If you come to Madrid by train, you will undoubtedly arrive at the Atocha Railway Station. If you come by another means of transport, don’t miss a trip to see the station which is the biggest in Madrid.

The original station was built in 1851 and destroyed by fire in 1882. A newer, larger station was built in 1892 by Martin Alberto Palacio Elissague who worked on the Crystal Palace in the Buen Retiro Park. He used the palace as a model and created a glass and wrought-iron vault, giving the central area a light, airy appearance.

The station was expanded to four times its original size by Rafael Moneo in 1985. The tracks were moved to the new structure and the “old” Atocha was transformed into a waiting/meeting area with shops and snack bars. A wonderful tropical garden was installed in the centre of the area.

The station is the final destination of the AVE (high-speed trains) from Barcelona, Seville, Saragossa and Valencia, as well as commuter and intercity trains from Madrid’s suburbs.

After the terrorist attack on the 11th March 2004, a cylindrical glass monument, the Monumento a los Victimes del 11M, was raised in front of the station in memory of the people who died there.

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS) is the official name of Spain's national museum of 20th century art. The museum was officially inaugurated on September 10, 1992 and is named for Queen Sofia of Spain. It is located in Madrid, near the Atocha train and metro stations, at the southern end of the so-called Golden Triangle of Art (located along the Paseo del Prado and also comprising the Museo del Prado and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza).The museum is mainly dedicated to Spanish art. Highlights of the museum include excellent collections of Spain's two greatest 20th century masters, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Certainly the most famous masterpiece in the museum is Picasso's great painting Guernica. The Reina Sofía also has fine collections of the works of Juan Gris, Joan Miró, Julio González, Pablo Gargallo, Lucio Muñoz, Luis Gordillo, Jorge Oteiza, José Gutiérrez Solana and many other significant artists.

Madrid is rich in history and architecture, and luckily it is also rich in parks where you can relax, eat a picnic lunch and still be in the heart of the city. The Real Jardin Botanico de Madrid is an ideal place to spend an afternoon.

The botanical gardens were first organized in 1755 during the reign of King Ferdinand VI who wanted a royal garden with different species of plants from all around the world. The botanist José Quer y Martinez laid out the first garden with over 2000 plants. In 1774 the gardens were moved to their present location next to the Paseo del Prado by King Charles III, with a new landscape carried out by Francesco Sabatini and Juan de Villanueva.

The gardens today are divided into three terraces, two greenhouses and a Herbarium. The first garden is the Terraza del Plano de la Flor: set out in the English Romantic style, this terrace is a delight of trees and shrubs. In this part of the gardens you can visit the Villanueva Pavilion or sit beside the pond and feed the ducks. The second garden is the Terraza de los Cuadros: on this terrace you will find ornamental and common plants, the air is filled with the scent of aromatic and medicinal plants; there is an orchard, a fountain and a lovely rock garden. The third garden, the Terraza de la Escuelas Botanicas has 12 fountains and a wide variety of annual plants.

The herbarium has over a million species of plants separated into two groups: phanerogam (plants which reproduce by seeds) and cryptogam (plants that reproduce by spores). In the greenhouses you will find a vast variety of plants from tropical, temperate and desert climates.

The Museo del Prado is a museum and art gallery located in Madrid, the capital of Spain. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection. Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture, it also contains important collections of more than 5,000 drawings, 2,000 prints, 1,000 coins and medals, and almost 2,000 decorative objects and works of art. Sculpture is represented by more than 700 works and by a smaller number of sculptural fragments. The painting collection comprises about 7,800 paintings, of which only about 1,300 are at public display, mainly because of the museum's lack of space. A new, recently opened wing enlarged the display area by about 400 paintings, and it is currently used mainly for temporary expositions. El Prado is one of the most visited sites in Madrid, and it is considered to be among the greatest museums of art in the world.

If you want to mix history with greenery and entertainment, you really should take your picnic lunch and spend the day in the Buen Retiro Park, not far from the Museo del Prado, because here you will find something to keep everyone happy.

First of all, there are the lovely gardens of the park, including the Rosaleda Rose Garden where you can see the Fountain of the Fallen Angel, the only statue in Madrid that represents Satan. The gardens were once part of the Buen Retiro Palace and were opened to the public in the 19th century.

In front of an equestrian monument to King Alfonso XII is a huge artificial pond, the Estanque del Retiro to the North of the park. In March 2005 King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia inaugurated the Bosque del Recuerdo in memory of the 191 victims of the terrorist attack of 11 March 2004.

Other interesting features of the park are the buildings which hold temporary exhibitions: the Velazquez Palace, the Crystal Palace and the Cason del Buen Retiro which is the Study Centre of the Museo del Prado and has a wonderful 17th century ceiling fresco depicting the Apotheosis of the Spanish Monarchy by Luca Giordano.

You will find plenty to entertain you in the park, as it is a favorite haunt of street musicians, fortune tellers, puppet shows and the Annual Book Fair takes place here. You can hire a rowing boat if you are feeling muscular – if not you can visit the park in a horse-drawn carriage.

