The Spanish capital is visited every year by millions of tourists willing to walk all its streets and get to know each of its corners. Madrid is the largest city in Spain, and it always manages to surprise its visitors with its wide range of historical monuments, emblematic buildings, hidden places, unique streets, and beautiful towns. It is also very well connected to the Barajas airport, so it will be very easy for you to get to the center. If you travel to the capital of Spain and don’t know what to see in Madrid, We offer you a guide to the best places to visit. you can visit.
What to see in Madrid: Puerta del Sol
In the center of the city is one of the busiest places in the Spanish capital, La Puerta del Sol. Also known as the origin of the radial highways, Puerta del Sol is a must-see if you travel to Madrid, and step on the tile that indicates km 0. In Sol, there is also the famous clock that marks the 12 chimes of New Year’s Eve and starts the new year. At the far left of the square is the best-known symbol of the capital, the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, by Antonio Navarro Santafe. It is a beautiful work sculpted in stone and bronze that you cannot miss.
Leaving Puerta del Sol to the east, towards Calle Espoz y Mina, just a 5-minute walk away, is another of the places that you should not miss in Madrid, Plaza de Santa Ana. Located in the heart of the neighborhood of letters, the Plaza de Santa Ana presents a range of possibilities. On the one hand, you will be able to enjoy its cultural side, with the statues of Federico Garcia Lorca and Calderon de la Barca, and the Spanish Theater; and on the other, if you don’t know where to eat in Madrid, this is the ideal place. In the Plaza de Santa Ana, there are many bars and restaurants with terraces that you will surely love.
What to see in Madrid: Plaza Mayor
Leaving Puerta del Sol to the west, along Calle Mayor, you will reach another of the best places in Madrid, the Plaza Mayor. It is a rectangular porticoed square that has some of the most unique buildings in the capital, such as the Casa de la Panaderia, located in the north-central part of the square. You will identify it by the two towers, one at each end of the house. In the center of the square, we find the well-known statue of King Felipe III.
If you leave the Plaza Mayor to the west, a three-minute walk away, is the most famous and busiest market in Madrid, the Mercado de San Miguel. One of the peculiarities of this market is that you can buy the meat, cook it and eat it right there. It is an unforgettable experience!
What to see in Madrid: Royal Palace
To the west of the Plaza Mayor, along Calle Mayor, you will come to one of the most emblematic and spectacular buildings in the Spanish capital, the Royal Palace. Although this is not the official residence of the monarchs of Spain, it is one of the most important monuments in Madrid that you should not miss. The Royal Palace occupies an area of 13 hectares, and has 870 windows, 240 balconies, and 44 stairs.
The area in which the Royal Palace is located has no waste. At the back of the palace are the Sabatini Gardens, a beautiful labyrinth where you can get lost and relax for a while. To the south of the Royal Palace, we have the famous Almudena Cathedral, a beautiful building that hides an incredible Neo-Romanesque crypt inside. Visit the best places in Madrid and don’t miss any of these treasures!
What to see in Madrid: Gran Via
Along Calle Felipe V, located to the north of the Royal Palace, you reach the well-known Gran Via in Madrid. It is the most tourist and famous street in the Spanish capital and with good reason, because it has the best-known buildings in the city, such as the Metropolis building. We recommend that you walk along Gran Via at night and see this illuminated building. Through Gran Via, we can also reach some of the most visited squares, such as Plaza de Callao, in the center of Gran Via, or Plaza de Espana, at the end of Gran Via.
What to see in Madrid: Plaza de Cibeles
If you head towards the beginning of the Gran Via you will find Calle de Alcala, through which you will reach the emblematic Plaza de Cibeles. This square is known, above all, for being the place where the Real Madrid Football Club celebrates its triumphs. But it has many other charms, in the center of the square is the famous Fuente de Cibeles; It is the nucleus that divides the limits of the Centro, Retiro, and Salamanca districts; and in each of the corners of the square are some of the most popular and visited buildings in Madrid. Undoubtedly, the most notable buildings are the Palacio de Cibeles or Palacio de Comunicaciones, the Palacio de Linares, and the Banco de Espana building.
To the west of the Plaza de Cibeles is the Paseo de Recoletos, through which one of the busiest promenades in the city, the Paseo de la Castellana, is reached. You cannot visit Madrid and not walk along the Castellana, it is really beautiful. Between the Castellana and Recoletos is another of the well-known squares of the Spanish capital and that you cannot miss either, the Plaza de Colon.
What to see in Madrid: Buen Retiro Park
If there is any place in Madrid that can provide beauty, peace, and tranquility, without a doubt, it would be the Parque del Buen Retiro. It is the largest park in the center of the city and one of the best places in Madrid. Its beautiful gardens and varied vegetation have made it the green heart of the Spanish capital. But, the Retiro is not only beautiful for its gardens but also hides inside some of the most precious treasures of Madrid, such as the Crystal Palace, the Velazquez Palace, the Retiro pond, and the impressive monument to King Alfonso XII. So if you don’t know what to see in Madrid, this is a place you can’t miss!
The Buen Retiro Park can be accessed from various parts of the city because it covers some 350 hectares, and has several entrances. We recommend that you do it from Plaza de Cibeles, along Calle de Alcala, and look at Plaza de la Independencia, located at one end of the park. This square keeps in the center one of the most emblematic monuments of the city, the Puerta de Alcala. Its visit is a must if you don’t know the city and don’t know what to see in Madrid.
What to see in Madrid: Most important museums
You cannot travel to the Spanish capital and not visit the three most important museums in Madrid: El Prado, El Reina Sofia, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. If you want to know which museums to visit in Madrid, here is an article that will show you the best museums in the city that you should not miss.
If you visit the Prado Museum, you can take the opportunity to see the Paseo del Prado and visit two of the most cultural streets in the city: Calle Huertas and Calle Lope de Vega. The well-known neighborhood of letters is one of the most beautiful and interesting if you like Castilian literature. Throughout the Calle Huertas, you will find quotes engraved on the ground of the best-known poems and literary works of the illustrious writers of the Golden Age, such as Quevedo, Cervantes, Gongora or Lope de Vega. On Calle Lope de Vega is what was the residence of the writer Lope de Vega, now converted into a museum that you can visit.