Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol
The arcaded seventeenth-century square, and the zero kilometre of Spain's roads two steps away.
Duration
45 min – 1 hr 30 min
Best time
Early morning
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
The square took its present form in 1619: a rectangle wholly enclosed by buildings, with nine vaulted passages to get in. It has served as market, bullring, stage for the Inquisition's autos-da-fé and place of execution — all of it visible from the balconies, which were rented out.
Two hundred metres away, the Puerta del Sol holds the kilómetro cero plaque in its paving: every road distance in Spain is measured from that point. It is also where the city gathers for the twelve New Year grapes.
Getting there
Metro lines 1, 2 and 3, Sol station, then five minutes on foot along Calle Mayor. The whole centre is walkable.
Rules on site
The terraces on the square charge for the setting, and the gap with an adjoining street is considerable. Sol and the square's passages are Madrid's busiest pickpocket ground.
Other places in Madrid
Prado MuseumVelázquez, Goya and Bosch in one building, including Las Meninas and The Garden of Earthly Delights.Retiro ParkA hundred and twenty hectares of former royal gardens, a rowing lake and a crystal palace.
San Miguel MarketA 1916 iron market hall turned tapas counter.
Royal PalaceThree thousand four hundred rooms, the largest working royal palace in Western Europe.