Must see attractions in Madrid

Tucked away up the hill from Calle Mayor, this intimate little church is Madrid’s oldest surviving building of worship; it may have been built on the site…

In the modern northeastern corner of the Antigua Estación de Atocha, this memorial is a moving monument to the victims of the 2004 terrorist attack at the…

On the opposite side of the square from the Casa de la Villa, the 15th-century Casa de los Lujanes is Gothic in conception with a clear Mudéjar (a Moorish…

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…

One of few vestiges of the 17th-century Palacio del Buen Retiro, this austere building overlooking the Parque del Buen Retiro has been restored and now…

Lope de Vega may be little known outside the Spanish-speaking world, but he was one of the greatest playwrights ever to write in Spanish, not to mention…

Perhaps the most impressive of the grand edifices erected along the Paseo de los Recoletos in the 19th century, the 1892 Biblioteca Nacional (National…

This wax museum, with more than 450 characters, is a fairly standard version of the genre. Models range from the Beatles to Bart Simpson, and from…

Officially known as Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, the next roundabout south of Cibeles is something of a crossroads of Spanish nobility. The Ritz and the…

This central Madrid square was being given a major overhaul when we last visited. They'll no doubt find room for the 1927 statue of Cervantes, alongside a…

Sloping down the hill behind the Moncloa metro station, Parque del Oeste is quite beautiful, with plenty of shady corners where you can recline under a…

One attraction specifically for visually impaired travellers and Spaniards is the Museo Tifológico. Run by the National Organisation for the Blind (ONCE),…

Those who love sumptuous period furniture, ceramics, carpets, tapestries and the like will find themselves passing a worthwhile hour or two here. There’s…

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…

When Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra died in 1616, his body was interred at the Convento de las Trinitarias, which is marked by a plaque. For centuries, no…

Architecturally nondescript but culturally curious, this church hides behind sober brickwork on the western end of a quiet square. A closed order of nuns…

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…

Until recently this 19th-century Italianate palace was a nightclub. It has since been artfully converted to a dynamic artistic space, with major temporary…

The Museo Taurino inhabits a renovated space dedicated to bullfighting legend Manolete, as well as a curious collection of paraphernalia, costumes (the…

The Spanish version of the tooth fairy is a cute little mouse called 'El Ratón Perez', and this small museum close to Sol takes you into a recreation of…