroads of Europe". The Brussels Metro is the only rapid transit system in Belgium. In addition, both its airport and railway stations are the largest and busiest in the country.Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels saw a language shift to French from the late 19th century. The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual in French and Dutch, even though French is now the de facto main language with over 90% of the population speaking it. Brussels is also increasingly becoming multilingual. English is spoken as a second language by nearly a third of the population and many migrants and expatriates speak other languages.Brussels is known for its cuisine and gastronomy, as well as its historical and architectural landmarks; some of them are registered as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Main attractions include its historic Grand Place, Manneken Pis, Atomium, and cultural institutions such as La Monnaie and the Museums of Art and History. Because of its long tradition of Belgian comics, Brussels is also hailed as a capital of the comic strip.

Madrid

City Overview

Madrid is not as colorful as Barcelona. It is not as old-fashioned as London, and there is no infinite prosperity in Paris. In the eyes of many travelers, she is even a bit unremarkable. As the capital of Spain and the largest city, people can experience the blend of classical and modern in Madrid, experience football culture, bullfight culture, feel the influence of the Spanish royal family on the lives of the people, or linger in museums or taste all over Spain. Gourmet.

Must visit attractions

Prado Museum Museo del Prado

The Prado Museum is one of the best museums in the world and is the most visited attraction in Madrid. It is the best work in the history of Spanish art from the 16th to the 19th centuries, such as the works of Velázquez, Goya, Greco, and of course a large collection of works by foreign Renaissance painters, such as Venice, Italy. Titian of the painting school, Rubens of the German Baroque, Jeronimos Boss of the Dutch surrealist, and so on. The total number of works in the museum is now 27,509, of which 7,825 are oil paintings, and the number is dazzling.

Transportation: Take Metro Line 2 to Banco de España or Metro Line 1 to Atocha Station.  

Madrid Royal Palace

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest royal palace in Western Europe, with 3,418 rooms inside, each with its own character. There are a lot of beautiful oil paintings, collectibles, weapons, porcelain, watches, gold and silver items. One of the most important works is the five-piece violin made by Antonio Stradivari, one of the greatest string instrument makers in history, and exhibited in the concert hall of the Royal Library. In addition, there are collections of paintings by the famous Spanish painter Velázquez and Goya, and the paintings of the famous Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio.

Until today, the palace is still the official royal residence.   Transportation: Take Metro Lines 2 and 5 to Ópera Station and head west to cross the Royal Opera House and Oriental Plaza.

Puerta del Sol Puerta del Sol

The square originated as a gate of Madrid in the 15th century, named after the city facade in the direction of the rising sun. The earliest building on the square was the old postal building of the 18th century, today the government building of the Madrid Autonomous Region, which was the National Security Headquarters during the Franco period. It may be worthwhile to pay attention to the semi-elliptical dark windows in the lower part of the building. This year was the prison for the recidivism against Franco. On the ground near the road in front of the building, it is the “zero kilometer” sign, which is the center of the Spanish national road network.

Transportation: You can choose to take the subway lines 1, 2 and 3 and get off at the Sol station.   

Gourmet & Accommodation & Shopping

Gourmet

As a capital, you can taste delicacies from all over Spain in addition to the local specialties stewed beef, Castilian soup, Segovia roast suckling pig, Valencia paella, even Spain Basque cuisine in the north. Restaurants and taverns are everywhere, and the palace and the Puerta are the most dense.

Accommodation

There are a lot of hostels in Madrid, ranging from general-purpose B&Bs to high-end five-star hotels. Many mid-priced hotels, concentrated in Puerta del Sol to the Gulangwei Avenue, are popular with young tourists and are close to Atocha Railway Station. Large hotels are very convenient for travelers who travel to the suburbs for a day trip.  

Shopping

Madrid's main shopping districts are concentrated in the area around Puerta del Sol to the Ka Yao Plaza and around Serrano Street. There are a variety of affordable fashion stores near the Puerta del Sol, in line with the general public's consumer market; as for Serrano Street, it is the world of famous boutiques, and it is often seen that locals dressed in Chinese costumes shop here.

Urban traffic

Public transportation in the city of Madrid is very convenient. Metro, intercity trains, buses, night trains, light rails, etc. form a complete transportation network, which can be used to reach the destination in the day or night.

The length of the Madrid Metro is second only to London in Europe. It currently has 12 lines, 3 light rails, and the R-line connecting the city centre Ópera station and the Príncipe Pío station. Each line is labeled with a different color to facilitate passengers. You can check the line, timetable, transfer and other information on the official website. Download the PDF version of the map, click: www.metromadrid.es

Running time: Monday to Sunday 6:05 - 2:00 am the next day. During the peak period (8:00-22:00), the interval between departures is 3-4 minutes, and the frequency of departures at night and weekends is reduced, and the interval can be up to 15 minutes.

Tickets: 1.5-2 Euro for a single ticket (0.1 Euro per station after 5 stations), 12.2 Euros for 10 tickets, and 5 Euros for the 8th line to and from the airport.