Attractions

Madrid
and its outlying ares are full of fun attractions, museums, landmarks,
and monuments. Whether you are a history buff,
thrill seeker, or aficionado of architecture. Below you’ll find a few of our favorites
(to be expanded shortly):

The Royal Palace (pictured above). The palace is the official residence of the King of Spain (though he does not actually reside there). Today this magnificent structure, the largest building in Madrid, is mainly used to host official ceremonies.

Puerta Del Sol. Madrid’s most famous plaza, Puerta del Sol, also marks KM Zero, the
very center of Spain, and the point from which the country’s six
national roads begin. Practically all of Madrid’s major tourist
attractions are just a stone’s throw away from Sol…

The Reina Sofia Museum. The illustrious Reina Sofia National Art Museum sits in a large square
at the end of the Paseo del Prado and in front of Madrid’s Atocha train
station.

Gran Vía. Gran Via is one of historic Madrid’s largest and most important roads.
This large and heavily trafficked (by pedestrians and cars) street is
relatively short and links Alacala Street, one of Madrid’s main
arteries, and Plaza España…

The Prado Museum. The Museo del Prado is home to the world’s finest collection of Spanish paintings from the 12th through the early 19th century.

The Neptune Fountain. The Neptune Fountain statue in Madrid is based on drawings by Ventura
Rodríguez from the year 1782 and is the handiwork of Juan Pascual de
Mena, who sculpted it out of white marble. King Carlos III commissioned
the statue as part of his quest to beautify the city.

Puerta de Alcalá. In 1759 King Carlos III entered Madrid through the Puerta de Alcalá,
which at the time was the 16th baroque gate built by King Felipe III,
but believed that it was too small to properly mark such a glorious
occasion.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. Originally the private art collection of Baron Hans Heinrich
Thyssen-Bornemisza, the museum named after its patron has a collection
made up of over 800 paintings.

Cibeles Fountain. In the center of the Plaza de Cibeles, a heavily trafficked roundabout
that joins calle Alacala, Paseo de Recoletos and Paseo del Prado, is
the Fuente de Cibeles, a fountain named after Cibele (or Ceres), the
Greek goddess of the Earth, agriculture and fertility.

Plaza Mayor. Nestled in between the Puerta del Sol and the La Latina neighborhood is
Madrid’s beautiful main square. The Plaza Mayor was originally planned
by Phillip II and his architect Juan de Herrera, but wasn’t inaugurated
until Phillip III’s reign in 1620. It is Phillip III, not the II, whose
statue sits proudly in the very center of the plaza.

The Sorolla Museum. The Sorolla Museum is dedicated entirely to the works of Spanish luminist painter Joaquín Sorolla.

The Madrid city walls. The Madrid city walls or Muralla Arabe (Arabic Wall), are one of the rare remnants of Islamic Madrid.

The Romantic Museum. The Romantic Museum is dedicated entirely to Spain’s Romantic period,
and contains works of art by world renowned Spanish artists of the
time, such as painter Francisco de Goya and poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer.

The Cisneros House. The Cisneros House forms part of the beautiful Plaza de la Villa, which
is flanked by the Torre de los Lujanes and the Casa de la Villa.

The Torre de los Lujanes shares the Plaza de la Villa, one of Madrid’s
most atmospheric and historic spots, with the Casa Cisneros and Casa de
la Villa.

Casa de la Villa. The Casa de la Villa is Madrid’s Town Hall.

The Lope de Vega House and Museum. The Lope de Vega House and Museum is located in the Barrio de las
Letras (Letters Neighborhood), which is only fitting, as Felix Lope de
Vega was one of Spain’s most famous poets and playwrights of the Golden
Age.

The Puente de Segovia. The Puente de Segovia was built between 1582 and 1584, during the reign of Phillip II, making it the oldest bridge in Madrid.

The Palacio de la Comunidad de Madrid. The Palacio de la Comunidad de Madrid is located on the southern end of Puerta del Sol.

Banco de España. The Banco de España, or Bank of Spain, built between 1884 and 1891 and
located on the former site of the Palacio de Alcañices, houses an
impressive collection of paintings.