Madrid

The third leg in Madrid's "golden triangle of art"... one of the world's great private collections, and includes everything from Old Masters to 20th-century Cubists. — Condé Nast Traveler

One of the greatest museums in the world, the Prado displays superb works by Spanish masters... but has wonderful Italian and Flemish collections. — The Telegraph

The dazzling collection brought together by José Lázaro Galdiano...there are excellent reasons to visit this little-known museum. — Michelin Guide

Madrid has some wonderfully evocative smaller museums—like the Sorolla, set in the former home and studio of the painter Joaquín Sorolla. — Condé Nast Traveler

The heart of Habsburg Madrid, where heros were heralded, kings made proclamations, heretics were judged... where bullfights were held and royalty was entertained. — Condé Nast Traveler

Built in 1850, this neoclassical theater was long a cultural center for madrileño society. — Fodor's

A green space where... you can row on the (artificial) lake under the indifferent gaze of King Alfonso XI, or join the locals running along the pathways. — Michelin Guide

Spain's national museum of 20th century art. The jewel in the museum's crown is Picasso's "Guernica". — Condé Nast Traveler

An easy stroll from Puerta del Sol, the Fine Arts Museum is located in the restored and remodeled 17th-century baroque palace of Juan de Goyeneche. — Frommer's

This royal palace housed the kings of Spain from the mid-1700s to 1900s — U.S. News & World Report

A spectacular triangular-roofed addition by French star architect Jean Nouvel has boosted what was already Spain's most important modern-art museum into the capital's new must-see. — Concierge

This quiet pedestrian square is presided over by the statue of Álvaro de Bazán. — Michelin Guide

This attractively landscaped zoo is located slap bang in the heart of the Casa de Campo — Time Out

Children love the zoo and the Parque de Atracciones... both in this park. — Frommer's

Near the Plaza Mayor, the most exciting, and interactive, addition to the Madrid tapas scene is this old market, which has been converted into a gourmet nirvana. — Fodor's

Housed in a 19th-century palace, the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas (National Museum of Decorative Arts) is located within the bank of museums northwest of the Buen Retiro Park. — Travel + Leisure

This collection of fantastic, if occasionally brutally themed, religious art, including pieces by Peter Paul Rubens, is in an appropriately creaky and forbidding 16th-century working convent. — Travel + Leisure

Laid out in a sumptuous late-19th-century mansion in Argüelles is the incredible private collection of artworks and artefacts assembled by Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa. — Time Out