Madrid

Spain’s capital rewards advance viewing because its pleasures are spatial: royal-scaled avenues, compact older streets, major museums, markets and late meals sit close enough to shape a day on foot. That density can make choices look deceptively easy from a map. In Madrid, The Majesty of Madrid by Rick Steves' Europe works as a travel film to pair with trip planning, especially for deciding how much time to give art, architecture, food stops and evening streets. Treat it as orientation rather than instruction: save the neighborhoods and themes that matter, then check current opening details separately before building the itinerary.