(11 Calle Hortaleza, Gran Via. Tel. 91 523 5442) If you need a snack while in Madrid, forget about fast-food joints. Head to Stop Madrid instead, where you can enjoy sumptuous tapas accompanied by a great glass of red or a frothy little beer. The fact that it’s often standing-room only is testament to the low price and high quality.

  (43 Calle Fuencarral, Tribunal. Tel. 91 531 6877) For a modern twist on traditional Spanish food, drop into Lateral, a bar that’s sufficiently cool—not least thanks to its location, next to the Mercado de Fuencarral mall—and still manages to pay plenty of attention to the items on the menu.

  (15 Calle del Prado, Anton Martin. Tel. 91 429 3659) Upstairs you’ll find excellent Nordic cuisine, while downstairs lurks a lounge-cum-vodka bar. Located right in the heart of the Huertas district, Olsen should be the destination for the more discerning diner, looking to avoid the booze-soaked disco-bars of the area.

  (4 Plaza de la Independencia, Banco de España. Tel. 91 435 9566) If you want to check out one of the most fashionable eateries in Madrid right now, then head to Ramsés, a project from the hands of the eccentric French designer Philippe Starck. A restaurant, cocktail bar and party venue all in one, the place is lavishly decked out and one of the hottest tickets in the city.

  (2 Calle de la Union. Tel. 91 559 4163) Whether you fancy a tea, coffee, mojito or just a beer, pop into Anticafe, a cosy little bar with three different areas. The recently installed pool table in the basement is just another good reason to swing by.

  (24 Calle Covarrubias, Alonso Martinez. Tel. 91 445 6191) Perfect for a mid-week boogie, Honky Tonk is a legendary venue on Madrid’s live music circuit. Local bands pass through doing late-night sets of rock, blues and country for a fun—if slightly posh—crowd.

  (Plaza del Carmen, Gran Via. Tel. ) While Deep may have had more homes than the Littlest Hobo, it’s still one of the best nights in the city. Expect quality electro and tech house, both from the residents and the carefully picked guest DJs, all in a brand-new venue.

  (Plaza Callao. Tel. ) Sunday nights have always been a bit special for clubbing in Madrid, and now that top local DJ Sandro Bianchi has taken up residency at Weekend, they just got even better. Expect a soulful night of tunes taking you through to Monday morning.

A wander down Calle Preciados, between Callao and Sol, will reveal the retail giants of the city, such as the familiar Zara and H&M. Also here are Fnac and El Corte Ingles—the former a French store specialising in CDs, DVDs, books and electronic goods, and the latter Spain’s one and only department store. In between there are photography stores, coffee shops and plenty of bars.

A guided tour certainly beats relying on a well-thumbed travel guide. But how about a tour of the city on a Segway? That’s what’s on offer at Madsegs, Madrid’s longest-running two-wheeled, and perfectly balanced, Segway tour of Madrid. You get complete training on how to use the machines, before whizzing around the city to check out the historical and cultural sights (www.madsegs.com).

Some 200 years ago this month, the people of Madrid rose up against Napoleonic invaders to defend their fair city. So what better time to head to the Plaza Dos de Mayo (Tribunal), named after the date of the uprising? There are plenty of terrace bars and restaurants on the square, perfect to drink a toast to the heroes of two centuries ago.

May is an important month for Madrileños, with the city’s big day on Thursday 15, as it celebrates its patron saint San Isidro. There’s only one place to be for the celebrations, and that’s Las Vistillas, a park area perched between La Latina and Calle Segovia. There you’ll find plenty of free concerts, great food and Madrileños wearing traditional dress.

 – As you may notice as you come in to land, Madrid is surrounded by mountains. To make the most of this, escape on the train to a town such as Cercedilla, some 60 kilometres out of town. Enjoy a walk in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, but most importantly, reward yourself afterwards with a hearty meal in the town. By car, take the A-6 towards Guadarrama, then the M-622 to Cercedilla. By train, from Atocha station.

One of the early forms of table football was invented in Madrid in 1936 as a way to keep children who had been wounded in the Civil War entertained.