Madrid: what to see in 1 day

With over 3,000 rooms, the Royal Palace of Madrid, the official residence of the Spanish royal family today used only for state ceremonies, is among Europe's largest royal palaces and the point from which to depart: some rooms are visitable.

Beside the palace stands the Cathedral of the Almudena, completed only in 1993 after centuries of interrupted work, with an interior mixing Gothic, neoclassical and contemporary styles.

Crossing the streets of the historic center reaches Plaza Mayor, the great porticoed square of the seventeenth century surrounded by ochre-colored buildings, once the theater of markets, bullfights and even public executions.

Nearby, the Mercado de San Miguel, a covered market of iron and glass from the early twentieth century, is a good spot for a lunch break among tapas and local products.

The Paseo del Arte, the avenue facing the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza, naturally occupies the afternoon: given the limited time of one day, it's wise to choose just one.

The Prado houses one of the world's most important European painting collections, with works by Velázquez, Goya and Bosch, while the Reina Sofía is dedicated to twentieth-century art and holds Picasso's Guernica.

Those preferring the outdoors can instead devote the afternoon to the Retiro Park, the great garden once reserved for the royal family, with its artificial lake and the Palacio de Cristal in iron and glass.

For dinner, you can aim for the La Latina neighborhood, among its streets full of tapas bars—especially on Sundays, when the Rastro flea market overlaps.

Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor and the Paseo del Arte already tell in a few hours Madrid's monumental and artistic soul, with the afternoon choice between the great museums and the Retiro.

The neighborhood of Malasaña, with its nightlife, and the Santiago Bernabéu stadium remain good reasons for a return. Between Plaza Mayor and the masterpieces of the Prado you already touch the pulsing heart of the Spanish capital.