Sports and leisure activities Madrid

The Spanish Football Federation (Real Federación Española de Fútbol) is the governing body for soccer in Spain. Their site offers information on competitions, national teams and news related to Spanish soccer. Based in Madrid, the Federation organizes international matches and national competitions, and supports the development of soccer at all levels in Spain. Their museum, the Museo de la Selección, is also located in Madrid, and features an exhibition on the history of Spanish soccer. The Federation also works on social initiatives, such as rehabilitation programs in collaboration with penal institutions. For soccer fans, the site also offers ticket sales for matches and an official store.

The Isabel Quintero school specializes in flamenco classes. Courses take place all year round. In July, the school offers daily intensive courses (3 hours), for two or four consecutive weeks. You can choose between flamenco, classical Spanish dance and bolera. But for tourists passing through, it is also possible to learn flamenco or tango, for example, during sessions of 3 hours (for 45 €). All the possible formulas (and there are many) can be found on the school's website.

About 15 minutes from the capital's city center, the Santander Golf Course is a particularly long 18-hole course designed by the famous American architect Rees Jones, in collaboration with Seve Ballesteros. According to all the experts, it is one of the best courses in the country. You can also take advantage of the Jim McLean Golf School, one of the most renowned in the world according to the specialized press, to improve your swing. There are many options for lessons, check out the golf course's website.

For those who love adventure, the Aventura Amazonia centre offers treetop activities. Located in Cercedilla, jump from tree to tree, thanks to tests that will make even the most intrepid among you dizzy. From branch to branch, climb to the top of the trees and admire the tranquility of the area. Zip lines, liana bridges, monkey bridges, here is the promise of a day full of laughter for young and old alike. With a bit of adrenaline, since you can also bungee jump 12 m!

Designed by Juan de Villanueva in 1790, the observatory still houses a magnificent library, a collection of period instruments and an Foucault pendulum, which demonstrates in real time the daily rotation of the Earth. The highlight of the guided tour is undoubtedly the very beautiful reconstitution of the telescope that William Herschel built for the observatory at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, which was unfortunately destroyed in 1808 during the Napoleonic occupation.