Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Must do in Madrid?

"Must dos" for art lovers: As David says, Picasso's Guernica in the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, but also the adjoining rooms housing works of Juan Gris, Dalí, Miró. The Museo Thyssen Bornemiza, a kind of stroll through the entire history of Western Art. The Prado for its world class collection of 17th Baroque, plus El Greco and Goya. The Museo de la Real Academia de San Fernando-more Goyas. A hidden gem for art historians. The Museo Sorolla, the atelier of Spain's most famous impressionist, Joaquín Sorolla. The Ermita de San Antonio la Florida (on Paseo de la Florida, metro: Príncipe Pío) for Goya's delightful frescoes for history lovers: As Ron says, the enormous rococo Royal Palace, its pharmacy, armory and Sabatini gardens. A day trip to Phillip II's Monastery/Royal Pantheon of El Escorial, 1 hr. away by bus/train A stroll through the Madrid of the Hapsburg dynasty, el Madrid de los Austrias, the area around the Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Cuchilleros and Cava Baja streets, the Plaza de San Miguel, Plaza de la Cebada, Plaza de la Paja, Plaza Puerta de Moros, Calle Mayor, Plaza de la Villa where city hall stands. Get a map from the tourist office on the Plaza Mayor and hit these streets and squares and you will have seen the highlights of charming 16th-17th c. Madrid. Monastery of the Descalzas Reales (by guided tour only founded by the daughter of Emperor Charles V as a convent for aristocratic young women who brought with them amazing, priceless artistic treasures-paintings, tapestries, sculptures.