Casa de Campo, Madrid

Few tourists will actually walk into this park -- it is rather wild and better viewed from above via the teleférico. Many of the main roads through the park are littered with prostitutes in various states of undress (banished from the city streets by the council), and are, at times, crowded with curb-crawling, both day and night.

For those wanting to brave this semi-wilderness, the park offers a myriad of activities: a city pool at Metro Lago is probably one of the city's best. There are tennis courts and rowing boats, but most tourists should opt for these attractions at Retiro Park.

The best is probably an amusement park, the Parque de Atracciones which is fairly affordable at €18.60 for unlimited rides (www.parqueatracciones.es). Budget watchers can pack a simple lunch of a bocadillo (Spanish sub sandwich) rather than paying theme park rates for fried food. After a day of rides, you may be able to catch a concert held on premise. You can reach this amusement park by metro (Station Batán, Line 10), but it is not recommended because it will require a 10 minute walk through the dry and dusty parts of the park. Far better is to take the red EMT bus (#33 and #65 from Príncipe Pío), which will drop you in front; the metro station is a ten-minute walk through scrubland.

The above buses can also take you to an worthwhile to visit the Madrid Zoo (€11.20; www.zoomadrid.com). For children that are tired of hearing about history all day, the combination of amusement park and zoo is a welcome respite for kids and parents alike. Though not in the name, this zoo may be most adored because of its aquarium -- be sure to make time to visit it as well.

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