Plaza Mayor (Main Square), Madrid (must see)

Madrid is a city of interconnected squares, with many broad avenues and narrow lanes connecting them. In the middle of the city, you'll find Plaza Mayor, an enormous square that is lined with bars, restaurants, and cafes.

Plaza Mayor was the center of Old Madrid and was built in the late 1500s. It was initially called the Plaza del Arrabal and was the primary market in town. The main buildings and architecture of the square were established in 1619 by architect Juan Gomez de Mora. But a series of fires destroyed the square, first in 1631, 1670, and finally in 1790. The buildings as they stand today are the renovated structures built after the 1790 fire by architect Juan de Villanueva.

For centuries, the square had hosted countless important public events such as bull fights, beatifications, crowning ceremonies, trials and even public executions. The equestrian statue in the middle of the square is monarch Philip III, under whose reign the square was first established in 1580.

Why You Should Visit

The square is always a hub of activity. Many special events are held here, like the annual city Christmas market. There are various religious ceremonies held in the open-air square for Easter (Fiestas de San Isidro and Semana Santa).

Tips

On nearby Arco de Cuchilleros Street, you'll find Restaurante Botin, the world's oldest restaurant, founded in 1725. It has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The restaurants here charge "tourist-prices," but the tapas bars are more reasonable. There are many souvenir shops and a tourist information office on the ground floor under the arches.

****Food Walk***
Although most of the restaurants on the square are somewhat overpriced and brimming with tourists, the place is still marvelous to sit out in and enjoy a sip of good Spanish wine and tasty tapas (most notably the calamari sandwich – Madrid's culinary specialty – a bun filled with calamari battered in flour and egg and then fried, craving to be washed down with an ice-cold beer).

One of the many delicious “corners” surrounding the square is the Los Galayos historic restaurant. Open since 1894, serving traditional Madrid recipes, its main specialty is beef tenderloin on a hot stone block. The restaurant has a number of dining rooms, plus two outdoor terraces for those who seek a quick snack of tapas. Los Galayos has the history and well-deserved reputation, in terms of food quality, that draws both locals and tourists in their numbers.