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This huge Water Park, about 40 km (25 miles) south of the city, opened in 1998. Apart from the exhilarating water slides, the facilities include mini-golf and a large swimming pool. If you have a car, the park could be combined with a visit to Aranjuez.

The city’s largest green space and Felipe II’s favourite hunting ground was opened to the public with the overthrow of the monarchy in 1931. Attractively planted with pines, oaks, poplars, and other trees, there are also huge areas of open space, mostly scrub. The amenities include cafés, picnic areas, restaurants and a boating lake, not to mention the zoo and the Parque de Atracciones amusement park (see Parque de Atracciones).

Fans of motorcar-racing (automovilísmo ) or motorcycle racing (motociclísmo ) should head for this 100-acre track, near San Sebastián de los Reyes, 28 km (17 miles) northeast of Madrid. Race meetings are held here throughout the summer.

Golf is now big business in Spain, thanks to the interest generated by the likes of champions Seve Ballesteros and José Maria Olazábal. Surprisingly, given the generally barren terrain, there are several 18-hole courses in the Greater Madrid area. The Club de Campo was designed by Javier Arana in 1957 and is reckoned to be one of the best in Europe.

Races are held here every sunday from 11am onwards. Tickets can be booked in advance by phone or in person at the racetrack on saturdays from 10am–2pm. Visit the stables before the racing begins to pick the favourite.

The space beneath the magnificent iron-and-glass canopy at Madrid’s central railway station is occupied by a miniature botanical garden, replete with palms and tropical plants (see Estación de Atocha).

The venerated Real Madrid football club celebrated its centenary in 2002, although this 75,000-seater stadium was not completed until 1946. It is named after Santiago Bernabéu, the club president who brought the team five successive European championships in the 1950s. This success has continued – in 1998 FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, voted Real Madrid the “best club in the history of football”. Their tally to date includes a further 4 European cups, as well as 17 domestic cups and 28 league championships. Visitors can inspect the winning silverware by visiting the sala de trofeos (trophy room) at the ground. The club also has its own website and television station, broadcasting 20 hours a day from the training ground. The players are known locally as merengues (“meringues”) because of their all-white strip.

Real Madrid’s arch-rivals, Atlético de Madrid, play across the River Manzanares in a 55,000-seater stadium, completed in 1966. For most of its history, the club has lived in the shadow of Real Madrid, but all is forgotten when the two clash in annual matches, billed as the “dual of the gods”. The club’s best season was in 1996 when they brought off a league and cup double, but four years later they suffered the humiliation of being relegated to the second division. Atlético’s fans are known as the colchoneros (mattress boys) after their red-and-white striped shirts.

The botanical garden is the perfect place to recharge the batteries after the exhausting walk around the Prado Museum. The shady paths are lined with statues, the air cooled by judiciously sited fountains (see Real Jardín Botánico).

Surprisingly, the gardens in the palace grounds were not laid out until the 19th century. The name, “Moor’s field” refers to the Arab general, Ali Ben Yusuf, who is said to have camped here while besieging the city after it had fallen to the Christians. On a fine day, the views of the palace and the Casa de Campo from here are unbeatable (see Palacio Real).