The Habsburg core in one line: Km 0, the churrería, Plaza Mayor via a calamari counter, the oldest square in town, nuns' biscuits, then the cathedral and palace.
Best time: Morning (palace opens early), or late afternoon ending at Debod for sunset
Km 0 plaque and the Bear and Strawberry Tree; 10 min.
The city's central square: the Km 0 plaque from which Spain's radial roads are measured, the Bear and Strawberry Tree statue, and the clock whose chimes mark the New Year's…
The 17th-century arcaded square (1580-1619, rebuilt after the 1790 fire) with 237 balconies; the stage for bullfights, coronations and the Inquisition's autos-da-fé.
The benchmark bocadillo de calamares (fried squid in a crusty roll) just off Plaza Mayor; locals pack the bar and you watch the squid being fried to order.
The city's oldest square, with the 15th-century Torre de los Lujanes, the Casa de Cisneros and the 17th-century Casa de la Villa, the former town hall.
Cloistered nuns bake and sell biscuits and pastries through a revolving turntable so you never see them; recommended by Madrid locals as a secret sweet stop 3 minutes from Plaza…
Madrid's cathedral took 110 years to finish (1883-1993): neo-Gothic crypt, neo-Classical exterior and a colourful modern ceiling. King Felipe VI married Letizia here in 2004.
The largest royal palace in Western Europe (3,418 rooms, built 1735-1755) with Tiepolo ceilings, the Royal Armoury and the only complete Stradivarius string quintet.
Optional: palace gardens, enter from the river side; 30 min.
The Royal Palace's back garden, with peacocks and the best ground-level view of the palace façade; the entrance is on the river side, so few visitors find it.
