10 Best Sights in Madrid, Spain

At the top of a hill, on Costanilla de San Andrés, sits the most important square of medieval Madrid. It predates the Plaza Mayor by at least two centuries. The sloped plaza's jewel is the Capilla del Obispo (Bishop's Chapel), built between 1520 and 1530, where peasants deposited their tithes, called diezmas—one-tenth of their crop. Architecturally the chapel traces the transition from the blocky Gothic period, which gave the structure its basic shape, to the Renaissance, the source of its decorations. It houses a polychrome altarpiece with scenes from the New Testament and a carved alabaster cenotaph by Francisco Giralte that art historians fawn over. Seven cloistered nuns live in the building and hold Mass in the chapel on Sundays at 6:30 pm and at several other times during the week (check the schedule on the door or call for details). To visit the chapel it is imperative to reserve in advance; tours are in Spanish only. The chapel is part of the complex of the domed Iglesia de San Andrés (Church of San Andrés), one of Madrid's oldest. 

A symbol of Spain's imperial grandeur, this public square is often surprisingly quiet, perhaps since most locals wrote it off long ago as too touristy. The plaza was finished in 1619 under Felipe III, whose equestrian statue stands in the center, and is one of the largest in Europe, clocking in at 360 by 300 feet. It has seen it all: autos-da-fé ("trials of faith," or public burnings of heretics); the canonization of saints; criminal executions; royal marriages, such as that of Princess María and the king of Hungary in 1629; bullfights (until 1847); and masked balls. 

The space was initially occupied by a city market, and many of the surrounding streets retain the charming names of the trades and foods once headquartered there. Nearby are Calle de Cuchilleros (Cutlers' Street), Calle de Lechuga (Lettuce Street), Calle de Fresa (Strawberry Street), and Calle de Botoneros (Button Makers' Street). The plaza's oldest building is the one with the brightly painted murals and gray spires, called Casa de la Panadería (Bakery House) in honor of the bread shop over which it was built; it is now the tourist office. Opposite is the Casa de la Carnicería (Butcher Shop), now a rather underwhelming boutique hotel.

The plaza is closed to motorized traffic, making it a pleasant place for sidewalk sitting and coffee sipping as alfresco artists and street musicians put on impromptu shows. Sunday morning brings a stamp and coin market. Around Christmas the plaza fills with stalls selling trees, ornaments, and Nativity scenes. Whenever you visit, be sure to watch your phone and wallet. 

Crowded with locals, tourists, hawkers, and street performers, the Puerta del Sol is the nerve center of Madrid. It was renovated in 2023, and not all Madrileños are wild about its new, more austere look. A brass plaque in the sidewalk on the south side of the plaza marks Kilómetro Cero, the point from which all distances in Spain are measured.  Across the square are two important statues: El oso y el madroño (a bear climbing a strawberry tree, Madrid's official symbol) and an equestrian statue of King and Mayor Carlos III. Watch your belongings when passing through, as the area is often packed with pedestrians.

The historical 19th-century residence Corrala de Sombrerete, which overlooks this lively square from the southeast corner, is one of Madrid's few remaining corralas, tenement houses distinguished by timber frames and a central patio. It is closed to the public but still worth a walk-by. Beyond it is a brick building with a hollow cupola dominating the square: the Escolapios de San Fernando, one of several churches and parochial schools razed due to anti-Catholic sentiments during the Spanish Civil War. It is one of Madrid's only unrepaired Civil War ruins. Though partially refurbished by the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), which turned one section into a library, the building is closed to the public.

Named for Christopher Columbus, this plaza surrounds a statue of the explorer (identical to the one in Barcelona's port) looking west from a high tower. Beyond Plaza de Colón is Calle de Serrano, the city's premier shopping street (think Gucci, Prada, and Loewe). Stroll in either direction on Serrano for some window-shopping.

Madrid's town council met in this medieval-looking complex from the Middle Ages until 2009, when it moved to the Palacio de Cibeles. It now houses municipal offices. The oldest building on the plaza is the Casa de los Lujanes, the one with the Mudejar tower. Built as a private home in the late 15th century, the house carries the Lujanes crest over the main doorway. Also on the plaza's east end is the brick-and-stone Casa de la Villa, built in 1629, a classic example of Dutch-influenced Madrid design with clean lines and spire-topped corner towers. Connected by an overhead walkway, the Casa de Cisneros was commissioned in 1537 by the nephew of Cardinal Cisneros. It's one of Madrid's rare examples of the flamboyant plateresque style, which has been likened to splashed water. Sadly, none of these landmarks are open to the public on a regular basis.

This oblong plaza is Lavapiés's nerve center. To the east is Calle de la Fe (Street of Faith), named for the church of San Lorenzo.

This stately semicircular plaza, sandwiched between the Palacio Real and the Teatro Real (Royal Theater), is flanked by massive statues of Spanish monarchs that were meant to be mounted atop the palace. Queen Isabel Farnesio, one of the first royals to live in the palace, had them removed because she was afraid their enormous weight would bring the roof down. (That's the official reason; according to local lore, the queen wanted the statues removed because her own likeness wouldn't have been placed front and center.) A Velázquez drawing of King Felipe IV is the inspiration for the statue in the plaza's center. It's the first equestrian bronze ever cast with a rearing horse. The sculptor, Italian artist Pietro Tacca, enlisted Galileo Galilei's help in configuring the statue's weight so it wouldn't tip over. The 2021 overhaul of Plaza de España eliminated all car traffic between Plaza de Oriente and Plaza de España and added pleasant footpaths and fountains.

This plaza was the heart of the theater district in the 17th century—the Golden Age of Spanish literature—and is now one of Madrid's most happening nightlife centers. A statue of 17th-century playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca faces the Teatro Español, where other literary legends such as Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, and Ramón María del Valle-Inclán released some of their world-renowned plays. Opposite the theater, beside the ME by Meliá hotel, is the diminutive Plaza del Ángel, with one of Madrid's best jazz clubs, Café Central. Cervecería Alemana, a favorite haunt of Hemingway, is on the southeast corner and makes phenomenally tender fried calamari.

On this unassuming square stood the Monteleón Artillery barracks, where some brave Spanish soldiers and citizens fought Napoléon's invading troops on May 2, 1808. The arch that now stands in the middle of the plaza was once at the entrance of the old barracks, and the sculpture under the arch represents Captains Daoiz and Velarde. All the surrounding streets carry the names of that day's heroes. The plaza, now filled with restaurant patios, is a good place to stop for a drink and some people-watching. One of the most popular (if overrated) cafés, Pepe Botella, carries the demeaning nickname the people of Madrid gave to Joseph Bonaparte, Napoléon's brother, who ruled Spain from 1808 to 1813: the botella (bottle) is a reference to his falsely alleged fondness for drink.