Page 442 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

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Plaza Mayor
So many Madrid stories begin in
Madrid’s grand central square. Since
it was laid out in 1619, the Plaza Mayor
STRETCH has seen everything from bullfights to
the trials of the Spanish Inquisition.
YOUR LEGS These days the grandeur of the plaza
owes much to the warm colours of the
uniformly ochre apartments, with 237
MADRID wrought-iron balconies offset by the ex-
quisite frescoes of the 17th-century Real
Casa de la Panadería (Royal Bakery).
The Walk » Walk down Calle de Postas off the
plaza’s northeastern corner, cross the endlessly
busy Plaza de la Puerta del Sol, then continue east
along Carrera de San Jerónimo. At elegant Plaza
Start/Finish: Plaza Mayor de Canalejas, turn right.
Distance: 3.8km Plaza de Santa Ana
There are few more iconic Madrid
Duration: Two to three hours squares than Plaza de Santa Ana, a
local favourite since Joseph Bonaparte
carved it out of this crowded inner-city
neighbourhood in 1810. Surrounded by
Madrid’s compact and historic classic Madrid architecture of pastel
centre is ideal for exploring on shades and wrought-iron balconies, the
plaza presides over the Barrio de las Le-
foot. So much of Madrid life occurs tras and the outdoor tables are among
on the streets and in its glorious the most sought-after in the city.
plazas, and it all takes place The Walk » Walking west, cross Plaza del Ángel,
walk along Calle de la Bolsa, cross Calle de Toledo
against a spectacular backdrop of and make for Calle de la Cava Baja, a glorious,
medieval street lined with tapas bars. Keep Iglesia
architecture, stately and grand. de San Andrés on your right, and stroll down the
hill to Plaza de la Paja.
Plaza de la Paja
Delightful Plaza de la Paja (Straw Sq)
slopes down into the tangle of lanes that
once made up Madrid’s Muslim quarter.
In the 12th and 13th centuries the city’s
main market occupied the square and
it retains a palpable medieval air, and
at times can feel like a Castilian village
square. Delic (%91 364 54 50; www.delic.es;
Costanilla de San Andrés 14; h11am-2am Sun &
Tue-Thu, 11am-2.30am Fri & Sat; mLa Latina),
Take this walk on Trip with tables on the square, is brilliant for
a mojito, while the Jardín del Príncipe
u Anglona (Plaza de la Paja; h10am-10pm
Apr-Oct, 10am-6.30pm Nov-Mar; mLa Latina),

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