Madrid in 3 days

Morning

• Prado Museum2h45

  Open the trip at the Prado's 10am slot, booked ahead, and make straight for Las Meninas and Goya's black paintings before the crowds build. Give it two and a half to three hours for the masterpieces; less and you are jogging past them.

  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

• Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum2h

  Lunch on the Paseo del Prado, then take the Thyssen-Bornemisza across the boulevard, free on Monday afternoons for the permanent collection. Start on the top floor with the Old Masters and descend chronologically to the Impressionists and 20th century.

  TipThe third point of the art triangle fills the gaps the Prado and Reina Sofia leave: Impressionists, Old Masters and 20th-century works in one walkable collection. It is free on Monday afternoons (12:00-16:00) for the permanent collection; book online otherwise, start on the top floor and descend chronologically to save your legs.

• Retiro Park and Crystal Palace1h15

  Walk into Retiro behind the museums for late-afternoon air, taking a rowboat on the lake and looping to the Palacio de Cristal. It resets your legs between the day's two art blocks.

  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 evening window (19:00-21:00, closed Tuesdays), going first to Room 205 for Guernica before Dali and Miro. Arrive early, as the free slot draws a line at the door.

  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.

• 1h30

  Dinner near Anton Martin or back up toward Malasana, easing into the late Madrid rhythm with tapas rather than a heavy sit-down meal. Kitchens are only warming up at 9pm here.

Morning

• Royal Palace (Palacio Real)2h

  Be at the Royal Palace for 10am on a pre-booked ticket, having checked it is not shut for a state ceremony. Do the state rooms and the Royal Armoury, then cross to the free Almudena Cathedral and the Sabatini Gardens.

  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.

• Mercado de San Miguel1h

  Graze an early lunch at Mercado de San Miguel by Plaza Mayor, buying a few tapas from different stalls and eating standing. Keep it light, as this is a tasting stop, not the main meal of the day.

  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.

Afternoon

• Plaza Mayor1h15

  Take in Plaza Mayor's arcaded square, then walk the old lanes to Puerta del Sol and the Kilometre Zero marker at the geographic center of Spain. Keep your bag zipped through the Sol crowds.

  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.

• Plaza de Cibeles1h

  Stroll down to Plaza de Cibeles for the fountain and palace, and pay the few euros to ride up the Palacio de Cibeles mirador for a wide view along the Paseo del Prado. It bridges the old core and the boulevards.

  TipThe fountain-and-palace junction is a free landmark, and Real Madrid fans gather at the Cibeles fountain to celebrate titles. Climb the Palacio de Cibeles for its rooftop mirador (about 3 EUR) for a wide view down the Paseo del Prado; it sits on the walk between the Prado and Gran Via, so slot it in between.

Evening

• Temple of Debod1h

  Walk to the Temple of Debod for sunset, arriving 30 minutes early for a railing spot as the ancient Egyptian stone catches the last light over Casa de Campo. This is the free classic Madrid sundown.

  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

  Come back through a lit-up Gran Via, walking the grand facades toward the Metropolis dome, then dinner in the center. Keep phones and bags secure on this pickpocket-heavy stretch.

  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.

Morning

• El Rastro flea market2h

  If it is Sunday, dive into El Rastro before 11am while it is walkable, working down Ribera de Curtidores through the La Latina lanes with valuables in a front pocket. Any other day, spend the morning wandering La Latina's medieval streets and squares instead.

  TipMadrid's huge open-air flea market runs Sunday mornings only, roughly 9am to 3pm, spilling down Calle Ribera de Curtidores and the La Latina lanes. Come before 11am to beat the crush, keep valuables in a front pocket because it is prime pickpocket territory, and finish with a vermouth in a Cava Baja bar as the locals do.

Afternoon

• Cava Baja tapas crawl (La Latina)2h

  Settle into La Latina for a long lunch, doing a Cava Baja and Cava Alta crawl with a vermouth as the market winds down, in the Sunday tradition. One or two plates a bar, standing at the counter, then move on.

  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.

• 1h30

  Walk north into Malasana for the afternoon, browsing the vintage shops and third-wave coffee around Plaza del Dos de Mayo. This is where the 1980s Movida began and where the city still feels youngest.

Evening

• 2h30

  Aperitivo and dinner in Malasana or neighboring Chueca, hopping between small kitchens and cocktail bars as the neighborhoods fill up. Book anywhere with a name, as the good tables go by 9:30 on weekends.