When dictator Francisco Franco died in 1975 and democracy was reintroduced to Spain, Madrid experienced a creative outburst that continued well into the '80s. La Movida, as it was known, gave birth to stars such as movie director Pedro Almodóvar and actor Antonio Banderas, but by the time the 1992 Barcelona Olympics came around, Madrid had run out of steam and was eclipsed by the Catalan capital for much of the '90s.

Not anymore, though. The past few years have seen the city work its way up the league table of hot European destinations, as travelers discover its second-to-none art galleries, fantastic cuisine and exhilarating nightlife. Each barrio (neighborhood) has its own attractions, and all of them have a distinct identity and nightlife worth exploring. Just make sure you take that siesta - Madrid is a late-night city, and if you're having dinner before 10 p.m., going clubbing before 1 a.m. and hitting your bed before dawn, then you haven't enjoyed a truly Madrileño night out.

Art attack

Before hitting the bars, it's worth hitting Madrid's Golden Triangle of museums, rightly acclaimed as the greatest concentration of art in the world. The Museo del Prado's collections of Spanish and European art are a stunning display of one masterpiece after another, with the highlights arguably being Diego Velázquez's "Las Meninas" and the unsettling black paintings by Francisco Goya, which include seriously scary images of witches, devils and cannibalistic gods.

For an excellent A to Z (literally) of Western art during the past 700 years, head to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, where, in a collection handpicked by an aristocrat with exquisite taste, every painting is a highlight, though the Impressionists stand out. For more contemporary works, the Museo Reina Sofia brings the history of art almost up to the present day. Housed in a converted convent, it is most famous for "Guernica," Pablo Picasso's powerful denunciation of the violence of the Spanish Civil War, though other artists worth seeking out are Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí.

Tapas bar crawling

A quintessential Madrid experience is going from bar to bar and sampling the tapas in each - they even have a verb for it, tapear. Originally a small piece of bread with a lump of ham or cheese on it that covered (tapar) your glass of wine to keep the flies out, tapas today are much fancier, and Madrid offers regional specialties from around the country. Traditional favorites include tortilla (thick potato omelet), patatas bravas (fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce), chorizo (spicy sausage), calamares (battered squid rings) and all manner of other meat, seafood and fish.

Tapas bars are found across the city, but for some of the best, head to the barrios of Huertas and La Latina, southeast and southwest of the central Puerta del Sol, respectively.

The penultimate drink

Madrileños on an evening out, as Ernest Hemingway once said, don't go to bed until they've "killed the night," and in a city with six bars for every 100 people, it's easy to join in the killing.

Stroll around any of the central barrios and see what takes your fancy - La Latina and Huertas are a mix of traditional and contemporary; Malasaña is still rocking as it did when it was the center of La Movida; and Chueca is the city's gay focus, although it extends a welcome to everyone looking for a good time. And bear in mind that Spaniards are too suspicious to ever suggest "one final drink" (in case it really is), so make sure you always recommend having "la penúltima."

When you go: Sampling Madrid

Getting there » Several airlines including Iberia, Continental and American, have direct flights to Madrid from the U.S., ranging from $700 from the East Coast to around $900 from the West Coast, depending on the time of year.

Places to stay » The Room Mate chain of hotels (www.room-matehotels.com) has properties in some of the city's cooler barrios, and combines contemporary style with friendly service for around 130 euros a night.

Places to eat » Juana La Loca (Plaza Puerta de Moros, La Latina) serves mainly Basque tapas (known as pintxosin in that region), as does nearby Taberna Txakoli (Calle Cava Baja 26, La Latina). For Andalucian-inspired treats, try La Trucha (Calle Núñez Arce 6, Huertas) or check out the branches of Las Bravas around Huertas where all the tapas come with a patented spicy tomato sauce. For more upmarket fare, make your way to Salamanca, Madrid's swankiest barrio, where Biotza (Calle Claudio Coello 27) offers contemporary takes on traditional tapas in a very cool setting.