Start your day at the InterContinental Madrid, a cosmopolitan retreat near the high-end fashion boutiques of Salamanca as well as Madrid’s world-class museums. Thanks to booking this SELECT hotel through our agency, you can enjoy access to the exclusive Club Lounge, a stylish space complete with a dedicated Guest Relations team.

In the afternoon, take a slow stroll through the winding, candy-colored streets of Lavapiés — a working-class neighborhood with a rich history. Here you’ll be welcomed at La Tabacalera, Madrid’s old cigarette factory built over 200 years ago. This huge industrial building is now a local community space with resident painters, craftsmen and musicians occupying every nook and cranny. All the walls are covered in street art, and you’ll even spot a few famous graffiti artists if you look closely.

For dinner, visit Bodegas Rosell, a charming, 99-year-old bodega just a 15-minute walk from La Tabacalera. There might be a free table in the front of this iconic restaurant, but book ahead for a pretty, white marble-topped table in the informal dining area behind the bar. Order their croquettes and melt-in-your-mouth bacalao (salted cod). Everything on their menu is delicious; it’s no wonder that this old bodega is so popular with local Madrileños.

Fancy some post-dinner live jazz? Go straight to Café El Despertar, a Lavapiés institution with bands playing every night of the week. Order a drink at the splendid marble bar and take your time admiring the turn-of-the-century surroundings. Café El Despertar sits among the most iconic locales of Madrid’s post-dictatorship era, and playing a gig here remains a rite of passage for many local jazz musicians, just as it has been since its founding in 1981.