Almudena Cathedral
Almudena Cathedral sits directly opposite the Royal Palace and is Madrid's main cathedral, completed only in 1993. Free to enter (donations encouraged).
Square in Madrid
Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor is Madrid’s grand central square, a rectangular enclosed plaza surrounded by three-story residential buildings with balconies, arcaded shops, and the Casa de la Panaderia with its painted facade. Free. The square was once the site of bullfights, executions, and coronations. Budget travelers walk through the arches, sit at a terrace (expensive) or stand in the center (free), and photograph one of the most perfectly proportioned public squares in Europe.
Practical
Before you go
- Address
- Plaza Mayor, 28012 Madrid
- Good to know
Nearby
More in Madrid
Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
El Rastro
El Rastro is Madrid's Sunday morning flea market, sprawling through the streets of La Latina neighborhood from Plaza de Cascorro downhill to the Embajadores roundabout. Free to browse.
Gran Via
Gran Via is Madrid's most famous boulevard, a wide avenue of early 20th-century buildings, theatres, shops, and neon signs running from Calle de Alcala to Plaza de Espana. Free to walk.
La Latina Tapas Bars
La Latina is the neighborhood south of Plaza Mayor where Madrilenos go for Sunday tapas after the El Rastro market. Free to walk.
Mercado de San Miguel
The Mercado de San Miguel is a glass and iron market hall next to the Plaza Mayor with gourmet food stalls selling tapas, wine, oysters, pastries, and iberico ham. Free to enter.
Parque de El Capricho
The Parque de El Capricho is an 18th-century garden in the Alameda de Osuna district, the only garden in Madrid with three styles (French, Italian, English) in one park. Free.
Working out what Madrid costs?
The whole of Madrid