Madrid proudly displays her glorious avenues and spacious squares, embellished with majestic fountains and sculpture, but swap the grandeur for colour by turning into a side street. This rich tapestry provides endless wonder as your eyes go from the old and quaint to the new and bold, and from the awe-inspiring to the homely.

Madrid's unmissable landmarks are for the most part architectural. The greatest exception, besides the astounding art galleries that the city offers, is the Parque del Buen Retiro. This immense park, originally designed as a royal retreat, when this area was still outside the city walls, covers 350 acres of the centre of the modern city. Composed of seventeenth century formal gardens, it is dotted with monuments, fountains, ponds and the delicate beauty of the Palacio de Cristal, inspired by the many glass structures popular in England at the time, such as Kew Gardens' Palm House or London's Crystal Palace.

If you feel inspired by the Retiro then you could also try the Jardín Botánico, a large, well-structured botanical garden, where all plants and trees are marked as to species. The Casa de Campo is another spacious park with a boating lake, a zoo and an amusement park. Though accessible from the Lago metro stop, you can also take a more scenic approach and arrive in the cable car from the Parque La Rosaleda.

There are walking and bus tours of the city as well as combined cultural tours which take in a museum or art gallery en route. Look out, too, for the evening tapas tours where Madrid in all its blazing night-time glory is the backdrop to a low key wine and gastronomy lesson. Don't forget to go native and take an early evening stroll - known as el paseo - and take in the sculpture of Basque abstract sculptor, Eduardo Chillida, along the Paseo de La Castellana.

Parque del Buen Retiro
Plaza  Independencia, s/n 28001
Madrid

Real Jardín Botánico
2, Plaza de Murillo
28028 Madrid

Casa de Campo
Avenida de Portugal (Parque Casa de Campo), s/n 28011
Madrid