Madrid in 2 days

Morning

• Prado Museum2h45

  Start at the Prado for the 10am opening on a booked timed slot, going straight to Velazquez's Las Meninas and the Goya black paintings before the galleries fill. Two to three hours covers the headline masterpieces without a forced march.

  TipEntry is free in the last two hours (Monday to Saturday 18:00-20:00, Sunday 17:00-19:00), but queues form well before, so arrive 30 to 45 minutes early. If you go paid, book a timed slot online, head straight to Velazquez's Las Meninas and the Goya black paintings first, and reckon on two to three hours minimum for the highlights.

Afternoon

• 1h15

  Lunch on the Paseo del Prado side or up toward Anton Martin, then keep the meal light because dinner runs late in Madrid. A menu del dia at a neighborhood bar is the value option.

• Retiro Park and Crystal Palace1h30

  Walk into Retiro Park behind the Prado for the afternoon, taking a rowboat on the lake and threading back to the Palacio de Cristal glass pavilion. It is the green breather between two big museums.

  TipFree and open from dawn; enter at the Puerta de Alcala end and walk to the boating lake, where rowboats cost about 6 EUR for 45 minutes with the shortest queues before noon. The Palacio de Cristal, a glass pavilion staging free contemporary-art installations, sits deeper in the park and is the one thing not to miss.

Evening

• Reina Sofia Museum1h30

  Take the Reina Sofia in its free weekday-evening window (19:00-21:00, closed Tuesdays), heading straight to Room 205 for Picasso's Guernica before circling out to Dali and Miro. Arrive a little early, as the free slot draws a queue.

  TipGuernica is the reason to come, and it lives in Room 205. Entry is free on weekday evenings (Monday and Wednesday to Saturday 19:00-21:00) and Sunday afternoon from 12:30, but it is closed Tuesdays entirely; book online to skip the line, go to Picasso's canvas first, then work outward to Dali and Miro.

• Cava Baja tapas crawl (La Latina)2h

  Walk to La Latina for a Cava Baja tapas crawl from around 9pm, ordering a plate and a drink at each bar and moving on. Gambas al ajillo, croquetas and a cana, standing at the counter like the locals.

  TipCava Baja is the single best tapas street in Madrid, a run of old taverns where you order one or two plates and a drink at each, then move on. Start around 9pm when kitchens hit their stride, stand at the bar rather than take a table, and try the classics: gambas al ajillo, croquetas and a caña of beer.

Morning

• Royal Palace (Palacio Real)2h

  Be at the Royal Palace for the 10am opening on a pre-booked ticket, checking the night before that it is not closed for a state event. Do the state rooms and the Royal Armoury, then step out to the free Almudena Cathedral and Sabatini Gardens next door.

  TipBook online to skip the long ticket line, and check the site first because the palace closes to visitors at short notice for state ceremonies. Aim for the 10am opening, do the state rooms and the Royal Armoury, then cross to the free Almudena Cathedral and the Sabatini Gardens next door.

Afternoon

• Mercado de San Miguel1h

  Graze lunch at Mercado de San Miguel beside Plaza Mayor, buying two or three tapas from different stalls and eating standing. It is pricier than a local bar, so treat it as a tasting rather than a full sit-down meal.

  TipThe restored iron-and-glass market beside Plaza Mayor is a gourmet tapas hall, more polished and pricier than local bars, so treat it as a grazing stop rather than a full meal. Go around noon or mid-afternoon to avoid the 8pm crush, buy two or three tapas from different stalls, and eat standing, as there is little seating.

• Plaza Mayor1h15

  Cross into Plaza Mayor to take in the arcaded 17th-century square, then thread the old lanes to Puerta del Sol and the Kilometre Zero marker at the center of Spain. Keep your bag zipped through the crowds here.

  TipThe grand 17th-century arcaded square is free and best early morning or after dinner when the daytime crush thins. Do not sit at the terrace cafes on the square itself, where the markup is brutal; instead grab the local street snack, a bocadillo de calamares, from a bar on nearby Calle Botoneras.

Evening

• Temple of Debod1h

  Walk up to the Temple of Debod 30 minutes before sunset for Madrid's free classic viewpoint, the ancient Egyptian stone mirrored in its pool against the sky over Casa de Campo. Get a spot at the railing early, as it gets busy.

  TipThis genuine ancient Egyptian temple, gifted to Spain and reassembled in a park, is Madrid's free classic sunset spot, with the stone reflected in its pool and the sky over the Casa de Campo behind. Come 30 minutes before sundown for a good position at the railing; it gets busy, and the interior has limited free timed entry (closed Mondays).

• Gran Via2h

  Drop down to Gran Via as the boulevard lights up, walking its early-20th-century facades toward the Metropolis dome. Dinner in the center or back in La Latina, keeping phones and bags secure on this pickpocket-prone strip.

  TipMadrid's early-20th-century grand boulevard is best walked at dusk when the shopfronts and the Metropolis building's dome light up. It is a prime pickpocket strip, so keep bags zipped and phones away from the edge of the pavement; for the classic rooftop view, the Circulo de Bellas Artes terrace nearby charges about 5 EUR.