Prado Museum – adjacent
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum - adjacent
Bourse (stock exchange) – 200 meters
Reina Sofia Art Center – 200 meters
Botanical Gardens – 200 meters
Retiro Park – 300 meters
Puerto del Sol – 400 meters
Grand Via – 500 meters
Salamance (upscale shopping and Goya Chapel) – 500 meters
Plaza Mayor – 600 meters
Royal Palace – 1 kilometer (0.6 miles)
Santiago Bernabeu Stadium (football) – 3.5 kilometers (2 miles)
IFEMA (convention center) – 12 kilometers (7 miles)

Minibuses and taxi cabs are available for transfer from the airport to the center of Madrid. Metro line 8 also serves the airport and takes passengers into central Madrid.

The extensive Metro system connects the hotel with the rest of central Madrid within 10 minutes. The Metro station closest to the hotel is the Banco d’Espana. There is also a wide choice of buses. The hotel can order taxis on request.

This hotel has 137 guestrooms, which surround the large, rectangular Lobby. Rooms overlook the hotel’s garden, Lealtad Square or Prado Museum. Fresh flowers, orchids or roses, scent the rooms. All are double-glazed. Non-smoking rooms are available. Each room has its own unique decoration, with color tones picked out from the hand-made, patterned carpet. Much of the furniture dates back to the 1910 opening, including the ample fitted wardrobes, which reflect an age when vacationers did not travel light. All rooms have a desk and chair, comfortable armchair and table, and Internet access. In the marble bathrooms, the baths are fitted with a handrail and designer toiletries. Towels hang on radiators, bathrobes and slippers are supplied.

Goya Restaurant - Informally-dressed guests will be handed a jacket by staff to fit in with the regal atmosphere of this 570-metre high eatery overlooking the Stock Exchange, with tear drop chandeliers, large, draped windows, silver patterned fabric walls and silver service. Although international cuisine does feature, Spanish specialties are always on the lunch and dinner à la carte menu. Cocido Madrileno (chickpeas, chicken, vegetable, beef and pork stew) is served every Tuesday and Thursday. Although the menu changes daily, Paella is always available on request.

Velazquez Bar - Cocktails and snacks are served in a relaxed atmosphere in this intimate, wood-paneled bar.

Lobby - Snacks and drinks are served all day but afternoon tea and scones with homemade jam and clotted cream accompanied by live piano music at the Ritz is, for some, as important as a trip to the Prado Museum. The setting is a huge room with two crimson handmade carpets, scattered with sofas and armchairs in maroon, caramel, blue and green. A white marble statue is set in a scarlet alcove. Large plants attempt to reach the gilded, high ceiling but don’t quite make it.

Ritz Garden - In spring and summer, snacks, drinks and à la carte dining from the adjacent Goya restaurant kitchens is served on the terrace garden, with sculptures, pond, and shade to protect from the heat of the sun. Afternoon tea moves from the Lobby to this prime spot, along with live piano music. There is space for 400 people.

What to expect: King Alfonso XIII wanted a luxury hotel to rival the Ritz in Paris – this six-story palace next to the Prado is the result. Presidents and politicians, successful businesspeople, well-heeled leisure travelers and the stars sink into its soft carpets, handmade by the Spanish royal family’s fabric manufacturers. Service is paramount, and, with a 250:167 ratio of staff to room numbers, each guest is treated to a personalized welcome in the circular, marble-pillared hall and high-ceilinged lobby.

Amenity highlights: The piano plays as afternoon tea and scones is served in the lobby – the ambience is dignified.

Insider tip: Celebrity spotting is a favorite activity at the Ritz but guests will never glean information from the staff. When American movie star Richard Gere stayed here, staff resisted pressure from press and curious guests. Discretion always prevails.

An experienced team of chefs, butlers and conference managers assists at the range of meeting rooms (capacity for anything from two to 500 people), all five with natural daylight and ISDN connections for video-conferences. A 17th century Parisian tapestry hangs in meeting room Alfonso XIII, with its 570 meter-high ceiling. Salon Real is the largest room, with a capacity for up to 250 people, theater-style. Beneath a large chandelier, the Ritz logo intertwined with the symbol of Madrid – a bear and strawberry tree – is inlaid in the parquet floor.

The business center offers secretarial services, telephones, fax, photocopiers, three computers, printer and high-speed Internet access (fee).

Ritz Fitness Center is located on the mezzanine floor (next to the hairdresser) and equipped with cardiovascular equipment and free weights (complimentary). Sauna, massage, sunbed, manicures, pedicures and facials are also available (fee). Special treatments include eye-lash dyeing, makeovers and algae-based facial hydration.

The barber and hairdresser are located between the ground and first floors. Photographs of former clients – from the Spanish royal family to astronauts and assorted stars are on show.