Tourist Attractions & Monuments Madrid

For 7,20 € per person, you can visit Madrid in a very original way; by rediscovering certain periods: Captain Alatriste, Don Quixote, Terrible legends of Old Madrid, Madrid in music. Visits last an average of 1 hour and 45 minutes. Sale of tickets to the Tourist Office of Plaza Mayor or by telephone. Departure of guided walks before the Tourist Office of Plaza Mayor. In Spanish and sometimes in English. As the program evolves every year, we cannot give you the content on these pages. However, we guarantee that the visits are about the history of the city and that you learn many very interesting details. The program is available at the Tourism Office and on the site: www.esmadrid.com

If the storefront of this cultural centre is discreet, we should not hesitate to push the door. We go through a corridor that serves as a showroom before going down to the basement. Artepolis is a concert hall, recitals, performances and theatre. There are also courses in language, theatre and other activities.

It is one of the first and last self-managed cultural associations. Coffee is a benchmark for discovering all kinds of activities, listening to a music concert, surfing the Internet. Ladinamo has moved to La Latina since 2007.

A small playful tour, in agreement with the environment (the boat uses only solar energy), thanks to which you can enjoy the Retiro Park from another point of view.

Agency specialized in bicycle roads. It offers visits to Madrid, but also routes throughout Spain.

Just next to the famous Prado Museum, the obelisk of May 2, 1808, inaugurated in 1840, contains in an urn the ashes of some heroes of the uprising against Napoleon's troops. Former Spanish King Juan Carlos also made it the monument to the unknown soldier with his traditional flame.Its small garden is charming. Not to be missed between two museum visits for a well-deserved break.

The trading exchange, behind the obelisk, dates from 1893; its construction is inspired by the one seen in Vienna.

The "House of the Seven Fireplaces" is one of the only 16th century Renaissance-style buildings in the capital that has remained intact to this day. Although it has been redesigned several times, this magnificent building was built between 1574 and 1577 by the architect Antonio Sillero.Since 1980, this building (which really has seven chimneys and was declared a Historic and Artistic Monument in 1948) has become the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture.

A Catalan architect designed this modernist palace at the beginning of this century. The façade is decorated with floral and vegetal motifs and is one of the few examples of this architectural trend that can be photographed in Madrid. From the entrance, you can see the transparent dome and the majestic staircase railing. Originally, it was both a residence and a bank. Today, it is the headquarters of the Société générale des auteurs (SGAE).

It is an English style garden, in a typical 18th century romantic style, commissioned by Queen Maria Cristina. The two fountains, de los Tritones and del palacio de los Conchas (Triton Fountain and Shell Palace Fountain), are magnificent. Above all, the view from the park over the Royal Palace, located above, is really superb. These gardens are really a great idea for a walk before or after a visit to the Royal Palace.

When it was founded on October 10, 1910, this residence housed 15 students; in 1912 there were already 50. In 1920, it hosted Federico García Lorca, Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. Juan Ramón Jiménez, poet, organized the garden and named it the Hill of Poplars. Lorca's theatre group, La Barraca, gives a performance there. Luis Buñuel comments on the films screened and exclusively presents Un chien andalou to his friends. Miguel de Unamuno (philosopher) settles there on each of his trips to Madrid. Calder, in 1933, came to present his miniature circus show with wire sculptures. It was one of the most dynamic centres of creation and exchange in Europe during the inter-war period. Andres Segovia, Manuel de Falla, Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc give concerts there. Valle Inclán (playwright), Ortega y Gasset (philosopher), Henri Bergson, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, H. G. Wells, J. -M. Keynes give lectures. Currently, the residence is still in operation and offers free conferences, exhibitions and concerts. The place has kept all its charm, and its garden is a haven of peace preserved a stone's throw from La Castellana. Sixty rooms are available for people from the world of culture, science or the arts. A cafeteria and restaurant are open to residents and visitors alike. Exhibitions, conferences and concerts welcome the general public.

In the heart of Habsburg Madrid, the small Baroque church of San Miguel, built between 1739 and 1745, is one of the most emblematic in the country. In large part due to the originality of its convex façade in the shape of a Latin cross, unique in Madrid. It is indeed the only solution found by its architect, Santiago Bonavia (although the construction was completed by Virgilio Rabaglio), to adapt to the narrowness of the land on Calle San Justo.

The first viaduct dates from the end of the 19th century, in 1874. The new one, made of three 35-metre vaults and polished reinforced concrete, was designed in 1932. It was finally built in 1949 above Calle Segovia, between the Royal Palace and the Basilica of San Francisco El Grande. Pedro Almodóvar often used it as a decoration (stiletto heels, Matador). The view of Madrid, especially the west of the city, the Casa de Campo, the Royal Palace and Cathedral of La Almudena, is incredible. Enough to warm up your camera!

This small palace dates from the end of the 15th century. On its Gothic façade, the coat of arms of the Luján family can be seen. The high tower houses the telegraph during the time of Fernando VII. A legend tells that in the 16th century, Francis I was imprisoned there after the battle of Pavía... There is no document to prove it. Today, the palace is the headquarters of the Real Academia de Ciencias Morales y Políticas and the Real Sociedad Económica Matritense de Amigos del País.

If you are passionate about fossils and everything related to minerals, then go to the institute! It contains rocks and minerals from all over Spain, but also from its former American territories. Rather playful and not bad with children. Also noteworthy is the superb building of Francisco Javier de Luque, certainly one of the most unique in Chamberí with its large glass roof suspended from a wrought iron structure.

The San Ginés church, dedicated to the French saint Saint Genès d'Arles, dates from the Middle Ages but the current building is the result of many works and renovations that followed major fires (1645 and 1824). Nevertheless, the chapel of Santísimo Cristo has preserved the most important treasure of San Ginés, with works by Alonso Cano, Lucas Jordane and el Greco (The Purification of the Temple). At the entrance to one of Madrid's oldest churches, a plaque reminds us that here Francisco de Quevedo was baptized and that Lope de Vega celebrated his wedding there.

These fountains are known as the "Cuatro Fuentes del Prado" ("the four fountains of the Prado") and are located between the eponymous museum and the Botanical Garden.They are nicknamed Fuentecillas ("Little Fountains") and are the work of Ventura Rodríguez. They date from 1781 and represent dolphins playing with newt children. Their only difference is in the position of the newts. Major festivals such as Carnival, St. John's Eve or San Pedro gather many people from Madrid around them.

CentroCentro is a cultural center located in one of Madrid's most emblematic buildings, the Palacio de Cibeles. Formerly known as the Telecommunications Palace, it was designed in the early 20th century as the headquarters of the National Post Office. The architects Antonio Palacios and Joaquín Otamendi won the tender organized by the State in 1904 with an exceptional proposal combining traditional and modern design. The 12,207 m2 building was constructed in stone, iron and glass, marking a turning point in Madrid's urban planning and symbolizing the modernization of a booming city. Since its opening in 2011, CentroCentro has offered a varied cultural program. Visitors can enjoy exhibitions, conferences, concerts and other artistic events. Located on the Plaza Cibeles, the Palacio de Cibeles is also a must-see tourist attraction in Madrid. Visitors can admire its impressive architecture and enjoy panoramic views from its belvedere.