Things to Do in Madrid

This could just have easily read 'Peer at a Picasso'. In the Reina Sofia (home to 'Guernica'), the Thyssen and the enormous Prado Museum, Madrid boasts an absolutely awe-inspiring art collection that few other cities can match.

The city's Sunday flea market, which can be found along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores (between Calle Toledo and Calle Embajadores), is a Madrid institution. Whilst there may be fewer bargains here these days, the Rastro, with wares ranging from top-notch antiques to junk, is still an awful lot of fun.

Madrid's nightlife gets going late and finishes with breakfast. In between, there's pretty much everything that the modern diner, drinker and (especially) clubber could possibly want.

You don't have to be a football (or soccer) fan to enjoy a Real Madrid match. Probably the biggest football team on the planet, they’re also involved in the famous twice-yearly derby with Barcelona, a game of near-religious intensity.

As parks go, the Buen Retiro is a real gem. Centrally located, it's full of elegant promenades, street performers and, in the evening, relaxing Madrilenos taking their daily stroll.