So you’ve arrived in Spain’s capital city with 24 hours to kill and just your passport, credit card and EHIC cover in your pocket. One of Europe’s greatest cities, Madrid offers so much to the tourist it can be hard to know where to start. Here’s out whistle stop guide to making the best of a day in Madrid.

Breakfast and Morning

Start your day in Madrid in any local café or bar where you’ll be served milky “café con leche”, and a selection of pastries to set you up for a busy day ahead. When time’s short, one of the best ways of getting around the city and seeing the sights at the same time is to hop on one of the sightseeing buses which leave from the city centre location of Puerta Del Sol. Choose between two routes showcasing Historic Madrid and Modern Madrid, or do both if you have the time. Remember you can leave the tour any time and rejoin later if you wish to explore an area in more depth.

Lunch

Lunch isn’t served much before 2pm in Madrid, and every bar and restaurant will have a “menu del dia”, a lunchtime specials menu usually offering two courses, plus dessert and sometimes wine. Choose a restaurant where lots of locals are eating and you won’t go far wrong. Expect to pay anything between 10 and 15 euros for your lunch. Lunchtime’s also a good time to take in a visit to a museum – they are less crowded with school parties and locals at this time of the day.

Afternoon

The Spanish “afternoon” is any time after lunch until around 8pm, and most museums and attractions will open later than we are used to in the UK. Madrid’s most famous museum is probably the Prado Museum, which is packed with Old Masters from household names like El Greco, Goya and Velasquez. If modern art is more your thing, visit the Reina Sofia gallery where the main attraction is the massive Guernica, by Picasso. The Spanish Royal Family’s official residence is also worth a visit, and visitors can see the stunning and opulent state rooms using an audio guide for added details.

Evening

If you’re lucky enough to be in Madrid when either Real or Atletico are playing, try to get a ticket to the game for an atmosphere like no other. Any game featuring the two local sides will be show on screens in bars, where the atmosphere can be just as fun. Dinner is eaten late in Spain and it is more enjoyable to go from bar to bar having tapas as you go. Every bar has its own speciality, so ask staff for recommendations. The city’s speciality is “cocido”, a chickpea stew flavoured with meat, spicy sausage and vegetables. Served with a chunk of bread, it’s delicious. Nightlife in the Spanish capital doesn’t start until well after midnight, with some of the coolest clubs not even opening their doors until around 2am – if you’re not too exhausted after your day’s sightseeing.