I’m very familiar with the city and I love it. It’s one of my most favourite European cities and it has always been my dream to live there for a period of time. The city is beautiful, full of history and culture and it offers superb entertainment. All that, combined with the welcoming and friendly Spanish mentality, makes me feel very comfortable there.
ABOUT MADRID
Madrid is a very big city. The city proper has around 3.3 million people, but approximately 6.5 million people live in the wider metropolitan area. What’s very interesting about Madrid is that, as a visitor, you would never tell that the city is so big. In my opinion, there are two reasons for that:
- Madrid has an excellent infrastructure, which means that moving around the city is fast and efficient. All parts of the city are well connected.
- The second reason is that the city centre, Madrid Centro, where you find almost everything of interest is relatively small. You can practically walk everywhere.
That’s what I normally do. So, unless you are in a hurry, there is really no need to use public transport within the central area. You can enjoy the stunning architecture as there are majestic buildings everywhere and they form this uniquely beautiful city.

Spain is one of the most visited countries in the world, it had 82 million tourists in 2017. Equally, Madrid is one of the top tourist destinations with over 6 million visitors. But I’ve noticed that Madrid had become significantly more expensive, especially the accommodation. Also, eating out and going to bars is no longer as affordable as it is used to be in the past. That could be because many tourists switched from Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt in recent years. However, the good news is that there has been a significant drop in visitors to Spain in the last two years which will, hopefully, bring prices down to more reasonable levels.
MY HOTEL IN MADRID
I stayed in various hotels over many years, mainly on or near the main street – Gran Via. However, the last two times I stayed in a very nice – Hotel Ganivet.
This hotel is slightly away from the centre of Madrid. It’s in La Latina, very close to Puerta de Toledo. However, it is still within the walking distance and it takes approximately 10 minutes from the hotel to Plaza Mayor. It’s a good choice and prices were very reasonable when I stayed there.
Also, it has bigger and more comfortable rooms than other better rated hotels with very small rooms where I stayed previously. It was a good value for money and I suggest that you check it when you consider where to stay in Madrid.

PUERTA DEL SOL – HEART OF MADRID
I’ve been to Madrid many times in the past and have seen all its historic sites. But every time when I go back, I do it again. The city is beautiful and walking around is a great way to spend a day and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you. So, this post is a retrospective of sites that I visited during my latest stay in the Spanish capital.
All visits should start in Puerta del Sol, Madrid’s main and best known square, in the very heart of the city. It is also “km zero” from where they measure all distances. There are some famous buildings and monuments in this square. The square is busy as it also serves as a meeting point from where the action starts.

Real Casa de Correos is the 18th century building that occupies the south side of the square. They built it for the postal service, but it no longer serves its original purpose. It’s now the office of the President of the Community of Madrid. It was the headquarters of the Ministry of Interior and the State Security in Franco’s Spain.
A clock, whose bells mark traditional eating of the Twelve Grapes and beginning of the New Year, adorns the top of the building.

The monument to King Carlos III, also known as “El Rey Alcalde” (“the mayor-king”), because of his extensive public works programs, is in the centre of Puerta del Sol. Carlos III was the King of Spain between 1759 and 1788, after he ruled Naples as Carlo VII and Sicily as Carlo V.
As the King of Spain, he promoted the science and university research, facilitated trade and commerce and modernised agriculture. He also tried to reduce the influence of the church and avoided costly wars. Most of his reforms proved to be successful and he left an important legacy. They considered him “probably the most successful European ruler of his generation”.

One of the most famous features of Puerta del Sol is the iconic Tío Pepe advert. I remember it from my first visit to Madrid. For many years, the sign was on top of the square’s eastern building but, recently, they moved it to another position. It was because a certain international corporation opened a shop in the original building and I’m sure that they didn’t want it there. So, I wonder whether they will return it to its original place someday when that shop closes down?
Tío Pepe is a brand of sherry, made from the palomino grape.

TEATRO REAL, PLAZA DE ESPAÑA & PALACIO REAL
Teatro Real is Madrid’s opera house. It opened in 1850, closed in 1925 and reopened in 1997. Today, it’s one of the greatest European opera houses. You can see that I took the photo of the opera in 2018.

Plaza del Callao is a famous square in the centre of Madrid, formally opened in June 1866. Its name refers to the battle of Callao, between Spanish naval forces and Peruvian army. The authorities substantially reformed the square in recent years. Its most prominent feature is the Callao cinema.

Plaza de España is a large square at the west end of Gran Vía. There is a monument to Miguel de Cervantes in the centre of the square. Two of Madrid’s most prominent skyscrapers are also in the square.
Edificio España is an example of the 20th-century Spanish architecture, built in the neo-Baroque style. The building was under renovation and it will open as a hotel in 2019, so this photo is from my previous visits.

Miguel de Cervantes was a Spanish writer, widely regarded as the greatest writer in Spanish. His novel Don Quixote has been translated in over 140 languages and dialects and, after the Bible, it is the most-translated book in the world.

