48 Seek the soul of Spain in Madrid and Toledo
Madrid only became a capital in the 16th century - by which time Paris and London were already old hands at the job. But it’s been making up for lost time and - being set in the geographical centre of Spain - it’s a fine place to get an overview of food, art and culture from all points of the peninsula over a weekend. Take a trip to the Mercado de San Miguel to taste Galician seafood and jamón from the Portuguese borderlands; make for the Reina Sofia to see works by Catalan artists Miró and Dalí; or visit the National Archaeological Museum to see relics from Mudéjar Andalucia. Madrid is also perfectly poised for a day trip to Toledo (pictured): a far older Iberian capital, its courtyards and battlements echoing the days when the Moors reigned from Gibraltar to the Pyrenees.
• See
esmadrid.com
and
turismo.toledo.es