Madrid, Spain

Madrid is the least touristic of Europe’s great capitals — a city that functions primarily for the pleasure of its three million inhabitants. The Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza together constitute arguably the finest concentration of art museums in the world. The food culture — tapas at a marble bar at noon, a three-hour lunch, supper at 10pm — is a way of life, not a performance.

Best months: April–June and September–October. Madrid in spring is spectacular — the Retiro park blooms and the terraces fill. October is particularly pleasant: warm evenings, the new cultural season, none of the summer heat. July–August: temperatures regularly reach 38–40°C and many neighbourhood restaurants close.

Madrid’s metro is outstanding — 12 lines, clean, frequent, covering the entire city. Taxis are plentiful, metered and honest. The tourist travel card (Tarjeta Turística) covers metro, bus and train. Madrid-Barajas Airport: Metro Line 8, 25 minutes from the centre.

Salamanca (northeast) is Madrid’s most elegant neighbourhood — designer boutiques and excellent restaurants. Barrio de las Letras (Literary Quarter) is central and walking distance from the three major art museums. Chueca and Malasaña are younger and more bohemian — excellent for independent restaurants and a more local feel.

The Prado on a weekday at 10am: Velázquez’s Las Meninas, Goya’s Black Paintings, El Greco — one of the world’s three greatest art museums. Free entry 6–8pm. Allow at least half a day.
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum: The finest private art collection in the world, covering 800 years from medieval to Pop Art.
El Retiro park on a Sunday morning: Rowing boats on the lake, the magnificent Crystal Palace, the entire city at rest.
The Rastro flea market (Sunday mornings, La Latina): Madrid’s enormous weekly street market. Arrive early for the best finds.
A football match at the Bernébeu or Metropolitano: Spanish football is an unmissable cultural experience — book through official channels months ahead.

Madrid’s food culture is organised around the bar-hop — a series of small tapas at different bars, each specialising in two or three dishes. La Latina is Madrid’s best tapas neighbourhood. Sobrino de Botín (founded 1725, the world’s oldest restaurant) serves the definitive cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig).

Madrid is a flat city, largely well-paved and manageable for all mobility levels. The summer heat (July–August) is genuinely extreme — plan all outdoor activity before noon and after 7pm. Metro stations have lifts at most central stops.

Madrid is very safe for tourists. Watch for pickpockets around Atocha station and Sol in crowded conditions. Emergency: 112.

Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas near the Retiro: a magnificent and almost entirely unvisited collection of decorative arts — you may have the extraordinary 18th-century Valencia kitchen entirely to yourself.
Chocolatería San Ginés (open 24 hours, since 1894): churros with thick hot chocolate at 3am after the opera is one of Madrid’s great rituals.
The Palacio de Cristal in El Retiro: A magnificent 19th-century glasshouse hosting contemporary art exhibitions — beautiful and free.