Madrid for The Slow Weekenders: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

Formal gardens below the Royal Palace, with a pond and a bench for every hedge; the place to decide nothing else is happening today.

Arab baths in a Madrid basement: three pools at different temperatures and a steam room, ninety minutes; book a slot, they fill at weekends.

Paella and rice dishes since 1958 in a tiled room off the Calle de la Reina; the paella for two takes thirty minutes, so order it first.

A long breakfast in the 1888 café with the newspaper and no agenda, eggs and coffee under the high ceiling.

A glass palace on a pond in the Retiro, the one sight of the day; sit on the steps and watch the terrapins.

Lunch that runs into the afternoon on the terrace opposite the Royal Palace; the Plaza de Oriente is the setting, and the paella is the order.

Terraced gardens beside the Prado, planted in 1781; benches in the sun, two glasshouses, and no one in a hurry.

Roast lamb and cocido in a 1642 inn on the Cava Baja; the table is yours for the afternoon.

A hillside park west of the Palace with the rose garden and the Egyptian temple at the top; flat enough to walk off the lamb.

Breakfast in the 1887 café on the Glorieta de Bilbao, with the Monday papers and a table by the window.

One museum, one hour and a half: seven centuries of painting; it opens at noon on Mondays.

A light lunch on the roof terrace of the Chueca market; the rooftop is open and the stalls are small.