Madrid · Things to do

The Spanish royal collection: Velázquez, Goya, Bosch and the rest, in a building you need at least half a day for. Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sundays and holidays 10am to 7pm; general admission is €15, and entry is free for the last two hours before closing each day, with those tickets given out at the counter until the building is full.

The 20th-century half of the Paseo del Prado trio, in a converted 18th-century hospital next to Atocha station, and where Picasso's Guernica hangs. Open every day of the week except Tuesdays; there are free-entry slots in the evenings and on Sunday afternoons, so check the schedule before joining a paying queue.

The official residence of the Spanish Crown, used for state ceremonies rather than lived in, with a tour taking in the state rooms, the Royal Armoury and the old kitchens. Book timed tickets through Patrimonio Nacional's own portal, and check before travelling — it closes at short notice when an official event is on.

125 hectares and more than 15,000 trees just east of the Prado, UNESCO-listed alongside the Paseo del Prado and free to enter. Open 6am to midnight from April to September and 6am to 10pm from October to March; the 1887 Palacio de Cristal inside holds Reina Sofía exhibitions, and you can hire a rowing boat on the lake.

A 2nd-century BC Egyptian temple given to Spain after the Aswan Dam works and rebuilt stone by stone in the park by Plaza de España, opening to the public in 1972. Free, at Calle de Ferraz 1; open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 8pm from mid-September to mid-June and 10am to 7pm in high summer, closed Mondays. Booking a slot ahead is recommended.