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This is a preview of the full content of our Madrid’s Best app.

Please consider downloading this app to support small independent publishing and because:

  • All content is designed for mobile devices and works best there.
  • Detailed in-app maps will help you find sites using your device’s GPS.
  • The app works offline (one time upgrade required on Android versions).

The app will also allow you to:

  • Add custom locations to the app map (your hotel…).
  • Create your own list of favourites as you browse.
  • Search the entire contents using a fast and simple text-search tool.
  • Make one-click phone calls (on phones).
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Plaza Mayor

Madrid's stately, arcaded city square

Madrid, Spain

The grandiloquent Plaza Mayor is probably the city's most famous landmark. Designed in the 17th century by royal architect Juan Gómez de Mora, it has provided the backdrop to everything from bullfights and festivals to Inquisition burnings and royal wedding celebrations.

The iconic pointed spires and slate roofs top scores of balconied apartments that line the plaza, while one side is filled by the Casa Panadería palace with its gaudy frescoes, now home to the municipal tourist office. The cafés and restaurants are, inevitably, something of a tourist trap, but the square itself certainly merits a visit.

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Plaza Mayor (Metro Sol)

1560–1814: Imperial Capital

Royal Madrid Sights

Text © Patrick López

Image by Rick Ligthelm