3 Days in Madrid: First-Timer's Itinerary

Start at the Prado at 10 AM when it opens. Buy your ticket online (EUR15) to skip the queue. Head directly to the Velazquez rooms: Las Meninas is in Room 12, and the room is designed so you see it from across the gallery as you enter. Give it time. Then find the Goya sections: the early paintings upstairs are luminous, the Black Paintings in the basement are devastating. Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights is in Room 56A. Three hours is the minimum for a meaningful visit. Walk east into the Retiro park for decompression. Rent a rowing boat on the lake (EUR6 for 45 minutes) or find the Crystal Palace, which hosts free contemporary art exhibitions inside a glass and iron conservatory from 1887. The park is where Madrid breathes, and after three hours of Goya you need the green space. Late lunch in the Barrio de las Letras, the literary quarter between the Prado and Sol. Walk down Calle de las Huertas (pedestrianised, literary quotes in the pavement) and find a bar with locals standing at the counter. Order a cana and a plate of croquetas. If you have energy, the Thyssen (EUR13, or free on Mondays noon-4 PM) is five minutes away and covers Impressionists, Hopper, and Pop Art. Dinner anywhere in the Barrio de las Letras: the side streets off Huertas have excellent traditional tabernas.

• Museo del Prado, EUR15. Open 10 AM-8 PM. Las Meninas (Room 12), Goya Black Paintings, Bosch Garden of Earthly Delights (Room 56A). Three hours minimum.
• Retiro Park, free. Rowing boats EUR6/45 min. Crystal Palace free exhibitions. Fallen Angel statue in the southern section.
• Barrio de las Letras lunch: cana and croquetas at any bar on Calle de las Huertas side streets. Avoid places with menus on backlit boards.
• Optional: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, EUR13 (free Mondays noon-4 PM). Start on the top floor, work down chronologically.

If today is Sunday, restructure everything around the Rastro. Madrid's famous flea market fills every street in La Latina from 9 AM to 3 PM. Arrive by 10 AM for the best selection, browse vintage clothes and old records, and by 1 PM start the Cava Baja tapas crawl while the market is still buzzing. If today is not Sunday, start with the Royal Palace (EUR13, open 10 AM-6 PM). It is the biggest palace in Western Europe by room count. The Royal Armoury is the highlight for most people: full suits of armour, swords, and a tiny set made for a child prince. The Sabatini Gardens behind the palace are free and rarely crowded. Cross through to the Plaza de Oriente for a coffee at Cafe de Oriente with views of the palace facade. Afternoon is for Malasana. Walk north from Sol to Plaza del Dos de Mayo, the neighbourhood's living room. Browse vintage shops on Calle Velarde, flip through vinyl at record shops on Calle del Espiritu Santo, and stop for vermut at Plaza de Olavide (EUR3-4, comes with a free tapa on Sundays). This is the neighbourhood for understanding Madrid's creative side. Evening: the Cava Baja tapas crawl in La Latina. Walk the full length of the street first, scouting which bars look best, then work your way back with one cana and one tapa per stop. Juana La Loca (award-winning tortilla), Casa Lucas (creative tapas), Txirimiri (Basque pintxos). Four or five bars is the sweet spot.

• Sunday option: El Rastro flea market 9 AM-3 PM, then straight to Cava Baja for the tapas crawl.
• Royal Palace, EUR13. Royal Armoury is the highlight. Sabatini Gardens free. Book online to skip the ticket queue.
• Malasana afternoon: vintage shops on Calle Velarde, record shops on Espiritu Santo, vermut at Plaza de Olavide.
• Cava Baja evening tapas crawl: 4-5 bars, one cana and one tapa each. Juana La Loca, Casa Lucas, Txirimiri.

Start at the Reina Sofia at 10 AM. Go directly to Room 205 on the second floor for Guernica. The painting is bigger and more powerful than any photo suggests. Picasso painted it in five weeks after the bombing of the Basque town in 1937. The room is kept quiet, with benches for sitting. Give it time. Explore the rest of the Reina Sofia's collection: Dali, Miro, Juan Gris, and the contemporary holdings in the Nouvel extension. Two hours is enough for a focused visit. Exit through the back door onto Ronda de Atocha and walk downhill into Lavapies for lunch. This is Madrid's most multicultural neighbourhood, with the cheapest and most varied food in the city. Senegalese mafe (EUR8), Bangladeshi biryani (EUR7), Indian thali (EUR7-9), Chinese dumplings (EUR6). Walk the streets and pick whatever looks good. La Tabacalera, the former tobacco factory turned community art space, is worth a detour if it's open. Afternoon: walk west through Sol to Templo de Debod in Parque del Oeste. Arrive 30-45 minutes before sunset. This Egyptian temple, gifted to Spain in the 1960s, silhouettes against the sky over the Casa de Campo forest at golden hour. It is free, beautiful, and the best way to end a Madrid trip. For a farewell dinner, head to Chueca (Calle Augusto Figueroa) or Chamberi (Calle Ponzano) for the local scene away from tourist streets.

• Museo Reina Sofia, EUR12. Guernica in Room 205 (second floor). Free Mon, Wed-Sat 7-9 PM, free Sun 1:30-7 PM.
• Lavapies lunch: Calle Lavapies for multicultural food under EUR10. Senegalese, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Indian.
• Templo de Debod at sunset, free. Arrive 30-45 minutes before. Summer sunsets around 9:30 PM.
• Farewell dinner: Chueca or Chamberi for the local restaurant scene.