Flights to Madrid (MAD)

The best way to tackle this cosmopolitan city is to do as the locals do and take to the streets the moment your flight to Madrid arrives. Madrileños are famous for their energy, and you’ll need bags of it to explore the best of what the city has to offer.

The vibrant Spanish capital is best experienced with a hunger to consume. You could be sampling local cuisine at the Mercado de San Miguel in the morning, wandering the art exhibitions of the Prado Museum in the afternoon, and then losing yourself to Madrid’s infamous nightlife of tapas tasting and lounge hopping in upmarket Gran Vía until it’s time for breakfast.

Breakfast, like every other meal in the city, is taken seriously. Perhaps more than any other destination in Spain, food is a huge part of the culture. Madrid is, in fact, home to the oldest restaurant in the world, Restaurante Botín, which has been open since 1725. As well as experiencing this piece of history, you can also immerse yourself in one of Europe’s most exciting restaurant scenes, where the best meal of your life may come from a Michelin-starred chef or a hole-in-the-wall tapas joint.

Part of the reason the food is so good is because Spain’s largest city is also one of its most cosmopolitan. Communities from all over the world, including Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the rest of Europe, have settled here, creating a melting pot of cultures and an exciting travel destination.

Some of the biggest attractions, however, are home-grown: the Prado Museum, the Picasso Museum, and the legendary flamenco venue La Solea, to name a few.