First weekend trip done! Loved Madrid - a very clean city, with a vibrant food scene and lots to see and do. Will definitely be heading back. Next up...Helsinki!

Flights

Outbound: Saturday 24 February, Iberia, LHR-MAD, 9.15am. Practically kissing the back of the seat in front - cosy.
Return: Sunday 25 February, British Airways, MAD-LHR, 7.55pm.

Airport transfers

Outbound: Aerocity Airport Shuttle Taxi (www.aerocity.com, €21 fixed price). Was pretty good and only shared with one other traveller, but it took a while for the agent to collect us and for the driver to arrive. Didn't really want to be wasting time when I had such a limited amount in the city anyway.
Return: taxi from hotel (€30 fixed price). Quick and easy – worth the cash.

Hotel

Hotel Urban (www.hotelurban.com). Smart design hotel in a perfect location (5 minute walk to the Museo del Prado), but expensive and more than I needed for a one night visit – didn’t get to have an old fashioned at the bar or try the restaurant.

Activities

Madrid City Tour (madrid.city-tour.com) - always find that an open top bus helps you get your bearings, although touristy.
Devour Madrid 'Tapas, Taverns & History' food tour (madridfoodtour.com). This was a gem - we had a great host in Joy, a New York native who went to Madrid in 2010 and never left. We met at 7.30pm and headed to the first stop to learn about Jamón ibérico, followed by a wine bar, and two tapas restaurants (one was Meson del Champiñon - guess their speciality kids). We were being fed more than just tapas - there were snippets of Madrid's history along the way and funny stories too. There were 7 of us in the group, 6 Americans and me - and we had a lot of fun. Joy was brilliant - cheeky, knowledgable, passionate - it was a nice way to spend an evening.
Parque del Retiro for a blissful walk on Sunday morning, including Palacio de Crystal.
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (www.museoreinasofia.es) contemporary art museum, including Guernica by Picasso.
Museo Nacional del Prado (www.museodelprado.es)
Mercado San Miguel (www.mercadodesanmiguel.es)
Plaza Mayor and surrounding shopping area