Must-Buy Souvenirs

Fans, walking sticks and umbrellas from a shop that has stood on Puerta del Sol since 1823. Ranges from a few euros for a printed cotton fan to hundreds for hand-painted silk on carved wood.

Violet-shaped and violet-flavoured sugar sweets, made since 1915 in a tiny corner shop that has barely changed. They taste of parma violets and come in a purple tin that survives a suitcase.

Protected-origin saffron threads from the plateau south of Madrid, hand-picked in a two-week October window. A gram is plenty and packs flat; avoid loose powder, which is routinely adulterated.

Pre-sliced Iberian ham sealed in vacuum packs for travel. IMPORTANT: pork products are prohibited or restricted on entry to Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan and many other countries - check your own customs rules before buying, or eat it in Spain.

Aniseed spirit distilled in Chinchón, a village of the Madrid region an hour south. Comes dry or sweet; the sweet version is what goes into coffee on a cold morning.