The heart of town is its unique, almost circular Plaza Mayor, which is lined with sagging, tiered balconies – it wins our vote as one of the most evocative plazas mayores in Spain. In summer the square is converted into a bullring, and at Easter it's the stage for a popular Passion play.
© angeluisma/Getty Images/iStock
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
23.66 MILES
Welcome to one of the world's premier art galleries. More than 7000 paintings are held in the Museo del Prado’s collection (of which only around 1500 are…
23.42 MILES
Home to Picasso’s Guernica, arguably Spain’s most famous artwork, the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Madrid’s premier collection of contemporary art.
23.87 MILES
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is one of the three points composing Madrid’s Golden Triangle of Art along the Paseo del Prado (Art Walk), together with the…
23.68 MILES
Spend a day exploring the vast grounds of Madrid’s emblematic park.
Basílica de San Francisco El Grande
24.21 MILES
Crowning Madrid’s oldest neighborhood of La Latina is an architectural and visual masterpiece that is the Basílica de San Francisco el Grande (Basilica of…
23.83 MILES
One of Spain’s most atmospheric arenas, the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas has hosted everything from Beatles concerts to motocross competitions during its…
25.04 MILES
Few people would ever guess that a 2200-year-old Egyptian temple exists in the center of Madrid. Yet the Templo de Debod is in no way a Vegas-style…
24.76 MILES
This imposing early-20th-century Italianate stone mansion, set discreetly back from the street, belonged to Don José Lázaro Galdiano (1862–1947), a…
Nearby Spain attractions
1. Warner Brothers Movie World
10.97 MILES
Disney World it ain’t but this movie theme park, 25km south of central Madrid, has much to catch the attention. Kids will love the chance to hang out with…
11.06 MILES
The 18th-century neoclassical Casa del Labrador, in the grounds of Aranjuez' Palacio Real, is worth a visit. It's typical royal extravagance, albeit on a…
11.65 MILES
The Museo de Falúas is a museum of royal pleasure boats from days gone by.
12.18 MILES
The Royal Palace started as one of Felipe II’s modest summer palaces but took on a life of its own as a succession of royals, inspired by the palace at…
22.67 MILES
This contemporary-arts centre is a stunning multipurpose space south of the centre. Occupying the converted buildings of the old Arganzuela livestock…
22.92 MILES
If a wealthy Madrid nobleman ever wanted to impress, he went to the Real Fábrica de Tapices, where royalty commissioned the pieces that adorned their…
22.97 MILES
The Puerta de Dante, in the extreme southeastern corner of the Parque del Buen Retiro, is watched over by a carved mural of Dante’s Inferno.
22.97 MILES
You don’t have to be a trainspotter to enjoy this railway museum – you’ll see as many kids as anoraks – but it helps. Housed in the disused 1880s Estación…