PLAZA MAYOR AND PUERTA DEL SOL

Located a few hundreds meters away from one another, the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta Del Sol contend for the title of the most beautiful square of Madrid. Indeed, the tourist that visits any of them will be marvelled by their beauty.

Witness of the processes of inquisition and canonisation of Saints, the splendid Plaza Mayor welcomes both Madrileans as well as tourists that come to enjoy a cup of coffee at one of the many cafes located under the arcades that surround the Plaza, and from the free informal exhibitions that often give street artists. Necessary stop for any tourist that comes to Madrid , the Plaza marvels its visitors also for the beautiful frescos of the main building: the Casa de la Panaderia.

The Puerta Del Sol, once upon a time the eastern gate to the city, falls among the most significant places of Madrid . This oval is also known as the "Kilometro Cero," the place from and to all distances in Spain are measured, and it is in this Plaza that the most famous monument of the city is located: The statue of a bear that eats off of a "madroño" plant (strawberry-tree). The always-crowded square becomes even more chaotic for New Year's. This is not surprising after knowing that the most important clock of the city is located on top of the "Casa del Correo" at the Puerta del Sol. It is here where the Madrileans welcome the new year with twelve grapes in their hands that they eat as the clock chime indicates that the new year has arrive.

Plaza de Cibeles and Plaza de la Independencia

Located both along the lively Calle de Alcalá, the Plaza de Cibeles and the Plaza de la Independencia represent each the starting points of the Paseo del Prado and one of them, an entrance to the Parque del Buen Retiro.

The Plaza de Cibeles - at the centre of which the Fountain of the same name is located, is surrounded by monumental buildings: The Palacio de Comunicaciones of the nineteenth Hundreds, the renaissance-style building Banco de España, and the Baroque Palacio de Linares, that houses the Culturel centre La Casa de America.

At the centre of the Plaza de la Independencia, formerly one of the city's gates, lays the Puerta de Alcalá, sculpted in granite by orders of Charles III. This magnificent neoclassical arch of Triumph is even more suggestive at night, thanks to its beautiful lighting. To one of the sides of the Plaza there is one of the entrances to the Parque del Retiro.

Plaza de España and Plaza de Oriente The Plaza de España is the lively starting point of the Gran Via - Madrid most frequented road; its perimeter is full of landmarks. At the centre rests the statue of the most famous Spaniard of universal literature: Miguel de Cervantes that precedes the main characters of his saga: Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. About a hundred meters away rise the Edificio España and the Torre de Madrid, architectonical gems of the fifties. At the Plaza de Oriente -located in front of the majestic Palacio Real - the equestrian statue of Phillip IV can be found surrounded by beautiful gardens.

To the other side of the statue there is the Teatro Real, a neoclassical building that houses one of the finest stages of Europe .

Plaza de la Villa and Plaza de Colon

A few hundreds of metres away from the Plaza Mayor and at the heart of the old Madrid , the Plaza de la Villa owe its charm to the collection of medieval buildings that surrounds it. One of these buildings serves as Madrid 's City Hall (Ayuntamiento). Also la Casa de Cisneros, from the fifteen hundreds, and the Torre de los Lujanes in Mudejar Style can be appreciated at this plaza.

At the centre of the Plaza Colon, the memory of the captain Christopher Columbus is honoured. To the sides of this square there are the Paseo de la Castellana that faces the City's Culturel Centre and the wax museum.

Plaza de Toros de las Ventas

Those who are passionate about bullfighting find here Spain 's most famous "Plaza de Toros" and an interesting museum where the cycle of the "Tauromaquia" of Goya is displayed. The Arena features the most spectacular bullfights of the country from the end of March until mid October, among which those that take place during the Fiesta de San Isidro , the city's patron, are particularly memorable.