I’ve just got back from a trip to Madrid. I went to Barcelona back in 2010 but had never been to, or heard much about, the Spanish capital. With my iPhone weather forecast showing temperatures in the 40s for most of the summer all I expected was for it to be extremely hot! By the time late August arrived, the temperatures had dropped to a more bearable 36 degrees and Madrid turned out to be a gem of a city – great food, not too many tourists and lots to do.

For art lovers, the Museo Del Prado is a must-visit – its huge (and mercifully air-conditioned). Walk along the tree-lined boulevard to the beautiful botanical gardens and then onto the Parque Del Buen Retiro – a beautiful place to escape from the city. Hiring a rowing boat on the lake was really fun, even if my rowing skills and spacial awareness were not up to much. I had wanted to go to the Reina Sofia to see Picasso’s Guernica but unfortunately this was the only place that we encountered a huge queue so we skipped it in favour of making the most of the sunshine and checking out some impressive street art. The centre of the city is great for people-watching and markets – we visited the El Rastro flea market which was full of bargains, the San Miguel food market which was a great way to try some local foods and the Shoreditch-esque Malasana neighbourhood. For another escape from the city the cable car over the Casa de Campo park was great fun and the views were amazing. Football fans should check out the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu – the tour was fun and provided some great photo opportunities. Shopping is a holiday activity wherever I go – Zara, Mango and Berksha are in abundance in the city and are Spanish brands so its practically your tourist duty to help the Spanish economy recover, right?

There are loads of hotels to pick from – we stayed in the H10 on the Gran Via for the first night which was a great central base for exploring the city. We then re-located to a hotel a short metro ride out of town which had the added bonus of a pool to relax by in the afternoons, much appreciated in the heat and nice to have some chill out time – I often come back from city breaks more tired than when I leave for them. A four night break was plenty of time to see all the sites in my guidebook at a relaxed pace.