You must experience madrid to understand Spain. While throughout the country there exist many places offering audible and visible delights — guitar music and ancient architecture, the writings of Cervantes, the paintings of Picasso and Goya, flamenco dance and music — it all comes together in Madrid.

Spain’s second-largest industrial center after Barcelona and one of Europe’s major manufacturing centers, Madrid produces aircraft, electrical equipment, agricultural machinery and leather goods. In addition, the city serves as the nation’s transportation hub and the center of government, finance and insurance while reigning as one of the most important publishing centers of Spanish-language materials in the world. And, of course, tourism plays a major role in the economy; Madrid welcomed some 3.5 million visitors last year.

The seat of power, Madrid has been the country’s capital since 1562. While Juan Carlos I reigns as king, the government is a parliamentary democracy with José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero as prime minister. His party, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, won the majority in the general elections of 2004 and 2008 and has embarked on a series of social and political reforms.

Some examples? Withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq, negotiations with the armed separatist group ETA, creation of Spanish Courts for Violence against Women, legalization of same-sex marriages and amnesty for illegal immigrants.

A self-described left-wing conservative and compared by many to Britain’s former prime minister, Tony Blair, Zapatero leads a business-neutral government overseeing an economic success story. Unemployment decreased from around 11 percent in 2004 to 8 percent last year, with the economy continuing to grow at just over 3 percent.

Spain’s capital is a city of contrasts: passionate, Catholic and more conservative than Paris in its character, but with the mystery found in Istanbul. Like Vienna, it is filled with great art and music, wonderful cafés and a knowing sense of self. A time capsule, too, here layers of Christian and Muslim cultures are literally built one upon the other.

This city of 3.5 million people (about 6 million in the region) does not dwell in the past, but is in the process of spending millions in renovations. The city council, for example, recently approved a $22- million investment in the sustainable redevelopment of three rundown barrios. Plans call for dilapidated 1960s apartment buildings to be replaced by more than 2,000 council houses incorporating the latest ecotechnology, including a battery-run centralized heating and hot water system and the use of solid waste to create biogas for energy.

The Madrid regional government has also launched an air pollution warning system that operates via text messages, alerting citizens when levels of substances like ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide exceed acceptable levels.

Innovations and rejuvenation are also in evidence throughout the transportation system. Passengers arriving at Barajas Airport (MAD) find themselves in one of the most modern and best-equipped airports in the world. Opened in February 2006, the new Terminal 4 almost doubled the airport’s capacity. It serves as a comprehensive commercial, leisure and business center in addition to its role as part of a busy airport.

Located near the downtown area, the Atocha railway station’s large atrium, flanked by offices, provides access to the train bays. It links Madrid to virtually every major city in Europe.

In 2007 Madrid’s Metro grew to become the second-largest urban railway network in Europe. At 176 miles and with 282 stations, the easy-to-use and inexpensive system extends to all areas of the city. Each of six functional zones offers a onetrip, in-zone ticket for about $1.50; a 10-trip ticket costs about $10.50.

While convenient, the subway system does not provide the best means for truly understanding this wonderful city. Best absorbed in small slices, Madrid is built for walking. Stroll through the picturesque squares, soaking in the city’s richness of character. Perhaps the very best way to do so is to partake in one of the most typical of local activities: Sample the tapas.

In tapas bars the appetizer is elevated to high art. Impossible to resist and often featuring olive oil and garlic, these small bites are best enjoyed with a nice wine. Most establishments have their goods on display at the bar, so you can simply point to what appeals to you. Avenues into the heart of Spanish culture, these wonderfully fragrant small restaurants are happy places where you’ll most likely stand rather than sit. They may appear rather messy — Spaniards drop soiled napkins and olive pits on the floor by their feet because it’s considered impolite to leave them on the plate. Nevertheless, tapas bars are where much of Madrid’s business is conducted.

LODGING

NH PASEO DEL PRADO

Located in Madrid’s “art triangle” formed by The Prado, Reina Sofia Museum and the Thyssen Museum, NH Paseo del Prado is an NH Collection property — one of the brand’s series of landmark hotels. The 4-star, 116-room hotel is housed in a historic building that dates to 1906. Classically elegant guestrooms reflect the property’s location in Madrid’s historic center. The hotel’s open-air terrace is the place to be on a warm summer afternoon.$$$$
NH PASEO DEL PRADO
Plaza Cánovas del Castillo 4,
tel 34 91 330 2400,
http://www.nh-hotels.com

THE RITZ

The Ritz — next to the Prado and near the Thyssen Museum in the heart of Madrid — is arguably the most civilized of Madrid’s hotels. Opened in October 1910 by Alfonso XII to provide accommodation for the nobility and celebrities of the time, The Ritz has continued that same service for subsequent generations, welcoming notable figures from the worlds of politics, culture and the arts. Its 137 guestrooms and 30 suites each boast a unique design, linen sheets and handmade carpets.$$$$
THE RITZ
Plaza de la Lealtad 5,
tel 34 91 701 6767,
http://www.ritzmadrid.com

