The Palacio Real is the largest building in Madrid, as well as the largest royal palace in Western Europe. The palace houses furniture, paintings, tapestries, and ceramics. Other than that, you can also find works of art and frescoes by Giordano, Velázquez, Goya, Tiépolo and Mengs. These important works of art make The Palacio Real as one of important museums in Europe. In 2006, the total visitors reach more than 880,000 people. The Palacio Real is open to the public a year around except when there are official ceremonies and receptions.
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2. Plaza de Oriente
Palaza de Oriente is a very popular spacious plaza located on the east of The Palacio Real. Though Madrid is a busy city, you can always find a haven of peace and tranquility here. The landscaped gardens are enclosed in a kind of semi-circular design. In this calm and green area, there are 44 statues of Spanish kings from the medieval period. There is a huge statue of Felipe IV astride a horse.
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3. Catedral de Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena (Madrid Cathedral)
Consecrated to Santa Maria de la Almudena, this cathedral means "the castle" in Arabic language "la mudayna". The building is a combination od neoclassical interior, a neo-romaneque crypt and a gothic revival interior. The cathedral was constructed of marble and granite, with a neoclassical cupola and two towers at the main entrance. The Cathedral can be easily reached from The Palacio Real.
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4. La Puerta Del Sol
Come to this most famous and most central square of Madrid. Since La Puerta del Sol is located in the center of Madrid, you can find hotels, hostels, and apartments easily. There is a clock tower named as "Real Casa de Correos", built in 18th century as a post office. Now the building functions as the headquarters od the President of Madrid's Autonomous Community. This is the square where people can celebrate New Year's Eve. In Spain, people celebrate New Year's Eve by eating 12 grapes (the "12 grapes of good luck") at each chime of the clock as it strikes midnight.
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5. Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor is Madrid's square located right in the center of the city, just a fe minutes walk from La Puerta del Sol. The square has restaurants and cafés you can visit to try good Spanish wine and tapas. The prices are kind of high but still you can enjoy the time here. Plaza Mayor had been changing its name from Plaza del Arrabal, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de la Constitución, Plaza Real and Plaza de la República, and back to Plaza Mayor. In this square, numerous public executions, Inquisition trials, bullfights and fiestas have all taken place here.
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6. La Plaza de Cibeles (Cibeles Fountain)
Visiting to Madrid without visiting Cibeles Fountain is not complete because this fountain is Madrid's icon. The fountain is located in the heart of Madrid, sculpted in 1782. It shows Cybele, the Greek goddess of fertility and nature, holding a sceptre and a key while being pulled by two lions on a chariot, as a symbol of the power of nature of the goddess. Originally, the fountain stood outside the Prado Museum, facing the Fountain of Neptune. But then in 19th century it was moved to the center of the square. The fountain is famous for a meeting point of fans of Real madrid soccer team. Whenever the team wins the Spanish league or Spanish cup, the football players from Real Madrid will celebrate here.
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7. Templo de Debod (The Debod Temple)
Temple de Debod is an authentic Egyptian temple dating back to 2th century, dedicated to the gods Amon and Isis. Templo de Debod originally stood up in Debod in the Nile Valley, not far from the city of Aswan, Egypt. Because Aswan Dam was going to be built in 1960, there were some archaeological sites endangered. In order to save all these valuable sites, UNESCO made an appeal to countries to help preserving the buildings. Spain was one of those countries contributing. Egyptian government thanked Spain in donating Templo de Debod which was dismantled stone by stone in 1969, shipped through Valencia and arrived in Madrid. Temple de Debod was opened for public in 1972.
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8. La Gran Via
La Gran Via, literally means as "the grand way", is Madrid's famous street where hundreds of businesses stores, shops, hotels, banks, bars, cinemas, and theatres can be found here. This business area is probably one of the most important districts in Madrid. You can see several interesting buildings located along the street, including Edificio Metrópolis and Telefónica building, a tallest skyscrapper in Madrid until 1953. Many of the buildings are lavishly decorated and often possess large statues which sometimes precariously perching on the egde of the roof.
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9. Plaza de la Villa
Plaza de la Villa is a historic square, a home to 15th century Torre de Lujanes, 16th Century Casa de Cisneros and the 17th Century Casa de la Villa.
Casa de Cisneros is the second oldest building in Plaza de la Villa. It used to be a place serving as a refuge and prison in 1590. Casa de la Villa is an old town hall of Madrid. It is situated between Plaza del Sol and Plaza de Oriente. Casa de la Villa was first known as the Plaza de San Salvador, named after a nearby church with the same name. It used to be a building for both prison and town hall. There are free guided tours on Mondays at 5pm if you are planning to visit.
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10. Puerta de Alcalá
Puerta de Alcalá was built in 1599 as a welcome gesture to doña Margarita de Austria, the wife of King Felipe III. Originally, the gate was not considered as a proper gate to welcome royal families by King Carlos III. He then called for architects to demolish it and start to build a new gate. The new Puerta de Alcalá was completed in 1769 and in 1778 the official inauguration took place.
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