Travel around Spain and Portugal

The Spanish capital is a vibrant, atmospheric city, short on famous monuments but rich in cultural sights.

Pride of place belongs to the city’s three superb art museums. The Prado has one of the most remarkable art collections in the world, with works by major Spanish and European masters from the Renaissance onwards. The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is devoted to 20th-century Spanish art with representative works by Miró, Dalí, Juan Gris, and above all by the Cubists, including Picasso. The most famous work on show is his masterpiece from the Civil War period, Guernica. The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza is one of the most important private collections of western painting in the world, with more than 800 paintings from the Italian Renaissance to the 20th-century avant garde.

The Royal Palace dates from the mid-18th century. There are more than 20 rooms open to the public, exhibiting priceless tapestries, paintings, carpets, clocks, furniture, silverware and porcelain. The armory has one of the most valuable collections in Europe, mainly from the 16th century.

Madrid’s most historic square, the Plaza Mayor, is enclosed by arcades sheltering a variety of craft shops, restaurants and tapas bars. It was completed in 1617 during the reign of Philip III. The popular center of Madrid is the famous square, the Puerta del Sol, the main shopping district and hub of the city’s nightlife.

Madrid’s most accessible green space is the Retiro Park. A former royal retreat, its attractions include a boating lake and summer concerts.

The Botanical Gardens, a short walk from the Prado, are worth a visit.

The Casa de Campo, west of the city center, is a huge open space with a swimming pool, tennis courts, a jogging track and a zoo with aquarium. On the edge of Caso de Campo is the Parque de Atracciones, a large amusement park.

Southeast of the city is the Parque Biológico, a new theme park on bio-diversity with pavilions recreating a variety of ecosystems. There is a 250-hectare Warner Brothers theme park in San Martín de la Vega.

Many visitors to the city take the opportunity to see Real Madrid, one of the world’s most successful football clubs, at the Bernabéu Stadium.

There are numerous places of interest within easy reach of the city.

The Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial (49km, 30 miles) was commissioned by Philip II as a mausoleum for Spanish rulers. The highlights are the art museum, with works by Rubens, Tintoretto, Titian and Veronese, the palace, the basilica and the library.

Approximately 9km (6 miles) from the Escorial is the Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen), a huge crypt cut into the mountainside surmounted by a stone cross of 152m (500ft). The dictator, General Franco, conceived this dramatic monument as a tribute to those on the Fascist side who died in the Civil War. Franco himself is buried here.

Alcalá de Henares, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the birthplace of the writer Miguel de Cervantes and the English queen, Catherine of Aragon. The main point of interest is the university, founded in the 16th century by Cardinal Cisneros.

Other attractions include the 17th-century convent of San Bernardo and the oldest surviving public theater in Europe – as important to Spain as Shakespeare’s Globe is to England.

Aranjuez is famous for its gardens, an 18th-century Summer Palace, built by the Spanish Bourbons and Charles IV’s enormously expensive folly, the Casita del Labrador, on the banks of the River Tagus. Aranjuez is known for strawberries and asparagus.

The Strawberry Train (Tren de la Fresa), complete with steam engine and wooden carriages, operates between Madrid and Aranjuez between mid-April and July and September to mid-October.

Chinchón is an attractive little town with an atmospheric main square, Plaza Mayor, still used for bullfights during the fiesta (August) and for a passion play at Easter. T

he mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama are easily accessible from Madrid and are an important center for skiing and winter sports.

Puerto de Navacerrada and Valdesquí are the main resorts.