Madrid is a city that rewards exploration.
Spain's capital doesn't have to rely on a single landmark to define it. Instead, I found a city filled with grand royal architecture, enormous public squares, world-famous museums, beautiful parks and neighbourhoods that each seem to have their own personality.
During my visit, I explored everything from the Royal Palace and the Prado Museum to local markets, traditional cafés and Madrid's famous football stadium.
What I particularly enjoyed was how easily many of these places could be grouped together. The Royal Palace leads naturally towards Almudena Cathedral and the Sabatini Gardens, while the Prado, Botanical Garden and Retiro Park form another excellent area to explore on foot.
These are the places that defined my visit to Madrid.
Exploring Royal Madrid
One of the best places to begin exploring Madrid is around the Royal Palace.
This part of the city immediately gives you a sense of Madrid's history as the capital of Spain, with monumental buildings, large open spaces and beautifully maintained gardens.
Royal Palace of Madrid
The Royal Palace of Madrid was one of the most impressive buildings I visited in the city.
Its enormous size becomes apparent before you even enter. The palace covers more than 135,000 square metres and contains more than 3,000 rooms, making it one of the largest royal palaces in Europe.
Although the Spanish Royal Family no longer lives here on a day-to-day basis, the palace remains an official royal residence and continues to be used for state ceremonies and official events.
Inside, the experience becomes even more impressive.
Grand staircases, decorated ceilings, chandeliers, paintings, furniture and elaborate rooms provide a glimpse into centuries of Spanish royal history.
This is not somewhere I would rush through. There is a considerable amount to see, and many of the details can easily be overlooked if you simply move from room to room.
Almudena Cathedral
Directly beside the Royal Palace stands the Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena.
The proximity of the two buildings makes visiting them together an obvious choice.
What I found interesting about Almudena Cathedral is how different it feels from many of Europe's much older cathedrals.
Although its origins stretch back much further, construction took place over an unusually long period and the cathedral was only completed relatively recently.
Standing between the cathedral and the Royal Palace also provides one of the most impressive architectural settings in Madrid.
Rather than treating them as separate attractions, I would consider the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral as one combined part of exploring the city.
Sabatini Gardens
Next to the Royal Palace are the Sabatini Gardens.
After exploring the enormous palace interiors, the gardens provide a much quieter environment.
Their geometric layout, fountains, sculptures and carefully maintained hedges complement the architecture of the palace behind them.
The gardens were constructed on the site of the former royal stables and were designed to appear as an extension of the Royal Palace.
They are also a good place to simply slow down for a while before continuing through central Madrid.
Plaza Mayor and the Heart of Old Madrid
Moving deeper into central Madrid brings you into an area that feels very different from the monumental surroundings of the Royal Palace.
Here, historic streets lead between squares, markets, restaurants and traditional businesses.
Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor is one of Madrid's great public spaces.
Entering the square through one of the surrounding archways suddenly reveals an enormous rectangular plaza enclosed almost completely by historic buildings.
It is one of those places where I found it worthwhile simply standing in the centre for a while and taking in the architecture.
The square has played many different roles throughout Madrid's history, but today it is one of the city's most recognisable meeting places.
Its central location also makes it an excellent reference point when exploring Madrid on foot.
Mercado de San Miguel
Close to Plaza Mayor is Mercado de San Miguel.
The historic market building has become one of Madrid's best-known food destinations.
Inside, numerous stalls offer different foods, tapas and Spanish specialities.
It is certainly busier and more polished than a typical neighbourhood market, but I still found it an interesting place to visit, particularly because it can so easily be combined with Plaza Mayor and the surrounding historic streets.
Chocolatería San Ginés
Another famous Madrid institution I visited was Chocolatería San Ginés.
The speciality here is simple: churros served with thick hot chocolate.
It has been part of Madrid since the 19th century and has become one of the city's best-known places for trying this traditional combination.
Sometimes the most memorable travel experiences don't involve museums or monuments.
Sitting down with churros and chocolate in Madrid certainly belongs in that category.
Casa Lucas
I also stopped at Casa Lucas.
Places like this were important to my Madrid experience because they provided a contrast to the monumental attractions and museums.
Madrid's food culture is part of exploring the city, and spending some time inside smaller establishments provides a very different experience from simply moving between famous landmarks.
Madrid's Great Museums
Madrid has an extraordinary concentration of museums.
