A mad time in Madrid

While the swinging sixties may well be just a distant memory for some and nothing but a fabled period of post-war history for others, the spirit of the times lives on in one of Europe's most dynamic capitals, Madrid.

Given that Spain was being governed by an ultra-conservative regime headed by staunch Catholic General Franco while the rest of the continent was waking up to the Beatles and mini-skirts, rock and roll and social liberalisation largely passed it by.

Though this was bad news for those Britons who flocked to the Costa del Sol with the advent of the package holiday industry 40 years ago, modern day travellers are able to benefit from a city still trying to catch up and out-do its neighbours.

The city's highlights then are not simply restricted to the Golden Triangle comprised of the Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornesizma museums, or the enormous Royal Palace but also extend to the up-and-coming areas, such as the narrow streets around the Plaza del Dos de Mayo.

Here the oft-quoted fact that Madrid boasts more bars than the whole of Belgium appears to be completely valid, as does the fact that the city's nightlife doesn't really get started until the early hours of the morning.

Other areas of note include the Santa Ana and Heurtas districts, once the favoured haunt of Ernest Hemingway and now the destination of choice for ramshackle clubs and independent clothes and record stores.

Likewise, the former no-go area of Chueca, just north of the Gran Via, has been transformed over recent years into one of Europe's liveliest and most cutting-edge gay districts, albeit without the high prices of so many of its European counterparts.

Fortunately, as capital cities go, Madrid is about as compact and accessible as can be, making it the perfect place to follow the example of the locals and wander from bar to bar using the majestic Plaza Mayor as a baring point.

Likewise, despite the city's many winding alleys and the natives' love of a drink or two, Madrid remains, overall, an increadibly safe destination for a weekend away, though travel insurance is still recommended given the usual problem of pickpockets blighting its subway system.

Perhaps the only downside to the Spanish capital is that it lacks a park to rival the likes of London's Hyde Park or Berlin's Tiergarten, though the locals nevertheless flock to the gravel-paved and geometrically perfect Parque del Buen Retiro whenever throughout the long summer months.

Given that jetting off after work on one of the many cheap flights to Madrid lands British travellers in the heart of Madrid before the evening even gets started, the city represents the perfect destination for a weekend break and a couple of nights out with a refreshing difference.