Sights in Madrid
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Estación de Chamberí
For years, madrileños wondered what happened to the metro station called Chamberí – they knew it existed, yet it appeared on no maps and no trains ever stopped there. The answer was that Chamberí station lay along line 1, between the stops of Bilbao and Iglesia, until 1966 when Madrid’s trains (and, where possible, platforms) were lengthened. Logistical difficulties meant that Chamberí could not be extended and the station was abandoned. In 2008 the Estación de Chamberí finally reopened to the public, if not for trains, serving as a museum piece that recreates the era of the station’s inauguration in 1919 with advertisements from the time (including Madrid’s then…
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Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Almudena
Paris has Notre Dame and Rome has St Peter’s Basilica. In fact, almost every European city of stature has its signature cathedral, a stand-out monument to a glorious Christian past. Not Madrid. Although the exterior of the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Almudena sits in harmony with the adjacent Palacio Real, Madrid’s cathedral is cavernous and largely charmless within; its colourful, modern ceilings do little to make up for the lack of old-world gravitas that so distinguishes great cathedrals.
Carlos I first proposed building a cathedral here back in 1518, but building didn’t actually begin until 1879. It was finally finished in 1992 and its pristine, bright-white…
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Valle de Los Caídos
This extraordinary basilica and stone monument is built into the side of a mountain 15km north of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Conceived in the grandiose imagination of the dictator Francisco Franco, it served as a memorial of the those who died during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), though in reality it has always glorified Franco’s side and was constructed by Franco’s prisoners of war, many of whom died in the process. It has long been a pilgrimage site for the small reactionary rump of Franco supporters, who come here especially on November 20 – the anniversary of Franco’s death – to reminisce about Franco’s rule, complete with stiff-armed fascist salutes. Spain’s…
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Palacio Buenavista & Casa de Las Siete Chimeneas
Set back amid gardens on the northwest edge of Plaza de la Cibeles stands the Palacio Buenavista, now occupied by the army. It once belonged to the Alba family, and the young Duchess of Alba, Cayetana, who was widely rumoured to have had an affair with the artist Goya, lived here for a time. A block behind it to the west, on the tiny Plaza del Rey, is the Casa de las Siete Chimeneas, a 16th-century mansion that takes its name from the seven chimneys it still boasts and which gives a tantalising glimpse of the sort of residences that once lined the Paseo de la Castellana. They say that the ghost of one of Felipe II’s lovers still runs about here in distress on certain…
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Ateneo Científico, Literario y Artístico de Madrid
Nestled away in the heart of the Barrio de las Letras, this venerable club of learned types was founded in 1821, although the building took on its present form in 1884. Its library and meetings of the great minds prompted Benito Pérez Galdós to describe it as the most important ‘intellectual temple’ in Madrid and a reference point for the thriving cultural life of the Barrio de las Letras. It’s not generally open to the public, but no one seems to mind if you wander into the foyer, which is lined with portraits of terribly serious-looking fellows. They may even let you amble upstairs to the library, a jewel of another age, with dark timber stacks, weighty tomes and…
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Basílica de San Francisco El Grande
Lording it over the southwestern corner of La Latina, this imposing and recently restored baroque basilica is one of Madrid’s grandest old churches. Its extravagantly frescoed dome is, by some estimates, the largest in Spain and the fourth largest in the world, with a height of 56m and diameter of 33m.
Legend has it that St Francis of Assisi built a chapel on this site in 1217. The current version was designed by Francesco Sabatini, who also designed the Puerta de Alcalá and finished off the Palacio Real. He designed the church with an unusual floor plan: the nave is circular and surrounded by chapels guarded by imposing marble statues of the 12 apostles; 12 prophets,…
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Congreso de los Diputados
Spain’s lower house of parliament was originally a Renaissance building, but it was completely revamped in 1850 and given a facade with a neoclassical portal. The imposing lions watching over the entrance were smelted from cannons used in Spain’s African wars during the mid-19th century. On the day that they were mounted outside the parliament building, one irreverent Madrid newspaper wrote ‘And what mouths they have! One might imagine them to be parliamentarians!’ It was here, on 11 February 1981, that renegade members of Spain’s Guardia Civil launched a failed coup attempt. Be sure to bring your passport if you want to visit.
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Plaza de Ramales
This pleasant little triangle of open space is not without historical intrigue. Joseph Bonaparte ordered the destruction of the Iglesia de San Juanito to open up a pocket of fresh air in the then-crowded streets. It is believed Velázquez was buried in the church; excavations in 2000 revealed the crypt of the former church and the remains of various people buried in it centuries ago, but Velázquez was nowhere to be found. On the west side of the plaza is the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, a prestigious musical conservatory which sometimes hosts concerts.
