Sites of Interest

Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun)

This is the very heart of Madrid and therefore the heart of Spain; it's the inevitable starting point for any tour of the city. From there six of Spain's national highways officially begin and, beneath the streets, three of the city's 12 Metro lines converge. To mark this as the center of the nation, a stone slab embedded with a bronze disk in the pavement shows Kilometer Cero. Across the street from that marker, at the end of Calle del Carmen, is a statue of a bear pawing a bush (el Oso y El Madrono). This is both the emblem of the city and a favorite meeting place.

Calle Mayor runs southwest from the Puerta del Sol towards the Palacio Realand is one of Madrid's oldest and most important thoroughfares, taking you through the heart of the medieval city. At the Plaza de la Villa you'll find examples of Spanish architectural developed over three centuries ago. The oldest is the Torre de los Lujanes, a 15th-century building in Mudejar style. Next oldest is the Casa de Cisneros, built in the ornate, 16th-century Spanish Renaissance style. The Ayuntamiento (City Hall) building was begun in the 17th century but finished in a baroque style. It's open to the public every working Monday throughout the year at 5 pm.

Plaza Mayor

Set back from Calle Mayor it is an almost perfectly preserved and extremely beautiful 17th-century square. It was completed in 1619 during the reign of Felipe III-a statue of him astride a stallion is at the center of the plaza. Many great historical events took place in this huge square: the tribunals and public executions of the Inquisition, the crowning of kings, great festivals, demonstrations, and bullfights. During summer months the royal balconies on the north side of the square become an outdoor theater and music stage; and in the winter, just before Christmas, the square becomes a bazaar for festive decorations and religious regalia.

Throughout the afternoon hours plaza cafes serve drinks and tapas to patrons sitting for hours. Around and below the Plaza Mayor are some of the city's liveliest mesones (tapas bars). This area is ripe with passing tunas-student groups dressed in Renaissance knickerbockers and doublets-wandering around town playing, singing and passing the hat.

Casa de Lope de Vega

This house of Spain's greatest dramatist is, ironically, on Calle de Cervantes (Lope de Vega's greatest rival). It's well worth visiting for its reconstruction of life in 17th-century Madrid.

Plaza de Cibeles

This is the convergence of the three huge thoroughfares of Alcala, Paseo del Prado and Paseo de Los Recoletos. The middle of the plaza displays a beautiful enchanting fountain dedicated to the goddess Cybele. The imposing building across the way with the golden sphere on its roof is the main office for the Banco de Espana (Bank of Spain). The wedding-cake building on the opposite side of the plaza is the Palacio de Comunicaciones, Madrid's main post and telegraph office. Nearby is the Casa de Las Americas. Built by a Spaniard who made his way back from the New World, it was the site of ceremonies in 1992 commemorating the 500th anniversary of Columbus' "discovery" of America. It is currently used as a cultural center promoting the arts of Latin America.

Teatro Real (Opera House)

This prestigious hall was built in the mid 19th century; it almost sank in the early 20th century as a result of settling caused by underground canals. After nine years of refurbishment and technical reconditioning, it is now considered one of the great opera houses of the world. In addition to opera performances, the Teatro hosts dance productions and the Spanish form of opera called zarzuela.

Palacio Real (Royal Palace)

This building claims more rooms than any other European palace. It has a library with one of the biggest collections of books, manuscripts, maps and musical scores in the world; an armory with an unrivaled collection of weapons dating back to the 1400s; and an original pharmacy-a curious mixture of alchemist's den and early laboratory. There are dozens of Flemish and Spanish tapestries, endless rococo decorations, bejeweled clocks and pompous portraits of monarchs. Built after the previous palace burned down on Christmas Day 1734, it was the principal royal residence until Alfonso XIII went into exile in 1931.

The current royal family inhabits a more modest residence on the outskirts of the city, using the Palacio Real only on state occasions.
Gran Via. A broad street leading southeast toward the Plaza Callao and from there east to the Plaza de Cibeles, effectively dividing the old city to the south from the newer parts northward. Built in the early 1900s and intended to resemble Manhattan's Broadway of that period, this avenue is always jammed with traffic and crowded with shoppers and sightseers.

El Parque del Buen Retiro

This park is the most central and popular park in Madrid with a delightful mixof formal gardens and wide-open spaces. The grounds of this former royal retreat contain 330 acres (135 hectares) of gardens, 15,000 trees, monuments, and fountains. Jog or stroll through the park, row a boat across the lake, have your fortune told. Some small stands and cafes sell drinks and sandwiches. The city council organizes ferias (fairs) and the biggest is the Feria del Libro, or Book Fair, in early June. On summer evenings free films are shown in the area known as La Chopera.

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