Madrid

Political and party HQ of Spain, Madrid serves up nightlife like no other city in the country - or, for that matter, the planet. Madrileños are an enormously gregarious bunch, overflowing with exuberance and seemingly bred not to require any sleep.

For all short breaks to Madrid, the motto is: if you can't beat them, join them. Not throwing yourself into the locals' nightly revelries among the cafés, tapas bars, pubs and clubs, will only mean waking up in the small hours to the hum of high spirits in the streets below.

Although the city has its roots in the 9th century, its most significant attractions are artistic rather than architectural in nature, and city breaks to Madrid are synonymous with absorbing large quantities of art.

The Museo del Prado holds one of the world's most extraordinary collections, with works by the Spanish masters Velázquez,

Goya and El Greco, and the Italian master, Raphael. The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is its exceptional modern equivalent, offering visitors the chance to ogle pieces by Miró, Dalí and Picasso, including the jewel in the crown, Picasso's Guernica.

Short breaks to Madrid can also entail plenty of walking. The city's old districts - arranged around the bustling central square of Puerta del Sol - are made for exploring on foot, yielding charming narrow streets, grand plazas, churches, monasteries and palaces dating back to the 15th century.

Should all that discovery result in blisters, rest assured that new shoes will not be difficult to find. Fashion, art and food emporiums abound, and city breaks to Madrid should come with a warning to keen shoppers. There's so much retail therapy on offer that you may be relieved of all your euros before you even reach your hotel.

Still, according to a handy variation on an old Spanish proverb, be good to yourself, and then you can be good to others.

Put another way, on short breaks to Madrid you're supposed to embrace your hedonistic side...