Why don’t people think of Madrid for a city break? Barcelona hogs the headlines while Seville and Granada lure the history buffs – meanwhile, places like Bilbao and Valencia are on the rise for weekenders. In a way, it’s a first city that’s been shunted down to second city by tourists, voting with their feet.
Yet Spain’s capital has all of the late-night fun, bargain tapas and creative buzz of its siblings – plus a lot more art history and swirling royal architecture to see as you wander. There’s a faded grandeur to its old kingly stomping grounds and a graffiti-slicked grunginess to its rejuvenated hipster districts, but the clash of old and new is all part of the fun.
