Every place I've been so far, I've always hit up wikitravel for touristy suggestions and have yet to be let down. Link for Madrid: http://wikitravel.org/en/Madrid My normal international travel suggestions apply: Carry your passport with you at all times. According to wikitravel, they ask for a photo ID for credit card transactions, and they don't give a shit about your Ohio drivers license. Make a color copy of your passport and keep as well as your drivers license in the hotel room safe, you'll need both of them in case your passport gets lifted. You're in a capital city with a full embassy, if your passport gets lost or stolen getting a replacement won't be a terrible thing as long as you can provide proof you had one to begin with. Make sure you take about 3-4 business cards from the hotel with you, and keep at least one on your person at all times. If you get lost or find yourself crawling out of a bottle of Licor 43 and can't remember where you are, you can hail a cab, give the cabbie the card, and you'll be back to the hotel in no time. Watch your ass around ATM's as well. Keep in mind that the bank will charge 3% on top of all foreign transactions, so if you need cash try to get as much as you can in one spot. Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, go to Travelex in the airport before you leave. Those guys rip you off something fierce. There will be plenty of exchangers, shop rates a little before you exchange. Amsterdam customs wasn't a big deal for me late last year, I don't imagine you'll have an issue with Madrid seeing as they're all EU. Be nice, answer questions directly, and don't volunteer information. That goes 345x more for US Customs. Make sure you fill out the declaration form completely. I've found that if you itemize your gifts and personal items enough to fill up the spaces on one card, you won't get asked for anything else. Coming back from China, I just put "Gifts - $200" in the line and got the 3rd degree from the Customs guy. Australia I filled it up, and walked through with double the amount of alcohol I'm supposed to have (it's 1 liter) even though I declared it. Direct answers, don't volunteer anything, and don't use your cell phone. You'll be nervous walking in, after you're done you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Have fun and rock out!