Palacio Real de Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish royal family but, now, they only use it for state ceremonies. The palace is 135000m² big and it has 3418 rooms. It’s the largest royal palace in Europe by floor area. You can visit the palace, as I did some years ago. However, there was a very long queue of people waiting to enter when I went there to take a photo. Probably, the best thing to do is to go there as soon as it opens, hopefully there won’t be too many people early in the morning.
The palace is famous for its wealth of art. There are paintings by Caravaggio, Goya and Velázquez but, in my opinion, the most impressive are Tiepolo’s magnificent frescoes. Other collections of great historical and artistic importance in the palace are the Royal Armoury of Madrid, porcelain, watches, furniture, silverware and the world’s only complete Stradivarius string quintet.

CATEDRAL DE LA ALMUDENA
Catedral de Santa María la Real de La Almudena is directly opposite the royal palace. Its exterior is neo-Classical, while the interior is neo-Gothic. King Alfonso XII funded its construction to house the remains of his wife Mercedes of Orléans. It’s a seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid. Pope John Paul II consecrated the cathedral in 1993.
When they transferred the capital of Spain from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the seat of the Church remained in Toledo and the new capital did not have a cathedral. Plans to build it in Madrid were discussed as early as the 16th century. Although Spain built more than 40 cities and plenty of cathedrals in the new world during that century, the expansion of the Empire came first and they postponed construction of the cathedral in Madrid. However, building the largest cathedral in the world became a priority. All other main Spanish cities already had centuries old temples. Madrid also had old churches, but the construction of Almudena began only in 1879.
The Marquis of Cubas designed and directed its construction in the Gothic revival style. The works completely stopped during the Spanish Civil War. They abandoned the project until 1950, when Fernando Chueca Goitia adapted the original plans to the Baroque exterior, to match the grey and white façade of the nearby royal palace. The cathedral was completed in 1993.

PLAZA MAYOR
Plaza Mayor was once the centre of Old Madrid, while it’s the heart of the city today. It dates back to the 15th century, as the main market of the town. Plaza Mayor’s architecture is credited to Juan de Villanueva. He handled the reconstruction following a massive fire in 1790. Prior to that, buildings around the square were five floors. He lowered them to three floors, closed the corners, created large entrances to the square and completed the works in 1854. Plaza Mayor is rectangular in shape and uniform in architecture.
While it hosted executions in its past, Plaza Mayor is the focal point of every visit to Madrid today. The square is beautiful, although with austere architecture. But it’s that simplicity that makes it so unique.
Whenever I go to Madrid, I visit this square. There are restaurants and bars there, but they are too touristy for my taste and also rather expensive. Although, that’s understandable considering that they are in the prime location.
Casa de la Panadería is the most prominent feature of Plaza Mayor. Restored in 1880, it’s a slightly different part of the facade, framed by two towers. Its name comes from its original use as the main city bakery. It’s part of the Spanish heritage now.

The monument to King Felipe III, created in 1616, is in the centre of the square. In 1848, Queen Isabel II ordered its removal from Casa de Campo and placed it there. The statue was a gift from the Duke of Florence.

PLAZA DE SANTA ANA
Plaza de Santa Ana is a nice square, not far from Puerta del Sol. It’s very interesting because there are many restaurants, cafes and some very old looking tapas bars all around the square. There are also monuments to the Spanish Golden Age writer Pedro Calderón de la Barca and to the poet Federico García Lorca.
Its name comes from the monastery of Santa Ana, which stood in that same location in the 17th century.

The most beautiful building in this square is the 19th century hotel, in its western side. The hotel is famous because that’s where the most popular bullfighters usually stay in Madrid.

PALACIO DE LAS CORTES
Palacio de las Cortes is the Spanish Parliament. It’s where the Spanish Congress of Deputies meets (the lower house). It was built in 1850 in the neo-Classical style and it’s also one of the most symbolic 19th century buildings in Madrid.

Monumento a los Caídos por España or ‘Obelisco’ or ‘Monumento a los Héroes del Dos de Mayo’ is in Plaza de la Lealtad, next to Paseo del Prado. The monument is in a place where General Joachim Murat ordered the execution of numerous Spaniards after the Dos de Mayo Uprising of 1808. The inauguration of the monument was on the 2 May 1840.

PARQUE DEL BUEN RETIRO
Parque del Buen Retiro is a park in the centre of Madrid. It contains beautiful sculptures, monuments and galleries. It belonged to the Spanish monarchy until the late 19th century unitl it became a public park. The park is a must see and, if you go to Madrid, make sure that you visit it.

Close to the northern entrance of the park is Estanque del Retiro – a large artificial pond. There, you will see the monument to King Alfonso XII, as a semi-circular colonnade, with an equestrian statue of the monarch on top of a tall central column.

The Fountain of the Fallen Angel was erected in 1922 and its main sculpture, El Angel Caído, represents Lucifer falling from Heaven. This statue is the only public monument of Satan. I should’ve taken a photo from a different angle, as you can’t see the sculpture clearly because of the tree behind.

