• the Prado: The most famous of the three, here you’ll find predominantly Spanish paintings from 1100-1910 and Italian paintings from 1300-1800, such as Goya, el Greco (who also has a museum in Toledo worth checking out), Titian, Tintoretto and Velázquez with his masterpiece Las Meninas.

• the Thyssen-Bornemisza:  This is my personal favourite of the three, with a fantastic collection of Impressionist and 20th century paintings. I only bothered with the first floor & ground floor, and they have a great Pop Art Myths temporary exhibition on at the moment until 14th September 2014.

• the Reina Sofia: Created inside a former hospital, the Reina Sofia is home to Picasso’s historically significant 3.5mx7m painting Guernica, which was used internationally to raise awareness of Franco’s atrocities during the Spanish Civil War. The second floor is by far the best, with plenty of pieces by Picasso, Miró and Salvador Dalí, and excellent photos of the Civil War by Robert Capa. Head to the fourth floor for post-WWII art, including a refreshing variety of films, photos, etc., not just paintings.

        It can be a costly exercise to visit them all so look on their websites to see when you can get free entry. It tends to be the last few hours before closing on certain days of the week. And most of all, brace your legs for a lot of walking!