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Lola Moriarty’s art gallery in Calle Almirante (still going strong) was enormously influential in promoting the careers of artists and photographers of the movida . Her husband, Borja Casani, was editor of Luna , a monthly magazine which published stories by Almodóvar and others. In 1984 Casani hired the entire Hotel Palace for a party attended by several thousand movidistas .

The scale of the Archaelogical Museum’s fabulous collections can be daunting, so home in on what interests you most. The star turn on the main floor is the Lady of Elche , a stone bust of an Iberian noblewoman from the 4th century BC. Other highlights include a Roman mosaic floor representing the months and seasons, the exquisite Recesvinth crown from the Guarrazar treasure (Toledo, 7th-century), a matchless example of Islamic stone-carving from 11th-century Zaragoza, and an ivory processional cross from the church of San Isidoro in León (1063). On the lower floor are Bronze and Iron Age finds from the Canary Islands and a collection of painted amphorae from ancient Greece. Before leaving, take a look at the reproduction of the cave paintings of Altamira on display in the forecourt (see Museo Arqueológico Nacional).

Don Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa, Marqués de Cerralbo (1845–1922) was a poet, a politician and a compulsive collector, searching the world for artistic treasures that would adorn his palatial home. Highlights include an exquisite majolica Nativity by Renaissance artist Andrea della Robbia (Porcelain Room) and El Greco’s Ecstasy of St Francis (Sacristy), but the pièce de résistance is Juderías Caballero’s History of Dance in the dome of the glittering ballroom (see Museo Cerralbo).

Spain’s links with the American continent have a long history, and this wonderful museum displays artifacts from all eras (see Museo de América).

One of the world’s finest art galleries, the Prado includes a spectacular section of Spanish paintings within its vast collection (see Museo del Prado).

José Lázaro Galdiano (1862–1947) was a distinguished patron of the arts and collector whose Italian-style palazzo is now a museum showcasing his fabulous possessions. There are Spanish works by El Greco, Zurbarán, Murillo, Velázquez and Goya and European paintings by Reynolds, Constable and Gainsborough. There are also spectacular objets d’art (see Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas).

This former poorhouse is now a museum tracing the history of the capital from the earliest times to the present day. Prize exhibits include mosaic fragments from a local Roman villa, pottery from the time of the Muslim occupation, a bust of Felipe II, and Goya’s Allegory of the City of Madrid (Dos de Mayo) . The star attraction is a wooden model of the city, made in 1830 by León Gil de Palacio. As you leave, take a look at the elaborately sculpted Baroque portal, dating from the 1720s.