The Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest in Western Europe and one of the largest in the world. With over 135,000 square metres and 3,418 rooms, it has witnessed centuries of Spanish history. It is one of the few official seat of a Head of State that is open to the public. Almost 2 million visitors come every year to discover its rooms, works of art and treasures that are unique in the world.

El Retiro Park have over 125 hectares and comprising more than 15,000 trees, El Retiro Park–recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site–is a green oasis in the heart of the city. In it you’ll find all kinds of interesting monuments and gardens, including the Jardín de Vivaces, the Jardines de Cecilio Rodríguez (Andalusian-inspired classicistic gardens), the Jardines del Arquitecto Herrero Palacios, the Rosaleda rose garden and the Parterre Francés, which holds a Mexican conifer that is nearly 400 years old and is believed to be Madrid’s oldest tree.

The building that today houses Museo Nacional del Prado was designed by architect Juan de Villanueva in 1785. It was constructed to house the Natural History Cabinet, by orders of King Charles III. However, the building's final purpose - as the new Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures - was the decision of the monarch's grandson, King Ferdinand VII, encouraged by his wife Queen Maria Isabel de Braganza. The Royal Museum, soon quickly renamed the National Museum of Paintings and Sculptures and subsequently the Museo Nacional del Prado, opened to the public for the first time in November 1819.

The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is a football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a current seating capacity of 81,044, it has been the home stadium of Real Madrid since its completion in 1947. It is the second-largest stadium in Spain and third-largest home to a top-flight European club after Camp Nou and Westfalenstadion.

Madrid’s grand central square is found in the heart of Hapsburg Madrid, the oldest part of the city. Steeped in history, the bustling plaza is the perfect place to begin your stroll through one of Madrid’s most charming districts. While you’re there, have a bite to eat or a coffee at one of the sunny terraces, buy yourself a souvenir in any of the time-honoured shops, watch street musicians and artists working their magic, and soak up the city’s rich history. The square also plays host to events such as the drum parade at Easter, outdoor concerts, and the city's Christmas market in December, so be sure to check the calendar when you're visiting.

At over a hundred years old, Gran Vía, in the Sol, is one of the city’s main arteries and one of its most iconic avenues. Its construction, between 1910 and 1931, marked the beginning of the modernisation of the city, with the appearance of the country's first skyscrapers and the adoption of modern architectural trends originating in the United States.

The Museo Reina Sofía opened its doors in 1990 to show the contemporary Spanish art in relation to the international context. Its collection consists of more than 20,000 works from the late nineteenth century to the present, five percent of which is exhibited at the Museum and includes works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, Juan Gris, Georges Braque, Yves Klein, Robert Motherwell, Francis Bacon, Richard Serra, Alexander Calder, René Magritte, Antoni Muntadas, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Sol LeWitt or Marcel Broodthaers, among many more. The centerpiece is Guernica (1937), by Pablo Picasso.

The Rastro Known the world over for its crowded, transient flea market that's held on Sundays and public holidays and offers a diverse range of goods, El Rastro is a bustling shopping area in the city centre that’s open every day of the week and stands out for its jumble of specialist shops, typical bars, historic sites and interesting places like the Museum of Popular Art.