I visited three that offered completely different perspectives: fine art at the Prado, archaeology and ancient civilisations at the National Archaeological Museum, and Spain's maritime history at the Naval Museum.
Museo Nacional del Prado
The Museo Nacional del Prado was one of the major cultural highlights of my visit.
Even people who aren't particularly interested in art will probably recognise some of the artists represented here.
The Prado's collection includes works associated with some of the greatest names in European painting, particularly Spanish masters such as Velázquez and Goya.
The size of the collection means trying to see absolutely everything can quickly become overwhelming.
I found it better to slow down and concentrate on particular galleries and works rather than treating the museum like a checklist.
The Prado is also conveniently positioned near several other places I visited, including the Royal Botanical Garden and Retiro Park.
National Archaeological Museum
The National Archaeological Museum was particularly interesting because it provides a much broader journey through history.
Its collections cover the different peoples and cultures that inhabited the Iberian Peninsula from prehistoric periods onwards, alongside material from ancient Mediterranean civilisations including Egypt and Greece.
For anyone interested in archaeology and ancient history, this is easily somewhere where several hours can disappear.
The museum also provides useful historical context for many of the other places you encounter while travelling around Spain.
Museo Naval de Madrid
The Museo Naval de Madrid was another museum I wanted to visit because of Spain's enormous maritime history.
Its collections explore the history of the Spanish Navy and navigation from the Middle Ages through to more recent periods.
Maps, models, navigational instruments and objects connected with naval expeditions help tell the story of Spain's relationship with the sea.
I found it an interesting contrast to the Prado and Archaeological Museum.
Within three museums, Madrid had taken me from paintings and sculpture to ancient civilisations and then into centuries of naval exploration.
El Retiro: Madrid's Great Green Space
After spending considerable time inside museums, El Retiro Park provided one of the best changes of pace during my visit.
The park is enormous enough that it feels like a destination rather than simply a small city park.
Walking paths, trees, gardens, monuments and open spaces make it easy to spend several hours here.
El Retiro Park
El Retiro was once associated with the Spanish monarchy but today serves as one of Madrid's great public spaces.
It is the kind of place where sightseeing can temporarily stop.
Instead of moving from one attraction to another, you can simply walk.
That made it particularly enjoyable after visiting some of Madrid's museums.
The Prado and Retiro are also close enough that combining them into the same part of an itinerary makes sense.
Palacio de Cristal
One of the most distinctive structures inside Retiro Park is the Palacio de Cristal.
The building's extensive use of glass gives it a completely different appearance from the stone architecture found throughout much of central Madrid.
Its setting among the trees and beside the water makes it one of the most photogenic places I encountered in the park.
Rather than travelling specifically across Madrid just to see the building, I would incorporate it into a longer walk through El Retiro.
Puerta de Alcalá
Close to Retiro Park stands the Puerta de Alcalá.
The monumental gateway is one of Madrid's most recognisable historic landmarks.
Its location makes it particularly easy to combine with Retiro Park and the National Archaeological Museum.
This was another example of why Madrid works so well on foot. Several significant landmarks are often relatively close together, allowing the journey between them to become part of the experience.
Real Jardín Botánico
Another green space I visited was the Real Jardín Botánico, Madrid's Royal Botanical Garden.
Located near the Prado Museum, it offers a considerably more structured botanical experience than Retiro Park.
The garden dates back to the 18th century and contains collections of plants arranged throughout its terraces and pathways.
After spending time inside the Prado, walking through the Botanical Garden provided a welcome opportunity to be outside without leaving this culturally rich part of Madrid.
The combination of the Prado, Real Jardín Botánico and El Retiro works particularly well for anyone wanting to spend a substantial part of a day in this area.
Temple of Debod
One of the most unusual historical monuments I encountered in Madrid was the Temple of Debod.
Finding an ancient Egyptian temple in the centre of the Spanish capital is certainly unexpected.
The temple dates from the second century BC and was given to Spain by Egypt during the 20th century after international efforts to save ancient monuments threatened by the construction of the Aswan High Dam.
It was subsequently reconstructed in Madrid.
Its surroundings also make the Temple of Debod a particularly enjoyable place to visit.
The elevated location and surrounding gardens create an excellent place to walk and take in views over parts of Madrid.
It is another example of just how varied the city's historical attractions can be.
Monumento a Cervantes
The Monumento a Cervantes provides another connection with Spanish history and culture.
Dedicated to Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, the monument celebrates one of Spain's most important literary figures.