OCCIDENTAL MIGUEL ANGEL

Located in one of the most elegant and sophisticated areas of Madrid, the Miguel Angel exudes a distinctly classical air, thanks to the priceless works of art decorating its interior. Its unbeatable location, close to the heart of Madrid’s business district and the luxury shops of the Salamanca neighborhood, places it only five minutes from the Palacio de Congresos and 15 minutes from the IFEMA Exhibition Center. The executive floor, The Royal Club, offers elegant guestrooms and an endless range of exclusive services.$$$
OCCIDENTAL MIGUEL ANGEL
Miguel Ángel 29-31,
tel 34 91 442 0022,
http://www.occidental-hoteles.com

DINING

RESTAURANT ZALACAIN
Madrid’s only 3-star Michelin Guide restaurant features new-style Spanish cuisine using traditional ingredients in dishes that boast an international flair. Located in one of the city’s more stylish residential areas, this series of intimate rooms bathed in soft lighting creates an elegant atmosphere in a rich, wine-red décor. Try the Grilled Sea Bass with Thyme Oil and Grains Trio or the Pork Trotter Stuffed with Wild Mushrooms and Lamb with Beets Cube. $$$$
RESTAURANT ZALACAIN
Alvarez de Baena 4-6,
tel 34 91 561 4840,
http://www.restaurantezalacain.com

CASA LUCIO
Located in the oldest part of Madrid near the Plaza Mayor, Casa Lucio is the place if you’re looking for authentic Castilian cuisine. Cured hams hang from beams above the bar in this former home of literary giant Miguel de Cervantes. Two dining rooms on separate floors feature traditional whitewashed walls, tile floors, and exposed brick accents. The menu fe atures Mama’s homestyle cooking: abugo ham with broad beans, shrimp in garlic sauce, hake with green sauce, several types of roasted lamb, and a thick steak served sizzling hot on a heated platter.$$$
CASA LUCIO
Cava Baja 35,
tel 34 91 365 3252,
http://www.casalucio.es

LA TORRE DEL ORO
Located in the Plaza Mayor, this tapas bar oozes character, revealing the history of bull fighting through photos and mementos of great matadors like El Cordoba, Antonio Ordonez and Curro Romero. Order rabo del toro (bull tail soup) or one of many other selections and dine among the dramatic displays, many providing graphic insights into the dangerous life of matadors.$$
LA TORRE DEL ORO
Plaza Mayor 26,
tel 34 91 366 5016

DIVERSIONS

The Puerta del Sol — one of the most important of Madrid’s squares — provides a popular meeting spot; access to the Metro system, the Plaza Mayor and old Madrid; and shopping at nearby boutiques and department stores. At the center of downtown Madrid, it is the point from which all distances in the country are calculated.

Especially after 8 p.m., the downtown area’s web of narrow streets, pedestrian malls and plazas becomes a mass of joyous humanity, evidenced in filled cafés, musicians on corners and lovers walking arm in arm. Its lively pubs, concert-cafés and discotheques are open late (or early?). Don’t be surprised to be caught in a traffic-jam at 4 a.m.

Not far from downtown are major sites such as the Prado National Museum, one of Europe’s greatest art museums (http://www.museoprado.mcu.es/ihome.html), and the Reina Sofia, housing among its collection of contemporary art Picasso’s Guernica (http://www.museoreinasofia.es/portada/portada.php). The Prado hosts an exhibition of European portraits of the 15th and 16th centuries through September.

These are just two — albeit the most famous — of the scores of museums and art galleries around the city. Ever been to a ham museum? There’s one in the city’s old town and another five scattered throughout the city (Plaza Mayor 17-18, tel 91 542 26 32, http://www.museodeljamon.com).

It’s a 20-minute walk from the Plaza Mayor to the Palacio Real, the residence of the King of Spain overlooking the Manzanares River. A series of small and large museums along the way offer a whole day of exploration.

For something completely different, take an informative and entertaining evening tour of the city center (limit eight persons) from the Wellington Society, where Stephen Drake-Jones leads informative and irreverent tours of the inner city (http://www.wellsoc.org). He’s an authority on old Madrid and historic towns and cities throughout the country, having lived in Spain since before the fall of Franco.

INFO TO GO

Barajas Airport (MAD), Europe’s fourth-busiest and largest in the world by terminal area, lies 30 minutes from the city center. Taxi fare is about $30 one way, while the direct subway line costs about $1.70. Buses charge about $3.70 and tack on $2.40 for each bag in excess of two. For more information, visit http://www.spain.info.

JUST THE FACTS
Time Zone: GMT +1
Phone Code: 34 Spain, 91 Madrid
Currency: Euro
Entry/Exit Requirements: U.S. and Canadian citizens are among those who may enter Spain as tourists without a visa and stay up to 90 days.
Official Language: Spanish
Key Industries: Manufacturing aircraft, electrical equipment, agricultural machinery; leather goods; government; finance; insurance; transportation; publishing; tourism