The Puerta de Alcalá ("Alcalá Gate") is a Neo-classical monument in the Plaza de la Independencia in Madrid, Spain. It stands near the city center and several meters away from the main entrance to the Parque del Buen Retiro. The square is bisected by Alcalá street, although the street itself doesn't cross through the monument, and it is the origin of the Alfonso XII, Serrano and Olózaga streets. Its name originates from the old path from Madrid to the nearby town of Alcalá de Henares. Madrid in the late 19th century, still remained a somewhat drab villa in appearance, surrounded by medieval walls. Around the year 1774, king Charles III commissioned Francesco Sabatini to construct a monumental gate in the city wall through which an expanded road to the city of Alcalá was to pass, replacing an older, smaller, gate which stood nearby. It was inaugurated in 1778.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, or in Spanish Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, is an art museum near the Prado Museum in Madrid. It is known as a part of the "Golden Triangle of Art", which also includes the Prado and the Reina Sofia galleries. The Thyssen-Bornemisza fills the historical gaps in its counterparts' collections: in the Prado's case this includes Italian primitives and works from the English, Dutch and German schools, while in the case of the Reina Sofia the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, once the second largest private collection in the world after the British Royal Collection, includes Impressionists, Expressionists, European and American paintings from the second half of the 20th century, with over 1,600 paintings. The competition was won after in 1986 Baron Thyssen having tried to enlarge his Museum in Villa Favorita and searched for a location in Europe. The collection started in the 1920s as a private collection by Heinrich, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon (1875–1947).

La Venencia is a famous bar among tourists due to the great sherry and tapas it serves. It has a stunning design, with everything remaining completely unchanged from its opening in 1953. The bar is dedicated to serving customers the finest sherry and is frequented by an eclectic group of madrilenos.

Puerta del Sol is located in the city center, not far from Plaza Mayor. This square hosts the statue of King Carlos III of Spain and a famous bronze statue "Bear and Madrona". This square is also often used for social gatherings like group protests and on New Year's Eve. Puerta del Sol is also famous for being the km 0 of the Spanish roads network.

The Plaza Mayor was built during the Habsburg period and is a central plaza in the city of Madrid, Spain. It is located only a few blocks away from another famous plaza, the Puerta del Sol. The Plaza Mayor is rectangular in shape, measuring 129 by 94 meters, and is surrounded by three-story residential buildings having 237 balconies facing the Plaza. It has a total of nine entranceways. The Casa de la Panadería, serving municipal and cultural functions, dominates the Plaza Mayor. The name of the plaza has changed over time. Originally it was called the "Plaza del Arrabal" but became known as the "Plaza Mayor". The Plaza Mayor has been the scene of multitudinous events: markets, bullfights, soccer games, public executions, and, during the Spanish Inquistion, "autos de fe" against supposed heretics and the executions of those condemned to death. The Plaza Mayor also has a ring of old and traditional shops and cafes under its porticoes.

The Royal Theater (or El Real) is a major opera house in Madrid. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries it garnered a reputation as one of Europe's greatest opera houses. It became well known for its performances of operas by Verdi, Stravinsky and Wagner. It has a 19th century Spanish style decor with lots of modern amenities. Music-lovers can enjoy a full season of music offerings.

The Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid), also known as the Palacio de Oriente (English: The East Palace), is the official residence of the King of Spain in the city of Madrid, and it is only used for State Ceremonies. However, King Juan Carlos and the Royal Family do not reside in it, choosing instead the more modest Palacio de la Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid. The palace is owned by the Spanish State and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional, a public agency of the Ministry of the Presidency. The royal Palace of Madrid is the largest palace building in Western Europe. It is located on Bailén Street, in the Western part of downtown Madrid, East of the Manzanares River, and is accessible from the Ópera metro station. The palace is partially open to public, except when it is being used for official business.

Almundena Cathedral was the first cathedral to be built after Madrid became the capital of Spain. Built in Gothic revival style, it features special Neo-Gothic interiors. The cathedral is located in front of the Royal Palace and it is one of the most visited spots in Madrid.

When anyone thinks of Spain the first thing that comes to mind is flamenco dancing. If you want to leave Madrid with wonderful memories and great photos, the best place to spend an evening is at El Corral de la Moreria near the Royal Palace.

Created in 1956 by Manuel del Rey, it is the best-known Flamenco Cabaret in the world and is called the “Cathedral of Flamenco Art”. It has seen great artists such as La Chunga (who served as a muse for both Picasso and Dali), Pastora Imperio and Mario Maya.

The decoration of the restaurant and stage are designed to take you back in time, with Arabic corbels and 18th century streetlamps. It’s true that the tables are rather close together, but this enhances the feeling that you are part of a great family, drawn together to watch a great show. The food is excellent and you can choose either a complete meal or a variety of tapas. There are two shows a night, one that starts at 10pm, the other at midnight.

The tablao is a favorite place of kings, presidents, actors and singers and you can see photos hung on the walls of Manuel de Rey with stars such as Marlene Dietrich and Natalie Portman.

His widow, Blanca del Rey was one of the greatest dancers of the cabaret; today she manages the establishment with her son and brings in great artists such as Miguel Tellez and Raquela Ortega, as well as giving a place to the future generation of flamenco performers.