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This gem of a town, awarded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, is a must see. The most obvious attraction is the Palacio Real, summer residence of Spain’s Bourbon rulers and sumptuously decorated in the French style. No expense was spared either on the extravagant folly known as the Casa del Labrador, in the grounds near the River Tagus. The town has preserved some of its corralas – balconied wooden dwellings, built around a courtyard – and its bullring (Plaza de Toros). If you don’t want to shell out on a meal in one of the town’s excellent restaurants, the Mercado de Abastos is a good source for picnic provisions. Aranjuez’s strawberries, sold from roadside stalls, make the perfect dessert. The town is also famous for its artichokes.

The glass-roofed terrace is the main attraction of this restaurant specializing in rice-based dishes.

Shades of the Orient in this shop selling hookah pipes, copper kettles, carved wooden boxes, embroidered slippers, cushions, and much more.

This well-known vegetarian restaurant features a nettle purée among other imaginative dishes. Also organic wines and herbal teas. No smoking.

This restaurant in a stone farmhouse is worth seeking out. Chef Felipe del Olmo is known for his stylish cooking – try the grilled hake in a delicious squid sauce. Large terrace in summer.

What madrileños prize here is succulent meat and fish, cooked in the traditional manner over charcoal. If you still have room, try the rice pudding (arroz con leche ) (see Asador Frontón).

A classic asador where meat and fish dishes are grilled over charcoal (see Asador Frontón).

One of Madrid’s great cultural institutions, the Ateneo was founded in 1835 to promote the arts and sciences. The building contains a library of half a million volumes.