Madrid is located in the centre of the Iberian peninsula, right in the middle of the plateau of Castile and crossed by the Manzanares river. The city's weather is continental-mediterranean, so if you visit Madrid in Summer bring light clothes and if its Winter, warm clothing. The best seasons to come to the city are Spring and Autumn.

These are the best events for each season:

• For art lovers: ARCO (International Contemporary Art Fair of Madrid) and PhotoEspaña.

• For music lovers: Festimad (alternative festival which also includes sculpture works, photography exhibitions, seminars, markets, music launches, dance, cinema, poetry reading, as well as the Mostoles Rock Festival, with music bands from all over the country.)

• For scenic arts: Autumn Festival (it offers an average of 60 theatre, dance and music shows.)

• Festivals with a local touch: The San Isidro and La Paloma festivals.

• In Summer: Veranos de la Villa (Rock, Jazz and Blues concerts combine latin and Brazilian music with the Spanish traditional sounds, such as the flamenco shows.)

THOSE LONG AND WARM SUMMER NIGHTS

During the 90's summers, Madrid used to be an almost deserted city. The inhabitants' exodus to the beach or the countryside made the Spanish capital a ghost city, with most of its restaurants closed and no night clubs open. But the night offer during the Summer time has been growing gradually and nowadays one can find many options to enjoy a nice evening: The Summer Festival (opera, flamenco, ballet and concerts), "Veranos de la Villa", Open air operettas at the Sabatini Gardens next to the Royal Palace, and Sunday mornings the Municipal Symphony Band offers concerts at the Templete de la Música in the north end of the Retiro park.