Once the beating heart of the city’s cultural life, Plaza Mayor has played host to bullfights, markets, symphonies, tournaments, and even executions. Originally built outside the city walls, the square is now ringed with trendy shops, restaurants, and alfresco cafes, ideal for soaking up the atmosphere and watching the buzzing street life. The enormous square, which at its center features an iconic equestrian statue of King Phillip III, is easily accessible by one of many walkways connected to the surrounding pedestrian streets. At its northern end, the square is enclosed by a two-towered municipal building, housing an informative visitor center where you can pick up maps of the city and arrange for sightseeing tours in and around the historic district. Plan to visit Plaza Mayor and other customer-reviewed, writer-recommended Madrid attractions using our Madrid trip itinerary builder.
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Reviews
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Wen466
Plaza Mayor is a mixture of history, entertainment, shopping, food and drink choices. It's great for people watching and chilling. more »
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adrian b
in the centre of Spain a stunning square that is always busy with lots close by - the San Miguel market is 1 minute away ( a must see ) and loads of other bars and restaurants great place for photos more »
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Mark D
This plaza used to be the center of Habsburg Madrid and build in XVII century. Usually very busy on Saturday and Sunday. more »
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Steve Neuhof
This is by far the most iconic Plaza I've ever seen. We stayed on the top floor in the square. You can sit out for hours just people watching. I highly recommend coming.
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Mark van Raaij
Impressive central square of Madrid, where it is nice to sit down and have a relaxed drink, snack or even a email. Not the most economical, but drinks and food are still at reasonable prices. Quality depends from place to place, but if you want excellent food, perhaps it's better to go elsewhere.
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Adrian Suciu
Nice, clean and historic place! The atmosphere here is a very relaxing one. You can take a walk inside and also eat or drink at the restaurants/bars that are surrounding the place.
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June Shin
Has lots of restaurants. Perfect atmosphere and food. Easy to access and servers can speak English. I recommend getting paella or steak here.
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Francesco D`angiolillo
Nice square with lots of restaurants and bars all around it. Good spot to find someone playing some music
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