Things to see and do Madrid

The idea of the "great route", almost 2 km long, arises from the need to link Cibeles Square to that of Spain. We had to demolish a whole neighbourhood for the drill. The work in three times printed their seal to architecture: between 1917 and 1910, between Alcalá Street and Telefónica's building, buildings imitate Paris buildings from the late th century; from 1922 to 1925 until Callao was the outbreak of the first skyscraper in Madrid: from 1925 onwards, the extension to Spanish square.

Calle Mayor is the main shopping street of Alcalá de Henares. Bordered by porticoes, it is very rich in history. In the Middle Ages, it was the main axis of Juderia, the Jewish quarter. The first original wooden columns were then replaced in the 16th century by stone columns. There is the birthplace of Cervantes, which gives a fairly accurate idea of daily life in the 17th century, the Antezana hospital, founded in 1483 and one of the oldest in Europe, and the remains of the synagogue of medieval Juderia.

Created in 1941, this is the ideal place to trace the history of the Americas, thanks to archaeological, ethnological and colonial finds brought back from South America between the 16th and 20th centuries. Don't miss the Quimbayas treasure, a collection of 62 funeral items from Colombia, or the Paracas mummy and the Tro-Cortesiano code, a Mayan manuscript telling scenes from everyday life. In all, more than 25,000 pieces can be admired, ranging from American prehistory to the present day. Exceptional!

The project for a royal theatre, initiated by King Fernando VII, has seen its construction suspended on several occasions, as its location is at the confluence of various rivers, making it difficult to build. The problems have been repeated and multiplied over the years... But today, this imposing building, twenty-two floors high, is standing tall and bustling with activity. Costumes for ballets and operas are made here, as well as shoes and wigs. It can be visited with an audioguide.

In the heart of the Parque del Oeste, a stone's throw from the cable car, there is a magnificent rose garden not to be missed since its creation in 1955. Every year, in May, the Rosaleda Garden opens its doors to discover more than 500 different varieties of roses. Unique! A competition also allows visitors to choose their favourite rose. An oasis of freshness and tranquility of 32,000 m² in the heart of Madrid. Essential during the hot summer months or for a short moment of calm between two visits.

According to the precepts of The Illustration recommended by Carlos III, in 1781 the Royal Botanical Garden was inaugurated opposite the Botanical Museum (now the Prado Museum) and near the astronomical observatory (in the Retiro Park). It is one of the most important in Europe and depends on the High Council for Scientific Investigation. Spanish and foreign plants are studied and classified. We organize exhibitions, meetings. Greenhouses also have plant species from other climates (desert, tropical).

The great playwright Miguel de Cervantes was born on the 3rd of April 1547 in this house on the historic Calle Mayor. The visit retraces the author's childhood and the family's daily life between the 16th and 18th centuries. We can see a sewing room, the kitchen, the dining room, the boudoir, a surgeon's office (a profession practised by Cervantes' father), as well as lounges and bedrooms. The house also has an important bibliographic collection and numerous pieces of furniture and ceramics from the period. An interesting visit.

Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, is the first to project the construction of this place. In 1841, it was completed, similar to today's. The statues of the Spanish kings found there were intended to decorate the façade of the Royal Palace, but their weight proved excessive and dangerous. The equestrian statue of Philippe IV, in the centre of the square, was made according to a drawing by Velázquez. The horse stands on the back legs, which has posed a real technical problem because of the 9 tons of bronze that make it up.

Located in the Ministry of the Navy, the museum recounts Spanish naval history using models, maps and instruments used for navigation. Room XVI of the museum is devoted to Franco times.

The famous and prolific writer, author of comedies, lived there from 1610 to his death in 1635.

Calle Mayor is one of the most emblematic streets in Madrid. A very touristy axis, it connects the Puerta del Sol to the Royal Palace and conceals some treasures. On condition that you look up and pay attention.

When you have the San Miguel market at your back, look at the balconies of the buildings opposite, on the other side of the Calle Mayor, Calle de los Milaneses, you will see a Fallen Angel. The statue is reminiscent of theFallen Angel (Lucifer) in the Retiro Park, but according to its sculptor, Miguel Ángel Ruiz, it is "a being that has been flying over the peninsula since time immemorial. On its flight, it collided with the modern Madrid of skyscrapers and crashed into a building."

The narrowest house in Madrid is locatedat number 61 on Calle Mayor, which was also the former residence of the writer Pedro Calderón de la Barca, author of Life is a Dream, among other works. This house, next to the former pharmacy of the Queen Mother, is known as Casa Estrecha, literally "the narrow house", since it is only 5 metres wide.

At number 88 of the same street, you can see a palm branch on the top floor balcony. This branch reminds us that from this balcony the anarchist Mateo Morral threw a bomb hidden in a bouquet of flowers in an attempt to assassinate King Alfonso XIII on his wedding day, 31 May 1906.

In front of this building, on the pavement, a statue pays tribute to the victims of the attack, from which the royal couple escaped unscathed.

This immense baroque temple, located away from La Latina and therefore from the traditional tourist circuit, occupies, according to legend, the site of an ancient chapel built by Saint Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. It stands out for its paintings by Goya or Zurbarán and for its monumental dome. It is the largest in Spain and the fourth largest in Europe, after those of St Peter's Basilica and the Pantheon in Rome, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.

These small tourist information offices will answer your questions and will be able to provide you with a map of the city.

It ends the Gran Vía and combines a pyramidal structure with a Baroque-inspired façade. Built between 1948 and 1953 by the brothers Julian and José María Otamendi Machimbarrena, the building bears witness to the Francoist trend of alternating brick and limestone. In the 1950s, it was the highest building in Spain. For a long time it was known as the "swearing building" because of the astonishing swearwords that spontaneously came out of the mouths of onlookers who contemplated it. It is 117 metres high. The 28 floors and the rooftop pool were served by 32 elevators. Until 2005, the ground floor housed a luxury hotel. Since then, it has been bought by the Santander Group for its rehabilitation. After changing hands several times since then, it was the Riu Plaza Group that acquired it in 2017 and opened in August 2019, after more than twenty months of work, the Riu Plaza España Hotel. With 27 floors, 550 rooms, an outdoor pool and a Sky Bar, among other things, this is one of the new flagships of the Madrid hotel industry well installed in an emblematic building of the capital.

Opposite is the Torre de Madrid building, a 130 m high tower. It was built by the same architects as the Edificio España. Originally, it was the highest concrete building in the world.

In the centre of the square , don't miss the monument to Cervantes with Don Quixote and the hilarious Sancho Panza, both on their respective mounts, at the feet of their creator.

It is the national currency and stamp manufacturing plant. Numismatists will be filled here as this currency museum is one of the most important in the world: history, means of production and objects make the museum a unique place.

The Arab wall was built in 865 by Muhammad I, Emir of Córdoba, to protect the Alcázar (Royal Palace) and the mosque from Christian military advances. At the time Madrid was still called Magerit. A 150-metre section of it remains, located at the beginning of the ascent to Vega (Cuesta de La Vega), which was declared a Historic and Artistic Monument in 1954. There is no visible trace of the gates that gave access to the city, only the evocative name of certain streets such as Puerta Cerrada, "closed door" or La Vega.

It is the nearest water park in Madrid. If you can avoid going to the weekend, it's better, to avoid crowds! The park is well designed with slides, wave pools…