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Plaza Mayor: the square at the heart of Habsburg Madrid

The Plaza Mayor is a closed room open to the sky: nine arches lead into it, and inside there is nothing but paving, balconies and the bronze king on his horse. Around it lies the oldest part of Madrid, the town of the Habsburgs.

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Admission
Free
Open
At all hours
Closed
Never
Allow
1 to 2½ hours with the streets around

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    What to see at the Plaza Mayor

    1. The Casa de la Panadería

      The bakers' guild house on the north side, with its two spired towers and a front painted with figures from the city's history. The paintings were made in 1992.

    2. Philip III on horseback

      The bronze statue in the middle of the square was begun by Giambologna and finished by Pietro Tacca in Florence in 1616. It was moved here in 1848.

    3. The Arco de Cuchilleros

      The steepest way out of the square, a tall arch and a flight of steps at the south-west corner, down to the street of the knife-makers and the restaurant Botín.

    4. The Mercado de San Miguel

      An iron and glass market hall of 1916 a few steps west of the square, now given over to stalls of tapas, oysters, ham and wine.

    5. The Plaza de la Villa

      A small square on the Calle Mayor where the old town hall of the seventeenth century, the Casa de Cisneros and the Torre de los Lujanes, one of the oldest houses in Madrid, stand round a statue of Admiral Álvaro de Bazán.

    Tickets and tours for the Plaza Mayor

    • Sold by GetYourGuide

      Madrid: Welcome to Madrid Guided Walking Tour

      A walk through the old town with a guide, from the Plaza Mayor to the Royal Palace, telling how a hilltop village became the capital.

      Included

      • A guided walk through the old town
      • From the Plaza Mayor to the Royal Palace

      From

      €27

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    Visiting the Plaza Mayor: hours and admission

    Opening hours

    Every day
    Open at all hours
    • The square is a public space. The shops and cafés under its arcades keep their own hours.
    • In December the square holds the Christmas market.

    Who gets in free

    • Everyone. There is no charge to enter the square or walk the streets around it.

    Getting there

    Metro
    Sol (lines 1, 2 and 3), five minutes on foot. Ópera (lines 2 and 5) is about the same distance to the west.
    On foot
    Five minutes from the Puerta del Sol along the Calle Mayor, and ten from the Royal Palace.
    By car
    The centre of Madrid is a low-emission zone, and parking in it is scarce and paid. Leave the car outside.

    Address

    Plaza Mayor
    Plaza Mayor
    28012 Madrid, Spain

    Entrances

    Nine arched gateways lead into the square. From the Puerta del Sol the easiest is by the Calle de la Sal or the Calle de Gerona. The Arco de Cuchilleros, at the south-west corner, comes up a flight of steps from the Cava de San Miguel and the Calle de Cuchilleros.

    On the map

    Before you go

    • Come early, before the café terraces fill the square, or after dark, when it is lit and quieter.
    • A coffee or a drink at a table under the arcades costs more than the same in the streets around.
    • In December the square fills with the stalls of the Christmas market.
    • Walk on to the Royal Palace by the Calle Mayor, about ten minutes, or down the Cava de San Miguel to the bars of La Latina.

    The town's stage, closed in on four sides

    There was a market here, outside the old walls, long before Philip II made Madrid his capital in 1561. Juan de Herrera drew a plan for a square, but the work began only under Philip III, and Juan Gómez de Mora finished it in 1619.

    It was built for spectacle. Bullfights, the canonisation of saints, royal proclamations and the trials of the Inquisition were all held in it, watched from the balconies, 237 of them, that run round all four sides. Three great fires followed, and after the last, in 1790, Juan de Villanueva rebuilt it closed in on every side, as it is now.

    The streets that fall away to the south and west, down to the Royal Palace and the Cava Baja, keep the crooked plan of the medieval town. Madrileños call this quarter the Madrid de los Austrias, the Habsburgs' Madrid.

    Plaza Mayor: common questions

    What are the opening hours of the Plaza Mayor?
    Every day: Open at all hours. The square is a public space. The shops and cafés under its arcades keep their own hours. In December the square holds the Christmas market.
    What does the tour include?
    A guided walk through the old town. From the Plaza Mayor to the Royal Palace. It is sold by GetYourGuide.
    When was the Plaza Mayor built?
    It was finished in 1619 under Philip III, by the architect Juan Gómez de Mora. After a fire in 1790 Juan de Villanueva rebuilt it and closed its corners, which gave it the shape it has now.
    What happened in the Plaza Mayor?
    It was Madrid's stage: markets, bullfights, royal ceremonies, canonisations and the autos-da-fé of the Inquisition, among them a great one in 1680. Today it is a place to sit, and in December it holds the Christmas market.
    Is the Plaza Mayor worth visiting?
    Yes, and it costs nothing. Give it a quarter of an hour, then walk through the streets around it, the oldest in Madrid, to the Royal Palace or down to La Latina.

    What visitors say about the Plaza Mayor

    Rating from Google

    4.6

    205,184 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 17 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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