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Museo Arqueológico Nacional
The showpiece National Archaeology Museum contains a sweeping accumulation of artefacts behind its towering facade. The large collection includes stunning mosaics taken from Roman villas across Spain, intricate Muslim-era and Mudéjar handiwork, sculpted figures such as the Dama de Ibiza and Dama de Elche, examples of Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles and a partial copy of the prehistoric cave paintings of Altamira (Cantabria). At the time of writing, the museum was closed for a major and much-needed overhaul of the building, but should be open by the time you read this.
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Museo Sorolla
The Valencian artist Joaquín Sorolla immortalised the clear Mediterranean light of the Valencian coast. His Madrid house, a quiet mansion surrounded by lush gardens that he designed himself, was inspired by what he had seen in Andalucía and now contains the most complete collection of the artist’s works.
On the ground floor there’s a cool patio cordobés, an Andalucian courtyard off which is a room containing collections of Sorolla’s drawings. The 1st floor, with the main salon and dining areas, was mostly decorated by the artist himself. On the same floor are three separate rooms that Sorolla used as studios. In the second one is a collection of his Valencian beach…
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Palacio de Liria
This 18th-century mansion, rebuilt after a fire in 1936, nestles amid the modern architecture just north of Plaza de España as a reminder of the days when Madrid's streets were lined with mansions like these. It holds an impressive collection of art, period furniture and objets d’art. To join a guided visit, you need to send a formal request with your personal details to the palace, which is home to the Duke and Duchess of Alba, one of the grandest names in Spanish nobility – ask at the tourist office for details. The waiting list is long and most mere mortals content themselves with staring through the gates into the grounds, but watch this space – we've heard rumours…
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Casón del Buen Retiro
One of the few vestiges of the 17th-century Palacio del Buen Retiro, this somewhat austere building overlooking the Parque del Buen Retiro is run as an academic library by the Museo del Prado and, as such, is mostly closed to the general public. The only exception, and it’s an important one, is for the guided visits to the stunning Hall of the Ambassadors, which is crowned by the astonishing 1697 ceiling fresco The Apotheosis of the Spanish Monarchy by Luca Giordano. These visits can be arranged at the ‘Educación’ desk just inside the Puerta de los Jerónimos in the Museo del Prado. The remainder of the Casón del Buen Retiro has been renovated in a modern style.
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Museo Naval
A block south of Plaza de la Cibeles, this museum will appeal to those who love their ships or who have always wondered what the Spanish Armada really looked like. On display are quite extraordinary models of ships from the earliest days of Spain’s maritime history to the 20th century. Lovers of antique maps will also find plenty of interest, especially Juan de la Cosa’s parchment map of the known world, put together in 1500. The accuracy of Europe and Africa is astounding, and it’s supposedly the first map to show the Americas (albeit with considerably greater fantasy than fact). Also of interest is the wall-sized map showing Spanish maritime journeys of discovery from…
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Iglesia de San Ginés
Due north of Plaza Mayor, San Ginés is one of Madrid’s oldest churches: it has been here in one form or another since at least the 14th century. It is speculated that, prior to the arrival of the Christians in 1085, a Mozarabic community (Christians in Muslim territory) lived around the stream that later became Calle del Arenal and that their parish church stood on this site. What you see today was built in 1645 but largely reconstructed after a fire in 1824. The church houses some fine paintings, including El Greco’s Expulsion of the Moneychangers from the Temple (1614), which is beautifully displayed; the glass is just 6mm from the canvas to avoid reflections. The…
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Convento de la Encarnación
Founded by Empress Margarita de Austria, this 17th-century mansion built in the Madrid baroque style (a pleasing amalgam of brick, exposed stone and wrought iron) is still inhabited by nuns of the Augustine order. The large art collection dates mostly from the 17th century and among the many gold and silver reliquaries is one that contains the blood of San Pantaleón, which purportedly liquefies each year on 27 July. The convent also sits on a pretty plaza with lovely views down towards the Palacio Real.
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Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida
This small church ranks alongside Madrid’s finest art galleries. Also known as the Panteón de Goya, this chapel has frescoed ceilings as painted by Goya in 1798 on the request of Carlos IV. As such, it’s one of the few places to see Goya masterworks in their original setting.
