Christmas has come to town with its lights, decoration and the most enjoyable plans in every corner to make these days really special. If you want to know what to do in the city these days, here you have some suggestions.

Discovering Christmas

First of all, if this is your first time in the city, you cannot miss the Christmas lights that decorate the streets. Starting by the main monuments and emblematic streets like Gran Via, you can see how beautiful the city is these days. A special way of appreciating this decoration is in the Navibus. Until January 6, children and parents can enjoy a city tour in this special Christmas bus service, having a privilege sight of emblematic streets from the top of this bus.

Another exciting option for the whole family is to join a Discover Madrid guided tour that besides traditional visits like Essential Madrid, offers this season special tours like Historical Nativity Scenes, Christmas by bike or Christmas Traditions. (All of them in English language, meeting point at Plaza Mayor Tourist Centre).

But if you really want to feel the Christmas atmosphere in Madrid, you have to visit the famous Christmas markets you will find around different squares at the city centre (Plaza Mayor, Plaza de Jacinto Benavente). Here you can buy small figures for Nativity scenes, decorations and even Christmas trees.

And talking about Nativity scenes, each year on Christmas time the visitor can find a lot of interesting Nativity scenes in every corner in Madrid. Some churches and public buildings open their doors to show the public the most beautiful scenes. This year, the famous crib of Madrid City Council is for the first time at the main floor of the renovated Cibeles Palace. What are you waiting to enjoy the best Belenes?

Plans with kids

To enjoy Christmas with your kids, Conde Duque Cultural Centre has programmed this year (from December 23 to January 8) City of Children, a number of activities for the whole family. You can also have a great time at Faunia, where children from 3 to 13 years old will discover a new way to enjoy Christmas through different games and activities, gymkhanas, workshops, etc. These are only a few suggestions; the whole program for Christmas 2011/2012 is here available. There are plenty of activities to enjoy Christmas with your kids!

Shows, gastronomy and more…

If Christmas is your favourite time of year because you have a sweet tooth and love gastronomy, we recommend you to visit some of the sweetest places in town. Just have a look at the window of cake shops and discover the typical Spanish Christmas sweets, like turrón or roscón de Reyes.

For musical lovers Madrid offers many different options these days: The Lion King, More than a hundred lies, Shrek, Chicago… and also a wide offer of theatrical plays where you can dance, sing and smile during Christmas.

And last but not least, don’t forget to do your Christmas shopping. In Madrid you will find the best shops to buy the most original gifts and surprise family and friends. Salamanca District, Triball, Chueca or Salesas are the trendiest areas for shopping in the city centre.

Now that you have all these fantastic suggestions, just go and enjoy Christmas. We wish you a great Christmas time in Madrid!