In Two Days

On your first day, follow the 1-day tour. On your second day start early with a stroll in the Retiro Park, then pay a quick visit to the famed Thyssen Gallery in the leafy Paseo del Prado (you'll only have time to pick out a few favorites -- the Dutch masterpieces, for example). Then go up Alcalá street from nearby Cibeles fountain, taking in the Circulo de Bellas Artes, passing San Jerónimo and -- after the Puerta del Sol -- the Convento de las Descalzas Reales. In the afternoon take in the cathedral and the Royal Palace. Afterward descend to the Campo del Moro park and wander along the lesser-known River Manzanares area to the tiny chapel of San Antonio de la Florida where Goya is buried.

1: Retiro Park

Start with an early breakfast and a stroll among the joggers and tai chi exercisers as far as the Estanque (lake) in the Retiro Park. Once the sole playground of royals, this rectangular oasis of greenery has been a popular rendezvous for residents ever since it was opened up to the public in 1868.

2: Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

More exquisite art if you're game. This superb multifaceted gallery, founded by the late Baron Hans Heinrich and his wife Carmen "Tita" Rivera, reopened in 2004 with a new extension for temporary exhibitions. To get a rough idea of the museum's vast range, we suggest you take a peep first at the Dutch masters and then at masterpieces by modernists Klee, Braque, and Picasso.

3: Cibeles

Madrid's most famous fountain lies at the meeting point of Alcalá and the Paseo del Prado opposite the Banco España and main Post Office (Palacio de Comunicaciones). Soccer team Real Madrid's successes are celebrated by fans jumping in the water. An over-excessive spree a year or so back caused one of the goddess's hands to go missing. It was replaced at great cost, and the hapless students responsible received a sobering fine.

4: Círculo de Bellas Artes

An Art Deco gem with exhibitions in various salons as well as a neighboring cinema cafe. You can also pop up to the top floor and look at the library, even if you're not a member.

5: Take a Break

The Círculo de Bellas Artes' spacious and well-worn cafe evokes a turn-of-the-20th-century aura, with its ceiling chandeliers, recumbent statue of a naked lady, and high, wide windows overlooking the junction of Alcalá and the Gran Vía. Morning TV interviews with both established and up-and-coming politicians are often held against this backdrop, so you might get a glimpse of some future Spanish president. Calle Marqués de Casa Riera 2. tel. 91-360-54-00.

6: Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Time for a quick peep at another unmissable temple of art, located just up Alcalá on the way to Sol. This one's the oldest in Madrid and remarkable for its wealth of Spanish and Dutch masters. If nothing else, see the roomful of Goyas.

7: Convento de las Descalzas Reales

An oasis of calm set down in the midst of urban mayhem, this 16th-century convent feels hundreds of kilometers from Madrid instead of just a stone's throw from the Gran Vía, though admittedly you'll experience a slight sense of rush as you "do" the array of corridors and paintings in around 20 minutes. Some of these guided visits have commentary in Spanish only, so take a guidebook with you to be on the safe side.

8: Take a Break

After this surfeit of culture, tuck into a satisfying lunch at one of Madrid's genuine remaining traditional eating spots, Casa Ciriaco, in central Calle Mayor. Photos of eminent figures from the past hang on the inner restaurant's walls; here is where pre-'30s radical thinkers used to meet to put the world right. Anti-royalists once threw a bomb at Alfonso XIII from one of the balconies. (He was unharmed, though many others were less fortunate.) These days the mood is neither anarchic nor intellectual, but the hearty Castilian food is great. Calle Mayor 84. tel. 91-559-50-66.

9: Palacio Real

A Bourbon monument of granite and white stone, this vast Italian-designed 18th-century palace is one of Madrid's greatest architectural assets. Though it's not used much by today's royal family, official ceremonies are often held here -- be sure to check that it is open before your visit. Fifty of its nearly 3,000 sumptuous salons are accessible to the public. If you come at midday on the first Wednesday of the month (July and Aug excepted), you'll catch the colorful changing of the guard.

10: Almudena Catedral

Built over an unbelievably protracted period of 110 years -- during which time its originally projected Gothic style eventually gave way to neoclassicism -- this bright but rather vacuous 20th-century creation pales in comparison with the 11th-century mosque that long preceded it. Worth a look for its 16th-century image of the Virgin of the Almudena in the crypt, polychrome funeral casket of San Isidro, and controversial abstract stained-glass windows, which provide some welcome color.

11: Parque de las Vistillas

Located at the southern end of the Puente de Segovia viaduct close to the secretive Capilla del Cristo de los Dolores, this tiny area of parkland offers some of the best views in the city. Below you lies the green expanse of the Casa del Campo, while over to the northeast you can see the distant purple-gray Guadarrama mountains, snow-capped in winter. During the San Isidro and Virgen de la Paloma fiestas, lively verbenas (fairs) held here fill the night air with music.

12: Campo del Moro

Though the name has 11th-century Moorish connotations (when the city was under siege), the charming Campo del Moro is in fact laid out like a rather lush English park. Designed in 1844 and first opened in 1931, it was closed during the Franco era and finally reopened to the public in 1983. Today you can stroll at leisure among the flower beds, lawns, and fountains and enjoy the marvelous view of the Palacio Real towering above.

13: Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida (Panteón de Goya)

Halfway along the Paseo de la Florida which runs parallel to the River Manzanares, you'll find this delightful domed hermitage -- the right-hand one of an identical couple. Some of Goya's most evocative frescoes (beautifully restored in 1996) depict the Miracles of Saint Anthony on the interior of the cupola. The artist himself is buried in front of the altar.

14: Take a Break

Casa Mingo Great place for sampling cider -- still or fizzy -- and stuff cooked in it, like delicious calories-loaded chorizo. A mere stone's throw from the Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida, it used to be a popular student's hangout. Although it's not so cheap these days and sees many more tourists than students, it's still great fun, either inside under the rafters and beside the barrels or outside on the roof on hot summer evenings. Paseo de la Florida 34. tel. 91-547-79-18.