Since it became a public park in the late 19th century, it was a venue for various international exhibitions. Several buildings remain as a testimony to those events, including Palacio de Velázquez, which is an exhibition hall now.

Palacio de Cristal is a glass pavilion inspired by Crystal Palace in London and, undoubtedly, it’s the garden’s most extraordinary building. They built it together with its artificial pond in 1887, for the Philippine Islands Exhibition. It displayed flower species indigenous to the Philippine archipelago. It’s no longer a greenhouse.

Paseo de la Argentina is a section of the park with statues of kings from the Royal Palace, made between 1750 and 1753.

Puerta de Alcalá is near the main entrance of the park and was the first modern post-Roman triumphal arch in Europe. It’s older than Arc de Triomphe in Paris and Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
Madrid was still a dreary city in the late 18th century, surrounded by medieval walls. King Carlo III commissioned construction of this monumental gate. It was completed in 1778.

PALACIO DE CIBELES & GRAN VIA
Palacio de Cibeles and the 18th century fountain in front of it are probably the most recognisable symbols of Madrid. It opened as the headquarter of Correos in 1919 – the Spanish postal and telecommunication services. It was Palacio de Comunicaciones until 2011. However, it’s the seat of the City Council now.

Banco de España is the Spanish central bank. It was established in 1782, by King Carlos III.

Edificio Metrópolis is also one of Madrid’s most recognisable and most beautiful buildings. Its construction was completed in 1911.

Gran Vía is the main street in Madrid. It starts from Calle de Alcalá and runs to Plaza de España. In my opinion, it’s one of the most beautiful of all main streets that I’ve seen in various European cities. They were completely restoring it when I was there. I’m very interested to see it once they’ve completed the works. In any case, the street can only look even more impressive.

PUERTA DE TOLEDO & PLAZA DE CASCORRO
Puerta de Toledo became Bien de Interés Cultural in 1996. Its construction started in 1812 and lasted until 1827. It was one of the 19 gates in the walls that surrounded the city at that time. I think that this gate is more impressive than Puerta de Alcalá. It’s a bit further away from the usual tourists areas and perhaps that’s why people don’t know about it. As a matter of fact, the hotel where I stayed is right there and the nearest metro station is Puerta de Toledo.

Plaza de Cascorro is also near the hotel where I stayed. It was the first time that I came across this small square. It’s in the part of the city called Embajadores. There is a monument to Eloy Gonzalo García – El Hero de Cascorro in the square. He was a heroic Spanish soldier during the war of Cuba.

Finally, I came across the monument to Tirso de Molina, which is one more thing that I’ve never seen before. His name was Gabriel Téllez and was a religious Spanish “mercedario”.
He was also a Baroque dramatist, poet and speaker, although, he was most famous as a playwright, specialising in the comedy of intrigue. The creation of the myth of Don Juan is traditionally attributed to Tirso de Molina.

MAGNIFICENT MADRID
There is a lot to see in Madrid. What I’ve mentioned in this post is all within walking distance. However, you don’t need to see absolutely everything and in one day. You can do many other things in Madrid. You can visit some of its superb museums. Many interesting attractions are outside of the city centre.
You’ll also find many nice restaurants and bars and, surely, a visit to Madrid would not be a proper visit without enjoying it the Spanish way – with tapas and a glass of Spanish wine.
Also, this time there were works everywhere. A lot of buildings were covered in scaffolding and they were also restoring a lot of squares and streets.
So, I look forward to going back to see the improvements, hopefully very soon.
Back to Spain
Very nice and informative post. Madrid is special for many reasons and you have described some of them in your article. I have visited Madrid many times and all the time I fall in love with its architecture, food, Spanish people and their lifestyle.
February 14, 2019Thank you for your message. Yes, Madrid is a very special city and one of my most favourite European cities. I love going there and hope that my next visit will be very soon!
February 15, 2019Great post. We haven’t been to Madrid yet – but currently in Spain for 3 months figuring our where we want to live. I don’t think Madrid is on that list but it’s a place we’ll be going through a lot if our plans work out. Your photos show some of it’s beauty and I’ll refer back to your post when we plan on visiting.
March 8, 2020Hi Frank
Thank you for your message. I have been following your quest for a place to live in Spain with vivid interest. I am sure that you will choose the best place for the two of you. Without wanting to have the slightest influence on your decision, my personal favourite in Spain is Valencia. I will keep reading your new posts.
I love Madrid, I’ve been there many times and I look forward to going back again. It’s a beautiful city and I am sure that you will enjoy your first visit. You are an expert traveller and I am sure that you will easily find your way around.
I have good friends in Madrid and they take me around to places that are a bit less touristy and frequented mostly by the locals. I’ve mentioned some of them in my post “Enjoying Madrid”, perhaps you can check that post to get some ideas. As you can imagine, the centre of Madrid is very touristy and it can also be rather pricey, however it all depends on your affinities and your budget.
Vitko
March 9, 2020