Tour of Gran Vía, Callao and Plaza de España in Madrid

Madrid ‘s Gran Vía is the most famous street in the city and one of the busiest. On weekend nights, traffic jams form and people walk along its sidewalks as if it were daytime.

Gran Vía began to be built in 1910 as a business and leisure area within a modern Madrid that was open to the world.

At the end of the street we find another of the most famous squares in Madrid, the Plaza de España.

What to see on the Gran Vía in Madrid

For decades, Gran Vía was known for its cinemas.

But unfortunately these have been closing in recent years and have been replaced by shops or theaters or have simply been abandoned.

Currently there are only 3 cinemas open. However, the theaters have been transforming this area of ​​the city and we can see numerous musicals and shows, which is why the street has begun to be known as Madrid’s Broadway.

But in addition to its great leisure offer for theaters, shops or restaurants, we can also admire its architecture.

Each building on the Gran Vía that you find is more beautiful than the previous one and among the most outstanding we can mention the Metropolis Building, the first one that you come across and that stands out for its circular tower with the statue of the Winged Victory, the Knight’s Oratory de Gracia or the Telefónica Building, which was the first skyscraper in Europe, 89 meters high and with an important Telefónica store on its ground floor.

We also highlight the Madrid-Paris Building, the Casa Matesanz, the Palacio de la Prensa, one of the three remaining cinemas, the Callao Cinema, another of the cinemas, the Carrión Building, famous for the illuminated Schweppes sign, or the Edificio Coliseum.

Callao Square

Along the Gran Vía two squares cross.

One is the Red de San Luis and the other is the Plaza del Callao, one of the busiest in the city.

Although it is a square closely linked to the history of Gran Vía, it is true that there was already a square in this place since before 1910 and it has undergone several renovations, the last one a few years ago that made it completely pedestrian.

In the Plaza del Callao are the Carrión Building, the Callao Cinema and the Press Palace, which we have already mentioned, as well as the Adriatic Building and the Fnac Building. It is also crossed by Calle Preciados, the most expensive shopping street in Spain.

What to see in the Plaza de España in Madrid

At the end of Gran Vía we find another of the city’s monumental squares and one of the best places to stay in Madrid.

It is one of the largest squares in Madrid and where we can usually see craft markets.

In the center of the Plaza de España is the famous Monument to Miguel de Cervantes, formed by a pedestal where the writer stands and at his feet the statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, his most famous characters. Dulcinea is also represented.

Around the Plaza de España we also have several very interesting buildings, two of them large skyscrapers that point to the sky of Madrid.

One of them is the Torre de Madrid, which is characterized by its white color and is 142 meters high, and the other is the E dificio España, red and white in color and with four staggered heights. This skyscraper is 117 meters high and both form a set that is visible from much of the city.

These two skyscrapers are accompanied by the Casa Gallardo, in a modernist style and with balconies and facades that are worth seeing, and the Building of the Royal Asturian Mining Company.