Gran Vía

Madrid's Broadway: a boulevard of gorgeous early 20th-century buildings that runs from Plaza de Espana to Calle de Alcala. Built between 1910 and 1929, Gran Via was Madrid's answer to the Haussmann boulevards of Paris, cutting through the medieval street grid to create a wide, modern thoroughfare for cars, trams, and commerce. The architecture is the attraction: a mix of Beaux-Arts, Art Deco, and early modernist styles that makes the street feel like a built catalog of early 20th-century design.

The standout buildings include the Edificio Telefonica (1929, Spain's first skyscraper and the tallest building in Europe when it opened), the Edificio Metropolis at the corner of Calle de Alcala (with its winged Victory statue on top, beautifully illuminated at night), the former Capitol cinema (now a Primark, worth entering just for the interior), and the Edificio Grassy with its clock tower.

Today Gran Via is shopping (Zara flagship, H&M, Primark), rooftop bars (several hotels along the street have terraces with skyline views that are open to non-guests), theatres (Madrid's main musical theatre district), and a permanent crowd of shoppers and tourists. Walk it end to end at least once, preferably at dusk when the buildings are illuminated and the Edificio Metropolis dome glows against the darkening sky.

The best view of Gran Via is not from the street itself but from the Circulo de Bellas Artes rooftop (EUR5 entry) at the Alcala end, or from the rooftop of the Hotel RIU Plaza at the Plaza de Espana end.