In Three Days

One of the best and most surprising things about Madrid is how quickly one can move from the narrow, alleyed medieval urban core to green wooded parkland. For the first 2 days, follow the 1- and 2- Day itineraries. Then, if you have room for another unforgettable artistic experience, pop into the Reina Sofia museum for a tantalizing glimpse at Spain's premier modern collection (highlighted by Picasso's Guernica). Alternatively, if it's a Sunday you can visit Madrid's famed open-air Rastro market. Then take a stroll around the old southern district of Lavapiés -- one of Madrid's most atmospheric castizo areas -- with its corralas, tabernas, and village-style multi-ethnic shops. In the afternoon travel by Metro to parkside Argüelles and from there take a funicular ride over the Manzanares River into the huge Casa del Campo. Walk down through the parklands to Lago for a sunset aperitif in one of the many lakeside cafes.

1: Reina Sofia

Completing Madrid's trio of top art museums is this veritable mecca of modernity. You may not go for the hyperfunctional exterior -- an uncompromising blend of concrete, glass, and steel -- but there's no doubt the Dalís and Tàpies inside are worth anyone's time. If you see only one thing, though, it has to be Picasso's ground-breaking Guernica, once considered so inflammatory a work it needed half a dozen guards close by to ensure no one tried to vandalize it. Now there's one guard around at the most.

2: Plaza del Cascorro/Rastro

If your visit is on a Sunday, you might want to switch your stop at the Reina Sofia for a bargain-hunting visit here. This small square is at the top of Ribera de Curtidores where the Sunday Rastro flea market is held. The small but stirring monument at its center is in honor of a young soldier, Eloy Gonzalo, who died on a suicide mission to Cuba while defending Spain's last Latin American possession in 1898. Saying hola to Eloy as you enter the square is said to bring good luck.

3: Plaza de Lavapiés

Steep, narrow lanes, many of them pedestrianized, converge on this dusty triangular plaza, once the heart of a medieval Jewish stronghold. In just the past decade its traditional castizo atmosphere has been replaced by a bohemian multi-ethnic scene, populated by Senegalese, Chinese, Moroccans, Turks, and Indians. Explore the district's eclectic array of shops, cafes, and eating spots and check out the new Valle-Inclán theater. Borderline seedy, the square positively bustles with life.

4: Take a Break

The intriguingly rundown high-ceilinged Café Barbieri on Calle Ave María just off the square has a vaguely bohemian ambience that goes with the territory. A cavernous, moodily lit spot where you can enjoy a reflective coffee or something stronger in the stimulating midst of the Lavapiés melting pot, it also offers a nice range of teas. Calle Ave María 45.tel. 91-527-36-58.

5: Antón Martín Market

A short puff uphill from Calle Ave María brings you to Plaza Antón Martín, where you can browse one of Madrid's most typical old two-story markets. Stalls here sell a colorful selection of food from all over Spain as well as from tropical regions. Throbbing with life and color, it's the antithesis of the bland supermarket. You'll also find a good herbs and olive oil section and a friendly alcove cafe where you can hear youngsters banging out their steps on the floor of the flamenco dance school overhead.

6: Filmoteca Cine Doré

Situated next to the market, Madrid's most enchanting cinema has an Art Deco exterior and a traditional theater interior. The place itself looks a scene from an Almodóvar flick and shows the most eclectic range of films in town. It also has a cafe and a small bookshop and in summer runs open-air shows on the roof. All films are in their original language, and the entrance fee is a bargain.

7: Plaza Tirso de Molina

Built on the site of a former convent and originally known as the Plaza del Progreso, this square at the northern end of Lavapiés was renamed after the great Golden Age playwright in 1941. In 2005 it was converted from an attractive if slightly seedy 19th-century plaza into an extended but characterless semi-pedestrianized zone with children's play areas and flowerbeds set amid the original trees. Although Tirso (or Fray -- Friar -- Gabriel Téllez, his real name) might not be too pleased to see some of the apparently homeless denizens hanging around his statue today, they're harmless enough and even manage to add an aura of Zola-esque earthiness to an area now dominated by concrete.

8: La Corrala

During the 19th century, many of Madrid's working-class population lived in tenements like these. With their characteristic patios and open balconies, these tenements symbolized a basic communal lifestyle that made few concessions to individual privacy. In today's (comparatively) less sociable world, most of these buildings have disappeared; the few that remain have subsequently achieved near-museum status. This one in Calle Meson de Paredes is the best-preserved, though you can only view it from outside.

9: Take a Break

Casa Lastra Sidrería. Good Asturian fare in a homey tavern setting. It can be expensive, so the fixed-menu lunch is the best value, especially if it includes merluza (hake). Go easy on the heady house cider if you want to do the rest of the day justice. Calle Olivar 3. tel. 91-369-08-37.

10: Templo de Debod

Take the Metro to Argüelles to see this and the following sights. Of all Madrid's fascinating attractions, none is more incongruous than the Egyptian Temple of Debod, poised high on the edge of the Parque del Oeste on the site of the former Montaña barracks and enjoying great views. The temple and two of its original three gateways were transported from their Nile-side habitat in 1968 in thanks for Spain's help with the Aswan Dam. Inside the temple are depictions of a Theban god with a ram's head symbolizing fertility. This is one of the city's major freebie attractions.

11: Teleférico de Madrid

For the best aerial view of the southern side of Madrid, take this 2.5km (1 1/2 mile) cable-car ride across the River Manzanares and Parque del Oeste into the Casa de Campo. An upbeat, rather dated, commentary in Spanish extols the beauties of the Palacio Real and Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida (or Panteón de Goya) as they float below. Departure point is in the middle of the splendid Paseo de Pintor Rosales, whose fortunate apartment owners not only enjoy unrivaled vistas but also on warm days can relax in the best array of terrace cafes you'll find in the city.

12: Casa de Campo

Thanks to this immense area of pines and shrubs (nearly 4,500 acres in all), Madrid claims to have a bigger total of green zones than any other European capital. In olden days kings hunted wild boar here. Today predators in the form of prostitutes parade on the westerly fringe roads. The green expanse's central trails and footpaths are quite free from such salacious influences, however, and ideal for family picnics and strolls.

13: Lago

Surprisingly little known, this circular lake with its high, gushing central fountain in the southeast corner of the Casa del Campo is the ideal spot for a relaxing rowboat outing. Around the edge of the lake, an enticing choice of alfresco eating spots beckons like tabernas on some Greek island. Here you can enjoy superb views of the city skyline, dominated by the classic outline of the Palacio Real.

Take a Break -- Enjoy an evening drink in one of the open-air spots beside the lake. In winter, return to Austrias.