This grand square next to the Casa de Correos (Post Office Building) is a popular meeting place, suffused with meaning for both city and country. Nearly every Spanish person will recognise the clock at the top of the Casa de Correos, as this marks the televised countdown on New Year’s Eve. There’s a tricky ritual involved too: With every chime you’re supposed to eat a grape for good luck (12 in total). Also in the square the is El Oso y El Madroño statue, a symbol for Madrid since the Middle Ages.

If you’d like to get a sense of the city, a walk along the Gran Vía is a superb place to start. It’s Madrid’s entertainment, shopping and cultural nerve centre, a buzzing avenue often full of life until dawn. By day it throngs with shoppers stopping by the many malls, high-street stores like H&M and Zara and luxury boutiques. In the evenings there are couples arm-in-arm, stepping out to the cinema or a musical. And after dark the street pulses with many of Madrid’s top nightclubs. Sights to spot as you stroll include the vast Telefónica Building, built in 1928 and an early example of a skyscraper.

Another of Madrid’s “musts”, Plaza Mayor is a handsome renaissance square, laid out in the early-1600s and completely sequestered by historic three-storey-high residential buildings. There are nine entrances to the square and within the porticoes at the bottom of the buildings are several cafes. Order a coffee (overpriced but necessary because of the location!) at an outdoor table and watch Madrid in action for a few minutes. After that you could wander up to the 400-year-old bronze statue of King Philip III, who was in power at the height of the Spanish empire.

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest in Western Europe and one of the largest in the world. With over 135,000 square metres and 3,418 rooms, it has witnessed centuries of Spanish history. It is one of the few official seat of a Head of State that is open to the public. Almost 2 million visitors come every year to discover its rooms, works of art and treasures that are unique in the world.

The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is a football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a current seating capacity of 81,044, it has been the home stadium of Real Madrid since its completion in 1947. It is the 2nd-largest stadium in Spain and the largest in the Community of Madrid. The Santiago Bernabéu is one of the world's most famous football venues. It has hosted the final of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League on four occasions: in 1957, 1969, 1980, 2010. The final matches for the 1964 European Nations' Cup and the 1982 FIFA World Cup, were also held at the Bernabéu, making it the first stadium in Europe to host both a UEFA Euro final and a FIFA World Cup final.

This is one of the liveliest, best-known and most beautiful squares in Madrid, and is home to such emblematic monuments as the Cibeles Fountain and Palace. This is a visit not to be missed on any trip to the city. The Cibeles fountain, the symbol of Madrid, stands in the middle of the square. Goddess of nature and protector of the town, this sculpture was designed by Ventura Rodríguez in 1777. An interesting fact is that the Real Madrid football fans gather around this monument to celebrate their club's major victories. Also in this square is the Cibeles Palace (today the site of the City Hall) which also houses the cultural space known as CentroCentro (with an exhibition hall and auditorium, and a viewing platform offering outstanding panoramic views over Madrid); and the Glass Gallery, a space which is available to all (designed as an events venue) and featuring a spectacular glass vault. Other famous buildings such as the Bank of Spain, the Linares Palace and the Buenavista Palace

The Basílica de San Francisco el Grande was built by Carlos III in 1761 for a Franciscan friary. The church was designed by Francisco Cabezas, who modeled the Neoclassical architectural plan on the Church of Santa Maria in Campitelli in Rome. The construction was completed in 1784 by Francisco Sabatini. The interior features an inspiring 58-meter-high dome that is larger than the dome of Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. Magnificent paintings adorn the chapels of the basilica, including masterpieces by the Spanish Old Masters.

This grand Neoclassical triumphal arch was commissioned by King Charles III to celebrate the arrival of the monarchs to Spain's capital city. The monument was designed by Francesco Sabatini and built between 1769 and 1778. Nearly 30 meters high, the elegant granite entrance gate makes a grand impression. The facade is adorned with sculptures, capitals, and decorative reliefs. Just below the monument, at 54 Calle Alcalá, is Madrid's fanciest patisserie shop VAIT Pastelerías, which offers exquisite cakes, cookies, pastries, chocolate candies, and hot chocolate.

A truly world-class museum, the Museo Nacional del Prado has a collection of more than 8,000 paintings and 700 sculptures. Among its extensive assortment of artworks are many masterpieces, including celebrated paintings that rival the most famous works of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Prado Museum displays around 2,300 pieces of the collection in more than 100 rooms on three floors. Trying to see it all in one visit can be daunting, but it's possible to focus on a specific itinerary of masterpieces. The Prado suggests "routes" (self-guided tours) of specific works.