If you would like to spend a quiet hour or so in the heart of busy Madrid, the best place to visit is the Plaza de la Villa, not far from Plaza Major. This small, medieval square is surrounded by lovely buildings, each with its own fascinating history. You will find Madrid’s old Town Hall (Casa Villa) here, built in 1696, with its graceful stained glass windows and frescoes by Antonio Palomino. There are two entrances to this building as it was also a prison. Adjoining the town hall by an archway is the Casa de Cisneros, an early Spanish Renaissance castle built in 1537. It has a Plateresque façade which is very rare in Madrid, and an outstanding collection of fine tapestries. The nearby Casa and Torre de Los Lujanes are the oldest buildings in Madrid; the tower is early 15th century. According to legend, King Charles 1st imprisoned King Francis 1st of France in the tower after the battle of Pavia in 1525. Because the French king wouldn’t bow or show any respect to his captor, King Charles had the door of the tower lowered, forcing Francis to bow his head to enter or leave the tower; this gave the people the impression that he was bowing to their king. In the centre of the square is a statue of Alvaro de Bazen, the Spanish admiral who planned the Armada. The statue was sculpted in 1888 by Benlliure and set in the plaza in 1980.

Catedral de la Almudena is an iconic landmark of Madrid, as it was the first cathedral to be built after the city became the capital of Spain. It is a huge building built in Gothic revival style. It features special Neo-Gothic interiors, more modern than the facades. Its close proximity to the Royal Palace makes this one of the most visited spots in Madrid.

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.

Plaza Oriente is famous for being one of the most green, peaceful and romantic squares in Madrid. It is located east of the Royal Palace, hence the name of Square of Orient. The square features two central gardens, the monument of Felipe IV of Spain and several sculptures of Spanish monarchs. Just next to the square is the Royal Theater, a popular cultural venue of Madrid.

Exploring Madrid can be very tiring, especially after a good lunch! If you want to relax for an hour or two without wasting any precious sightseeing time, you couldn’t do better than to visit the Jardines de Sabatini that cover over two hectares on the North side of the Royal Palace.

The gardens are named after Francesco Sabatini, an 18th century architect who designed the Royal Stables, which once stood on the site of today’s gardens. The layout is based on the designs he made with the same idea in mind for the use of the land, before the stables were built.

This layout is similar to classical French gardens that you would see in a grander scale at Versailles for example. Formal Neo-classical, with small walkways and neatly trimmed hedges in geometrical patterns, you will find a haven of peace here. The trees, which are also planted in geometrical patterns, include pines, cedars and magnolias, whose waxy flowers perfume the warm air.

The gardens, which were first opened to the public in 1978, are graced with statues from the palace itself and represent Spanish kings. There are several benches around the long rectangular pond and from there you have a good view of the North face of the Royal Palace.

Plaza de España is a large square, and popular tourist destination, located in central Madrid, Spain, at the western end of the Gran Vía. It features a monument to Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, and is bordered by two of Madrid's most prominent skyscrapers. Also, the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) is a short walk south from the plaza. In the center of the plaza is a monument to Spanish novelist, poet and playwright Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, designed by architects Rafael Martínez Zapatero and Pedro Muguruza and sculptor Lorenzo Coullaut Valera. Most of the monument was built between 1925 and 1930. The tower portion of the monument includes a stone sculpture of Cervantes, which overlooks bronze sculptures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Next to the tower, there are two stone representations of Don Quixote's "true love", one as the simple peasant woman Aldonza Lorenzo, and one as the beautiful, imaginary Dulcinea del Toboso.

One building you would never expect to find while you are visiting the Parque del Oeste near the Royal Palace, is an Egyptian temple. Don’t worry, you haven’t had too much Sangria – the Temple of Debod really does exist!

The temple was constructed during the 2nd century BC in ancient Egypt as a small single chapel dedicated to the god Amun. Later it was enlarged by the pharaohs of the Ptolemaic Dynasty to make a temple dedicated to Isis.

In 1960, during the construction of the Great Dam of Aswan in Egypt, several ancient buildings were menaced by flood water. Spain helped with the relocation of the twin temples of Abu Simbel, and in gratitude, the Egyptian government donated the temple of Debod to Spain. It was carefully dismantled and sent by ship and train to Madrid where it was reconstructed by a small lake in the park.

The temple has two narrow gateways leading to the central porch with its four colonnades. Inside, the West hall is richly decorated with hieroglyphics. In the room which is the original chapel there is a photographic documentary of the temple’s history and its journey from Egypt to Spain.

It is the only edifice of its kind in Spain and one of the rare Egyptian architectural buildings outside Egypt. It is particularly lovely at sunset and in the evening when it is lit up. Then the temple is reflected in the still waters of the lake and gives you the impression of being transported back in time to a forgotten world where people raised places of worship to their strange gods.