A Madrid Card for tourists gives you unlimited use of public transport and entry to 40 museums for up to three days. Or, for just €6, a ten-journey metrobus ticket will allow you to roam the city.

Here are 10 ways to spend an active afternoon in Madrid:

1. Visit the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). Wander around the Sabatini gardens outside and the nearby Plaza de Armas. Nearest metro is Opera. For more information, try the Mad About Madrid website.
   
   
2. Go boating in El Buen Retiro park. Nearest metro is Retiro. Try Descubre Madrid.
   
   
3. Explore the Retiro's Jardín Botánico (botanical gardens).
   
   
4. Ride the Teleférico (cable car) across the Casa de Campo park. Adult return €4.45. Or take it one way (€3.10) and walk back. See Teleférico. It is closed for a midday siesta from 13.00 to 15.00. Nearest metro is Arguelles.
   
   
5. Visit the Zoo & Aquarium. Adults €13.50, under 7s and senior citizens €11. Open daily from 10.30. Nearest metro is Casa de Campo. For details see Zoo Madrid (only in Spanish). Madrid's main listings magazine, Guía del Ocio, is also in Spanish, but useful even with only a basic knowledge.
   
   
6. Take a guided tour around the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the home of Real Madrid. Adults €14, under 14s €10. Nearest metro is Santiago Bernabéu. The Real Madrid website is www.realmadrid.com.
   
   
7. Visit the Museo del Prado. Adults €6. Free of charge on Sundays. An 'Abono Paseo del Arte' (around €8) is a joint pass for the Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums. The Prado is closed on Monday. Nearest metro is Banco de España.
   
   
8. See Picasso's Guernica at the Reina Sofía gallery. Children love the glass lift. Adults €3.01. Under 18s and senior citizens free of charge. It is closed on Tuesday. Nearest metro is Atocha. The website only has a few pages in English.
   
   
9. Visit the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum. Adults €9. It is closed on Monday. Nearest metro is Atocha. The website (in English) is so good that there's almost no need to visit in person.
   
   
10. Take a siesta in the afternoon and save your energy for a gastronomical tour of Madrid in the evening. The Adventurous Appetites four-hour tour begins at 20.00 every day except Sunday.