ah, madrid will always hold a place in my heart. toledo and sevilla are among my favorite cities of spain. i haven't been to barcelona yet, but hear great things.

Visit the main tourist attractions (as stated in guidebooks, etc), but most of all, travel by metro! Eat foods that you don't usually eat. And of course, have fun and take photos.

I miss Madrid so. freakin'. much. And Granada too, of course, since I studied there. Damn it.

@anne - Barcelona was quite good (coz there's the beach), but it's not as dear to me as Madrid and Granada are. But I loved Sevilla, Salamanca, Segovia and Cordoba as well!

I have almost lived in Madrid on & off over the years, I know it almost as well as my own city, London, but it's been four years since I was there last, as I often spend more time in Cantabria on La Costa Verde, also, I've spent as many summers and winters in Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Santander (which is as we say in Spanish is "Mi Pueblo") and I could tell plenty, but if your stay is gonna be anything less than a year or two, there's not much point, cos that's how long it would take you to see even half of the places that I've been in all around those four major capitals, but however, seeing as you'll be primarily staying in Madrid, I can & should recommend a day trip to Toledo, to see the might Alcazar and the many centuries old Synagogues, and other bewildering such places, and also you simply must do a day trip to "El Escorial" in San Lorenzo, about 1.5 hours by train from the main Railway Station called "La Atocha" that is one place that will astound you, and perhaps visit Aranjuez, a small town about an hour outside of Madrid, a place I have spent many summers in, you simply must go for a guided tour of the Royal Palace there, followed up with a guided tour of La Casita del Labrador, (which means, "the little house of the Labrador or Farmer, more precisely it stands for the "Groundsman" or keeper of the Royal gardens and the Hunting Lodge, he was so liked by the Royals, that when his little house was removed to make way for the hunting lodge, he was allowed to live in it, and it acquired that nickname from the locals, who jokingly refered to it as the little house of the farmer e.g. La Casita de Labrador" now it's just called La Casa del Labrador, and on the outside it looks, well, not so hot, but inside, it is an Aladins cave full of priceless treasures, and I've a photo from one of my visits from years ago, of a Grandfather clock, which is crammed with solid gold, and quite, quite priceless, there are NO photos allowed in there, but they let me take just that one, as I'd just demonstrated my knowledge of the history of the place to the guide who was supposed to be telling me, and in Spanish too,....hahahahaha, I think he was a little embarrassed, but however, I seriously recommend it, and a short trip to one of my old stomping grounds at Alcala de Henares, that will be of interest.

If you should decide, one day in the future, to go to Barcelona, I'll tell you to go to Montserrat for a day, and Tibidabo, Park Guell, el pueblo espanyol (the Spanish village) at Mont Juich, the Castillo de Mont Juich, to see La Sagrada familia (as it is more commonly called) a church (and my most favorite) called La Santa Maria del Mar, the Barcelona Catedral, the beaches of Barecelonetta is renowned (not all of it though) for it's topless contingent, and with 39 degrees and super high humidity, even in October, it's hardly surprising, Barcelona I can't cope with in the summer months anymore, December/January (Christmas) is the best time in Barca by far!!

But as for your trip to Madrid, within the city itself, basically just follow the guide books and you'll probably get to see the main attractions, just go to the nearest Tourist Information Kiosk and ask for one in English, there's one in La Puerta del Sol, tha's the centre of the City, the centre of Spain too, look for the "Kilometro Zero" set into the pavement, right outside the big government looking building which used to be the Post Office.

Buen viaje, que tengas una buena semana.

Angelo

SALAMANCA! You won't be sorry, it's amazing. I lived there for a month a couple summers ago.. :)

Don't miss out on the cafe con leche.  It's a great pick-me-up when your energy runs low.  Also, if you're in the North, Salamanca and Segovia, it could be really cold so take gloves and a scarf and try the pudding-like hot chocolate to warm up.