Figures on the dome depict the miracle of St Anthony. The saint, who lived in Padua in Italy, heard word from his native Lisbon that his father had been unjustly accused of murder. The saint was whisked miraculously to his home town from northern Italy, where he tried in vain to convince the judges of his father’s innocence. He then demanded that the corpse of the murder victim be placed before…
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Real Fábrica de Tapices
If a wealthy Madrid nobleman wanted to impress, he came here to the Real Fábrica de Tapices (Royal Tapestry Workshop) where royalty commissioned the pieces that adorned their palaces and private residences. The Spanish government, Spanish royalty and the Vatican were the biggest patrons of the tapestry business: Spain alone is said to have collected four million tapestries. With such an exclusive clientele, it was a lucrative business and remains so, 300 years after the factory was founded. Goya began his career here, first as a cartoonist and later as a tapestry designer. Given such an illustrious history, it is, therefore, somewhat surprising that coming here today…
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Museo al Aire Libre
This fascinating open-air collection of 17 abstract sculptures includes works by the renowned Basque artist Eduardo Chillida, the Catalan master Joan Miró, as well as Eusebio Sempere and Alberto Sánchez, one of Spain’s foremost sculptors of the 20th century. The sculptures are beneath the overpass where Paseo de Eduardo Dato crosses Paseo de la Castellana, but somehow the hint of traffic grime and pigeon shit only adds to the appeal. All but one are on the eastern side of Paseo de la Castellana.
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Museo Taurino
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Museo Tifológico
One attraction specifically for visually impaired travellers and Spaniards is the Museo Tifológico. Run by the National Organisation for the Blind (ONCE), its exhibits (all of which may be touched) include paintings, sculptures and tapestries, as well as more than 40 scale models of world monuments, including Madrid’s Palacio Real and Cibeles fountain, as well as La Alhambra in Granada and the aqueduct in Segovia. It also provides leaflets in Braille and audio guides to the museum.
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Basílica de San Miguel
Hidden away off Calle de Segovia, this basilica is something of a surprise. Its convex, late-baroque facade sits in harmony with the surrounding buildings of old Madrid. Among its fine features are statues representing the four virtues, and the reliefs of Justo and Pastor, the saints to whom the church was originally dedicated. The rococo and Italianate interior, completed by Italian architects in 1745, is another world altogether with gilded flourishes and dark, sombre domes.
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Plaza de Santa Ana
The Plaza de Santa Ana is a delightful confluence of elegant architecture and irresistible energy. Situated in the heart of Huertas, it was laid out in 1810 during the controversial reign of Joseph Bonaparte, giving breathing space to what had hitherto been one of Madrid’s most claustrophobic barrios. The plaza quickly became a focal point for the intellectual life of the day, and the cafes surrounding the plaza thronged with writers, poets and artists engaging in endless tertulias (literary and philosophical discussions). Echoes of this literary history survive in the statues of the 17th-century writer Calderón de la Barca and Federíco García Lorca (added in 1998 on…
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Museo de Los Orígenes
Next door to the Iglesia de San Andrés, this engaging museum sits on the spot where San Isidro Labrador is said to have ended his days around 1172. For an overview of Madrid’s history, this place is hard to beat, with archaeological finds from the Roman period, including a 4th-century mosaic found on the site of a Roman villa in the barrio (district) of Carabanchel, maps, scale models, paintings and photos of Madrid down through the ages. A particular highlight is the large model based on Pedro Teixera’s famous 1656 map of Madrid. Of great historical interest (though not much to look at) is the ‘miraculous well’, where the saint called forth water to slake his master’s…
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Museo Lázaro Galdiano
This is just the sort of place you expect to find along Calle de Serrano, with an imposing early-20th-century Italianate stone mansion set discreetly back from the street. And Don José Lázaro Galdiano (1862-1947), a successful and cultivated businessman, was just the sort of person you’d expect to find in Salamanca. A patron of the arts, he built up an astonishing private collection that he bequeathed to the city upon his death. It was no mean inheritance, with some 13,000 works of art and objets d’art, a quarter of which are on show at any time.
It can be difficult to believe the breadth of masterpieces that Señor Lázaro Galdiano gathered during his lifetime, and…
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Antiguo Cuartel del Conde Duque
This grand former barracks dominates Conde Duque on the western fringe of Malasaña with its imposing, recently restored facade stretching 228m down the hill. A recent and massive clean-up of the facade has brought this imposing building back to life in a manner worthy of its local significance. Built in 1717 under the auspices of architect Pedro de Ribera, its highlight is the extravagant 18th-century doorway, which is a masterpiece of the baroque churrigueresque style. These days it’s home by day to a cultural centre, which hosts government archives, libraries, the Hemeroteca Municipal (the biggest collection of newspapers and magazines in Spain), temporary exhibitions…
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