Five essential Madrid experiences

Staying at Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid, you’re perfectly placed for the big three museums of the Golden Triangle. As the Prado is right next door, you could concentrate on the Velázquez, El Greco and Goya paintings on one visit, then return another day to see the Italian and Flemish collections.

Across the road from the hotel, meanwhile, is the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum, whose masterpieces run from Rembrandt’s self-portrait to Dalí’s fantastical dreamscapes. Stroll down the Paseo del Prado to the Museo Reina Sofía, home to Picasso’s searing Guernica.

To explore the oldest part of the city, Madrid de los Austrias, start at Plaza Mayor: a 400-year-old arcaded square, framed by spire-topped, red-brick buildings. Next, head to the adjacent Mercado de San Miguel, a handsome food market, in situ since 1916.

Pick up some slivers of Ibérico ham and a glass of a Madrilenian vermouth, then claim one of the stand-up tables around the market’s edge. Afterwards, stroll to Plaza de la Villa, the city’s most important square in medieval times, for dinner at Casa Ciriaco. It’s one of the city’s most traditional restaurants, and one of the few places you’ll find gallina en pepitoria – a comforting chicken stew, in a rich, saffron-spiked sauce.

To really get a handle on all things flamenco, book an evening tour with Yolanda Martín, which takes you to a dance school, guitar workshop and tavern before seeing a show.

Otherwise, the best flamenco dancers, singers and musicians perform at the Corral de la Morería, close to the Royal Palace (the largest in Europe, incidentally, and well worth a visit). Its Michelin-starred dining is a bonus; book ahead to sample chef David García’s polished, Basque-grounded tasting menus, which might run from scallop carpaccio to roasted Iberian pork shoulder.