Dominating the skyline about one-third of the way along Gran Vía is the 1920s-era Telefónica building, which was for years the highest building in the city. During the civil war, when Madrid was besieged by Franco’s forces and the boulevard became known as ‘Howitzer Alley’ due to the artillery shells that rained down upon it, the Telefónica building was a favoured target. These days it hosts exhibitions and can arrange guided tours.
Telefónica Building
Malasaña & Conde Duque
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.67 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…
0.91 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.
0.46 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…
Basílica de San Francisco El Grande
0.95 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…
2.18 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…
0.88 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…
1.41 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 Malasaña & Conde Duque attractions
0.13 MILES
It’s difficult to imagine Madrid without Gran Vía, the grand boulevard lined with towering belle-époque facades that climbs up through the centre of…
2. Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
0.18 MILES
The Real Academia de Bellas Artes, Madrid’s ‘other’ art gallery, has for centuries played a pivotal role in the artistic life of the city. As the royal…
0.23 MILES
Edificio Grassy, with the Rolex sign, was built in 1916. With its circular ‘temple’ as a crown, and profusion of arcs and slender columns, it’s one of the…
0.23 MILES
Look out for the statue of a bear nuzzling a madroño (strawberry tree) at the eastern end of the Plaza de la Puerta del Sol; this is the official symbol…
5. Carlos III Equestrian Statue
0.24 MILES
The Plaza de la Puerta del Sol owes its present appearance in part to the Bourbon king Carlos III (r 1759–88), whose equestrian statue (complete with his…
0.24 MILES
The eye-catching Edificio Carrión, on the corner of Gran Vía and Calle de Jacometrezo, was Madrid’s first pre-WWI tower-block apartment hotel. It is now…
0.25 MILES
The official centre point of Spain is a gracious, crowded hemisphere of elegant facades. It is, above all, a crossroads: people here are forever heading…
0.27 MILES
Among the more interesting buildings along Gran Vía is the stunning, French-designed Edificio Metrópolis, built in 1905, which marks the southern end of…