Barcelona is an enchanting seaside city with boundless culture, fabled architecture and a world-class drinking and dining scene.

Spain’s third-largest city is a magnificent place, content for Madrid and Barcelona to grab the headlines while it gets on with being a wonderfully liveable city with thriving cultural, eating and nightlife scenes. Never afraid to innovate, Valencia diverted its flood-prone river to the outskirts and converted the former riverbed into a glorious green ribbon of park winding right through the city.

Madrid - the heart of Spain and the third-largest city in Europe, Madrid is one of the great cultural capitals of the world. At each turn, Madrid amazes with stunning architecture, beautiful gardens and parks, and many notable attractions, like Palacio Real (Royal Palace), Museum National del Prado (Prado Museum) and Buen Retiro Park (Park of the Pleasant Retreat). This sunny city is absolutely buzzing with life and activity!

Built in the 18th century, The Palacio Real is by far the largest building in Madrid, and the largest palace in Europe by floor area. The lavish and elegant palace spreads out over 135,000 square metres and houses more than 3,000 rooms. Although it is officially the residence of the Kings of Spain, the Royal Palace is mainly used for important events and ceremonies

While this mesmerising dance is commonly associated with Andalusia, Madrid has one of the biggest Flamenco scenes in the country. Madrid is often referred to as the ‘Capital of Flamenco’. The city has a burning passion for this traditional art form, which can be observed by the numerous tablaos (flamenco bars) all across the city. Feel the passion of Madrid in its purest form!

Madrid is famous for many wonderful things, but cuisine just might top the list. Rich and diverse, Madrid’s food scene is deeply influenced by different regions in Spain. Must-try dishes include: bocata de calamares (calamari sandwich), churros (fried-dough pastry), patatas bravas (fried potatoes in red sauce) and tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelette). There’s nothing like the feeling of waking up in Madrid to the smell of churros with creamy chocolate, and then going out with friends for a night of tasty tapas.