it is a very interesting city with excellent art galleries and historic buildings. The galleries include the world-famous Museo de Prado, which is up there with the Louvre and the Uffizi displaying some 2,300 paintings in 120 rooms, and the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, which houses Picasso’s moving work “Guernica”. The buildings include the royal palace, the cathedral This is a city which is most alive at night and locals don’t eat dinner until 10 pm or later and then drink and stroll until the early hours. On our visit, we made some fascinating trips out to the historic city of Toledo, one of the oldest cities in Spain and the capital until 1561, and to El Escorial, the summer residence of the Spanish kings located near the Sierra mountains.

Europe's second highest capital at 2,100 ft with extremes of weather - very cold winters and hot, dry summers. Although the wider area is over 30 mls across and home to some 5 million people, most of interest is sandwiched between the impressive Retiro Park to the E of the centre and the Royal Palace and Gardens to the W - a distance of just over 1 ml. This is the oldest-established part of the city, with Puerta del Sol square at its heart, the 18th-century buildings and shopping emporiums of Plaza Major in the SW corner, and its most famous museums just off the park. Beyond this central area, Madrid is a thoroughly modern European capital which has undergone massive changes since the early 1970s, brought on by the overwhelming effect of increased traffic, unbridled construction, industrial suburbs, vertical housing and an ever-more cosmopolitan population. It is a city well adapted to having fun: shopping is expensive - and eating out can be, too - but the lively streets of the town offer round-the-clock entertainment for visitors given to bar hopping and people watching.

An obligatory stop on any European traveller's itinerary; Spain's capital, the largest city in the country and its cultural, social and sporting mecca.

From the humblest of pensions in the old city centre to some of Europe's premier luxury hotels.

Virtually everything is available, most items markedly more expensive than in the UK. A generous range of typically Spanish goods - largely concentrated around Plaza Major - in the form of handicrafts, leatherwork, handmade guitars, ceramics, foodstuffs, wine and spirits. The big "Rastro" flea market, which takes place daily but is best on Sundays, is a bargain-seeker's delight. Good choice of antique shops around the Rastro and on Jorge Juan, Claudio Coello and Velazquez streets.

Daytime: museums and art galleries galore, such as Reina Sofia Art Centre (housed in an 18th-century palace), Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Villahermoso Palace, Prado Museum (first stop for lovers of painting and sculpture) and City Museum, for an easily digestible introduction to the city's history and architecture; exploring old Madrid by foot - almost a museum visit in itself; Royal Palace and Gardens; various churches and monasteries featuring art and religious collections. Nightlife: lively and varied, from neighbourhood jazz clubs and flamenco shows to plentiful bars, nightclubs and discos; classical concerts and "zarzuela" (Spanish operetta) to rock and pop concerts; original-language cinemas.

Huge selection of national and international restaurants in all price categories. Spanish specialities from around the country include cuisine from Galicia, Asturias and the Basque region. Vast choice of seafood, including Valencian paella, and plentiful tapas bars. Local dishes to try include cocido madrileno (meat and chick-pea stew), callos (tripe) and sopa de ajo (garlic soup). International cuisine includes Chinese, Italian, French, Moroccan, German, Russian, Mexican and Cuban. Bear in mind that restaurants keep late dining hours with many not opening until 8 or 9 o'clock.

Buses and a Metro system which is safe, cheap and efficient compared to others in Europe. Trains to other parts of Spain and most European capitals, including a high-speed link to Seville. Plenty of taxis, at reasonable rates.

Half day: El Escorial, Philip II's 16th-century monastery/palace/art collection, in the Sierra de Guadarrama; "Valle de los Caidos" (Valley of the Fallen), a giant mausoleum carved out of a mountain by political prisoners after the Spanish Civil War; Aranjuez, the royal summer residence (try out the renowned local strawberries and asparagus in spring). Full day: city of Toledo, with its monuments and paintings by El Greco; Segovia with its Roman aqueduct and renowned restaurants; Versailles-style summer palace of La Granja with its gardens and fountains; medieval walled city of Avila; Warner Bros Movieworld theme park.

Roughly in the centre of the Iberian peninsula. 200 mls E of the border with Portugal. 344 mls NE of Seville. 10 mls SW of Barajas airport.

Sitting high on Spain's central "meseta" with mountains to the N, arid plains to the S.

Website: www.comadrid.es/turismo

Airport : Barajas
Airport Code: MAD
Flight time from ther U.K.: 2 hrs. 15 mins