Madrid's Plaza Mayor, the centre of the old part of the city, is ideal place for a coffee after a lunch or in the afternoon.
If you're hungry, people in Madrid often come here for the calamari sandwiches (for some incredible, for others a revolting combination).
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Leave Plaza Mayor on Calle Mayor and then go left on Pasadizo de San Ginés. At the end of the street turn right onto Calle Bordadores and then turn right again onto Calle Arenal. This lively street brimming with shops will take you to Puerta de Sol.
The square is very famous as for 50 years now, when the clock on its oldest building, Casa de Correos, strikes 12 on ...
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Gran Vía is one of Madrid's most legendary streets, and walking along it from top to bottom is a good introduction to the city. Here you'll find main cinemas, theatres, large commercial centres and the most popular stores in the capital.
We recommend taking the metro, getting off at the station Banco de España (L2), and starting with the famous Fuente Cibeles ...
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Continue walking and you will arrive to Plaza de España. This large square is surrounded by some of the strangest and most enigmatic buildings in Madrid.
The most impressive of all, located in front of the square, is the Edificio de España, characterized by its staggered silhouette at four heights. Until 2006, it contained a mall, apartments, luxury residences and ...
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Brief description: This large square is presided over by two of the most important buildings in the capital: the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) and the Teatro Real (Royal Theatre). The square also contains a series of gardens and an interesting sculpture collection, noteworthy for the statue of Felipe IV (considered the first equestrian statue in the world supported ...
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Brief description: The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of His Majesty the King of Spain, which the King uses for ceremonies of state but does not live in. It is considered the largest royal palace in Western Europe in terms of length, with 135,000 m² and more than 3,418 rooms. It houses a valuable historic-artistic heritage, including the ...
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Brief description: Built in the beginning of the 20th century over the old cathedral (today the church crypt), the Almudena is a blend of different styles: neo-classical exterior, neo-Gothic interior (with very special colours) and a neo-Romanesque crypt. In addition to its colourful interior noteworthy are its slate cupola and the more than 100 columns in the crypt. ...
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This more than four-century-old 292-acre park is a place for meeting, relaxing and walking for many Madrid locals. If you're coming from the Triangle of Art, the best thing is walking along Paseo del Prado until Atocha (5 minutes) and then going up the hill called Cuesta de Moyano, passing all of its small bookshops along the way (12 minutes). Walk through the park until ...
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This is the name given to the area that includes Atocha, Paseo del Prado and Paseo de Recoletos due to the close proximity to each other of three of the most important museums in the city: the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofía Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. A visit to the Prado is a must. There you will find a rich concentration of works by European artists from ...
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Whether it's market day or not, La Latina is a nice neighbourhood for walking and having a refreshment or a coffee. Try one of the places on Calle Cava Baja, Calle Cava Alta, Calle El Almendro, Plaza de la Paja or Costanilla de San Andrés. They're all very nice.
NOTE: If it's not market day, visit one of the museums in the morning and go directly to La Latina for ...
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Brief description: If it's Sunday or a holiday, don't miss paying a visit to the Rastro, an open-air market where you can buy all sorts of things at good prices. Open since the 19th century, it is said that its name comes from the trail of blood left by the animals brought to the market from the slaughterhouse on the banks of the Manzanares River. It is very popular ...
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Fuencarral Street is very well known for its alternative shops. If you keep heading up Calle Fuencarral from Gran Vía, on the right, you'll come to the gay neighbourhood Chueca and, on the left, Malasaña, the centre of the so-called "Movida Madrileña" of the 1970s and 1980s and today still an area with a lively atmosphere.
If you keep going up it, you'll come the ...
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The Temple of Debod is an ancient Egyptian temple situated to the west of Plaza de España, next to Paseo del Pintor Rosales and Parque del Oeste. It was a gift from Egypt to Spain in 1968, an expression of gratitude for the Spanish aid received in response to the international call by UNESCO to save the temples of Nubia, mainly the Temple of Abu Simbel, which was in ...
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La Castellana is one of the main streets in Madrid, and the financial and business nucleus of the city. While it is 6 km long, the most interesting part is the area around Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
With the stadium at your back, if you look to the right, you'll see the famous Kio Towers leaning against each other in the middle of Paseo de la Castellana.
If you ...
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Brief description: Santiago Bernabeu is the football stadium of Real Madrid. While it might seem surprising, its museum is one of the most frequently visited in Madrid along with the Prado and Reina Sofía. (For this reason, we mention it, in case you're interested). Inside you can view the club's trophies, walk around the perimeter of the pitch, enter through the ...
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The Las Ventas bullring is the largest in Spain and considered by professionals, aficionados and critics to be the most important bulling, along with the Real Maestranza of Seville, in the world. There is a bullfighting saying that states, "Madrid gives you money and Seville gives you glory".
We are not fans of the bullfights, but we have to admit that the Mudejar ...
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If you feel like walking and/or shopping in high-end stores, we recommend going to Salamanca, the most posh neighbourhood in Madrid, and strolling along the so-called "Golden Mile", the streets with best stores in the capital, including Prada and Loewe (corner of Serrano and Ortega y Gasset) Chanel, Luis Vuiton, Armani, Kenzo, Burberrys and Tiffany's (Ortega y ...
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For years now the cinemas and theatres on Gran Vía de Madrid have served as the venues for musicals, which are very popular among both locals and Spaniards from other cities who come to Madrid on the weekends to see them. If you want to go to a musical, the best are usually the ones in the Coliseum, Lope de Vega and Rialto MoviStar theatres. You can purchase tickets at ...
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