Madrid snapshot

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Travel planning

Madrid is relatively unknown to most of the tourists who visit Spain each year, many being happy to stay in the Spanish coastal resorts. Madrid became the country's capital in 1561 simply because it was the geographical centre of the Iberian Peninsular.

Madrid is 300km from the sea and has a challenging climate – burning hot in mid-summer, freezing cold in mid-winter, but it is normally sunny and dry throughout the year. It is Europe's highest capital, at 650m (2,132ft) above sea level.

While lacking the character of Spain’s older cities, the centre is pleasing with attractive squares, narrow alleys, interesting shops and superb parks.

It’s a late night city too, with thousands of bars and restaurants providing a truly vibrant night out into the early hours, although there are official attempts to close bars by 3am.

Artistic attractions

The art galleries are a must, with the Prado one of the world’s great museums. There are stunning collections of artistic giants like Velázquez, El Greco and Goya. The Reina Sofia museum is the place for modern Spanish art, notably Picasso’s famous Guernica, but also works by Miro and Dali.

Puerta del Sol is the very centre of Madrid - and Spain, as road distances are measured from here. Most sights are relatively nearby, from the Royal Palace to the west and the massive and attractive Retiro Park to the east.

Notable sights

Notable sights include the arcaded Plaza Mayor, once the scene of the Inquisition’s trials and executions, now packed with restaurants and bars, and the Opera which reopened in 1997 after a 10 year expensive refurbishment. The Royal Palace is open for visits and is said to have more rooms than any other European palace.

Madrid is a city that enjoys itself with numerous festivals each year and each district, or barrio trying to outdo all the others. Highlights include the Feast of the Three Kings, Carnival, Holy Week, the start of bullfighting season in May, and New Year’s Eve. Success for the soccer team Real Madrid, particularly over arch-rival FC Barcelona, also attract wild celebrations.

Travel is easy with an excellent metro system and reasonably cheap taxis. Travelling to nearby cities like Toledo and Segovia – both worth the effort - may require a taxi or bus ride out to the coach station which is a couple of kilometres out of the city. There are excellent fast train services to Seville, Barcelona and other major cities. The airport is 16km to the east of Madrid.

Make sure you include Booked.net if searching for Madrid hotels. They list a good number of quality hotels, available at competitive prices. Also, you don't have to pay any extra fees for booking, administration or cancellation.

Every month our travel writers comb the web for city break deals to Madrid. Visit our Madrid holiday shop to browse through the latest offers.

• Madrid- Detailed tourism site for Madrid