Start at the Atocha Railway Station.

The 19th-century station has been converted into an astonishing botanic garden; the high-speed trains leave from the hi-tech station annexe. Across the street is the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

Walk north along the Paseo del Prado.

This is the southern end of a chain of boulevards passing several major attractions. Walk along the east side of the street, past the Real Jardín Botánico and the Prado. On the left, in the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, is a fountain with a statue of Neptune. Beyond that is the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, the third of Madrid's spectacular art galleries.

Continue north on the Paseo del Prado.

Walk past the Hotel Ritz (Lealtad 5;), and the railings on the Plaza de la Lealtad, which enclose an obelisk dedicated to the local heroes who died on 2 May 1808 in the revolt against the French. The next grand façade on the right (Lealtad 11) is the Bolsa, the Madrid Stock Exchange. Once past the Museo Naval, you reach the Plaza de la Cibeles, with its fountain. The grandiose building on the right is the Palacio de Comunicaciones, perhaps the most glamorous post office in the world. Off to the right, on the Calle de Alcalá, is the Puerta de Alcalá. This monumental arch, built by Carlos III, is considered the symbol of Madrid.