Figures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza form part of the monument and make the connection with Cervantes' most famous work immediately recognisable.
It is an interesting cultural landmark to encounter while exploring this part of central Madrid.
Football at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
Madrid's history isn't confined to palaces and museums.
Football is another major part of the city's identity.
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
Visiting the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu provided a completely different experience from the historical attractions elsewhere in Madrid.
The stadium is the home of Real Madrid and is one of the most famous football grounds in the world.
Its scale alone makes it impressive.
Whether you support Real Madrid or simply follow football, visiting the Bernabéu provides an insight into just how significant the club is to the city.
It also makes an interesting contrast with the Royal Palace, Prado and historic centre.
Madrid manages to make royal history, fine art and football all feel like equally important parts of its identity.
Discovering Madrid's Neighbourhoods
Some of the best parts of exploring Madrid weren't individual attractions at all.
Walking through different neighbourhoods showed me how much the character of the city changes from one area to another.
La Latina
La Latina was one of the areas where Madrid felt particularly suited to wandering.
Narrow streets, traditional buildings, restaurants and bars give the neighbourhood a very different atmosphere from the grand avenues elsewhere in the capital.
It is an area where I would avoid following an overly strict itinerary.
Walking around and seeing where the streets take you is part of the experience.
Centro
Centro contains many of Madrid's most famous historic locations.
The Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor and numerous traditional streets are concentrated within this broader central area.
As a result, I repeatedly found myself returning to Centro while travelling between different attractions.
It is the Madrid of grand squares, historic buildings, busy streets and constant activity.
Salamanca
Salamanca feels noticeably different.
The neighbourhood is characterised by broad streets, elegant architecture, shops and a generally more refined atmosphere.
Walking through Salamanca after exploring the older parts of Madrid demonstrates just how varied the city's neighbourhoods can be.
Rather than concentrating entirely on famous landmarks, I found that spending time walking through La Latina, Centro and Salamanca helped me understand Madrid much better.
Discos Babel
One of the more unusual stops during my visit was Discos Babel.
Record shops and independent businesses can sometimes reveal a side of a city that major attractions cannot.
Browsing through records provided a completely different experience from museums, cathedrals and palaces.
It was also a reminder that some of my favourite travel discoveries are often the smaller places that wouldn't necessarily appear at the top of a conventional sightseeing itinerary.
Arganzuela Bridge
Another example of modern Madrid was the Arganzuela Bridge.
Its contemporary design creates a dramatic contrast with the historic architecture found throughout central Madrid.
The bridge crosses the Manzanares as part of the Madrid Río area and demonstrates another side of the city's urban landscape.
After spending so much time around royal buildings, historic squares and museums, seeing this more modern piece of architecture added another dimension to the trip.
My Madrid Highlights
What stood out most during my visit to Madrid was how many different versions of the city exist alongside one another.
Around the Royal Palace, Madrid feels monumental and historic. The Royal Palace, Almudena Cathedral and Sabatini Gardens form one of the strongest combinations of attractions I visited.
Moving towards Plaza Mayor reveals another side of the historic centre, where Mercado de San Miguel, Chocolatería San Ginés and Casa Lucas introduce Madrid's food culture alongside its architecture.
The city's museums were another major highlight.
The Museo Nacional del Prado provided the artistic centrepiece, while the National Archaeological Museum took me much further back into the history of Spain and the Mediterranean world. The Museo Naval then offered a completely different perspective through Spain's maritime history.
Madrid's outdoor spaces were equally important.
El Retiro Park, Palacio de Cristal and the Real Jardín Botánico provided opportunities to slow down between museums and monuments, while the Temple of Debod was easily one of the most unexpected historical sites I encountered.
Then there were the places that showed completely different sides of Madrid: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu for football, Discos Babel for something more local, Arganzuela Bridge for modern architecture and the Monumento a Cervantes for Spain's literary heritage.
Finally, simply walking through La Latina, Centro and Salamanca became part of the experience.
Madrid isn't a city I would experience by rushing from one famous attraction to another.
Some of my favourite moments came from the connections between them: walking from a museum into Retiro Park, moving from the Royal Palace into the surrounding historic streets, stopping for chocolate and churros, or simply exploring a neighbourhood without having a particular destination in mind.
For me, that combination of royal history, art, archaeology, food, football, parks and neighbourhood life is what made Madrid such an interesting city to explore.