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Every inch of the interior was covered with painted murals by Enrique Guigo in the 1880s (see Los Gabrieles).

Bring your camera when you visit this wonderfully over-the-top bar, often overlooked by tourists. Every inch of space is crammed with bric-à-brac – signed basketball shirts, old telephones, beer barrels, bull’s heads, you name it. Steer your way to the bar for a glass of beer and a plate of shrimps. While you’re about it, take a look at the tempting array of canapés, filled rolls and tapas .

Villena’s novel Madrid ha muerto (Madrid has died) , published in 1999, points out the scene’s darker side, as youthful hopes and ideals give way to disillusionment.

With Pedro Velarde, Daoíz led the insurrection against the French in 1808 and died in the fighting.

Mainstream movies are shown here in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish. Reduced prices on Wednesday. Four screens.

In 1982 this flagship magazine of the movida first appeared, and the city held its first carnival since Franco.

At l’Habilleur you can pick up last season’s designer clothes at a fraction of the original prices.

This restaurant was a favourite of film director Pedro Almodóvar, and appears in his film All about my Mother . The terrace has views of the Calatravas church on Gran Vía, but you pay for the privilege. Mediterranean cooking.

Three months into the Spanish Civil War General Franco’s Nationalist army surrounded Madrid. Republican resistance was fierce and the siege dragged on for two-and-a-half years, the city finally falling to the rebels in March 1939.

This reputable delicatessen chain offers a mouthwatering selection of cheeses, hams, pastries, filled rolls, cakes and ice creams. There’s a small bar if you can’t tear yourself away.