Conde Duque / Argüelles

Leafy, cultured and pleasantly low-key, Conde Duque takes its name from the great former barracks now turned cultural centre, while the nearby Templo de Debod offers one of the city's best sunsets over the Egyptian temple's reflecting pools. The dining is neighbourhood bistros and quiet good rooms rather than headline names, which makes it the audience's discovery zone: residential, unhurried and genuinely local. It is where you go to live like a Madrileño for an evening.