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This old fashioned store has been producing its famous nougat (turrón ) for more than 150 years. Made without artificial colouring or preservatives, it’s the genuine article.

This homely restaurant with bull-fighting decor has the feel of an old tavern. Meat and fresh fish are the mainstays.

Aficionados rate this attractive venue as the best place for traditional Spanish Flamenco acts (see Casa PATAS).

Spain’s greatest playwright (see Félix Lope de Vega) lived in this house between 1610 and 1635. Now an evocative museum, the rooms are furnished in the style of the period, based on an inventory made by the dramatist himself (see Casa-Museo de Lope de Vega).

The greatest dramatist of Spain’s Golden Age lived in this roomy, two-storey brick house from 1610 until his death in 1635. Lope de Vega started writing at the age of 12 and his amazing tally of 1,500 plays (not counting poetry, novels and devotional works) has never been beaten. He became a priest after the death of his second wife in 1614, but that didn’t stop his compulsive philandering which led to more than one run-in with the law. To tour the restored house with its heavy wooden shutters, creaking staircases and beamed ceilings, is to step back in time. You get to see the author’s bedroom, and the book-lined study where he wrote many of his plays. The women of the house gathered in the adjoining embroidery room – the heavy wall-hangings were to keep out the cold. Other evocative details include a cloak, sword and belt discarded by one of Lope’s friends in the guest bedroom.

The home of Valencian artist Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923) is now a delightful museum displaying his work. Sorolla won international recognition after his paintings were exhibited in the Exposition Universelle in Paris (1901). His impressionistic canvases are brilliant evocations of Spanish life (see Museo Sorolla).

Not a casino but an exclusive gentlemen’s club, founded in 1910. The florid architecture by Luis Esteve and José López Salaberry is typical of the period. No expense was spared on the lavish interior which, unfortunately, is not usually open to the public.

The location of this 3-star hotel, often used by tour companies, is excellent – just a few metres from the Gran Vía and with easy access to the Palácio Real. All rooms have direct-dial phone and satellite TV, and a baby-sitting service is available for couples keen to explore the city’s famous nightlife.