Madrid's cathedral is younger and odder than most. The country's capital went without a cathedral for centuries — until 1883, when construction began on a neo-Gothic basilica that took 110 years to finish, opening only in 1993 with a consecration by Pope John Paul II. The exterior is a 19th-century classical-revival pile, the interior an extraordinary Pop Art space of brightly painted geometric ceilings and stained glass by contemporary Spanish artists.
The combination is jarring at first sight but grows on you. The crypt — a separate neo-Romanesque space underneath, the oldest part of the building — holds the venerated medieval statue of Virgen de la Almudena. There is also a small museum and rooftop access (separate ticket) with views across to the Palacio Real next door. Free entry to the main nave.