Michael Portillo is back with a new travel series

Michael Portillo returns to our screens with an exciting new travel series this month, and this time, the former politician and rail enthusiast is taking us to his favourite European cities.

Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends takes viewers on a journey to three different cities, starting with Madrid on Friday 19 April, at 9pm on Channel 5. The series runs for three weeks, with episodes on Milan and Prague, too.

On each Long Weekend, Michael reveals the secrets, sites and people that make the cities tick. He finds the best restaurants, bars, food markets and hotels, as well as the places only the locals know and love.

The broadcaster, who is joining Good Housekeeping readers on a special rail journey aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express next year, explores hidden neighbourhoods and meets up with locals who show him the city’s hidden treasures.

In the vibrant and bustling Spanish capital Madrid, Michael returns to many places he knows well, having visited the city regularly for over 60 years.

The episode begins in the city centre on the busy Gran Via boulevard, home to Madrid’s famous golden triangle of art museums and El Retiro Park.

Michael then heads for an early lunch at a restaurant he knows well in the Old Town, one with only one dish on the menu: suckling pig.

michael portillo’s weekend journey s1 ep1 madrid

Viewers can expect hotel bars with a shady history of espionage, a traditional confectioner who makes a classic Spanish nougat, and a bespoke tailor specialising in a very stylish cape.

In between the hustle and bustle, Michael squeezes in a visit to the family flat where he stayed as a boy, in the years after the Spanish Civil War.

Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends airs from Friday 19 April, at 9pm on Channel 5.