Madrid Things To Do

This venerable museum houses an 8,600-strong collection of Spanish paintings includes masterpieces like Velázquez’ Las Meninas and Goya’s celebrated Maja portraits, plus over thirty El Grecos in an immense neoclassical building. Free on Sundays; Tues-Sun 9am-8pm.

Picasso’s Guernica takes the spotlight at this contemporary art center, but the rest of the collection is equally impressive, with a strong selection of Dalí and Miró works and a snazzy new glass wing by trendy French architect Jean Nouvel. Free on Saturdays after 2:30pm and on Sundays. Mon-Sat 10am-9pm; Sun 10am-2:30pm.

Get a minor in art history at this cultural heavyweight whose collection spans the 13th to late-20th centuries, with Gothic painting to Russian Constructivism to Pop Art and masterpieces by Renoir, Degas, and Van Gogh hung on the walls of a 19th-century palace. Tues-Sun 10am-7pm.

Mix with Madrileños (as the locals are known) in this manicured 330-acre oasis that once served as royal hunting grounds and spend the afternoon promenading, cycling, boating on the lake, or catching performances by pavement artists.

The city’s most iconic square is a cobblestoned affair lined with sidewalk tables and theatrically enclosed by granite arches; take a coffee break and admire the bronze equestrian sculpture of Felipe III at its center.

Stroll through Madrid’s major transport hub and rendezvous point, perennially packed with street performers, locals and tourists; then sit down for coffee just southeast of the Puerta at charming Plaza Santa Ana.

Pay due respect to Spain’s monarchy by touring its royal palace (though it no longer houses the royals). About 50 of its opulent rooms are open to the public, as are its armory and 16th-century pharmacy packed with ancient jars and mortars.

This remarkable Franciscan convent dates from 1557 and is chock-full of splendid tapestries, woodcarvings, frescoes, silverware, sculptures, and paintings. Tues-Thurs, Sat 10:30am-12:45pm and 4pm-5:45pm; Fri 10:30am-12:45pm; Sun 11am-1:45pm.

Book a coveted and pricey sombra (shadow) seat at a corrida, Madrid’s controversial but revered bullfighting event; season runs from March through October, with bullfights every Sunday, but the best matadors and fiercest bulls come during the annual Fiesta de San Isidro (in mid-May).