A visit to the Royal Palace was in our plans for today. Our tickets were for 1:15PM so we had the morning open for a leisurely stroll. We decided to head over to the Plaza de España, which is near our hotel and not far from the palace. The morning was cool, bright and very sunny. It was a glorious day to be in Madrid.
Center of Plaza de Espana
As we walked, I snapped a number of photos. There is a lot to see and enjoy in this part of the city.
Standing in Plaza de España, I had the feeling that Madrid had placed several chapters of its architectural history in one frame. On one side were older, lower buildings with slate roofs, dormers, brick, stone, balconies, and domed corners that seemed to borrow something from Paris. Nearby, Casa Gallardo added a more playful note, with its Art Nouveau curves and ornamental façade. Then, rising above everything, were the great mid-century towers — Edificio España and the Torre de Madrid — broad, vertical, and unmistakably urban.
The result was not a perfectly matched square, but something more interesting: a plaza where Madrid’s old elegance and high-rise city life all face one another across the same open space. Enjoy a stroll around Plaza de Espana.
Torre de Madrid on the left and Edificio Espana on the right.
Torre de Madrid was built in the 1950s and was once the tallest concrete building in Europe. The Edificio España, also from the mid-20th century, now houses the RIU hotel and is famous for its rooftop terrace and panoramic view of the city.
Casa Gallardo
Casa Gallardo is one of the architectural jewels of the plaza. Its curves, balconies, ornamentation, and roofline give it a very different feeling from the towers behind it. It is elegant, decorative, and a little theatrical — a building that rewards a closer look.
Real Compania Asturiana de Minas building on the right
The Real Compañía Asturiana de Minas building adds another note to the plaza. With its slate roof, dormers, brickwork, and corner details, it has the feel of a late-19th-century European building, more formal and refined than the modern towers nearby.
Some other photos of the area around the Plaza de Espana.
We weren’t the only strollers that morning. The plaza was full of people doing exactly what we were doing — walking slowly, taking pictures, sitting in the sun, and enjoying the open space.
Monument to Miguel de Cervantes in Plaza de España
At the center of the plaza is the monument to Miguel de Cervantes, Spain’s great literary figure and the author of Don Quixote. It is one of the focal points of the square and a natural gathering place for visitors.
Bronze statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
The bronze figures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza sit below Cervantes, as if they have ridden out of the pages of the novel and into the middle of Madrid. Don Quixote is upright and idealistic; Sancho Panza is solid, practical, and earthbound. Together, they give the monument its charm.
Allegorical figure and fountain at the base of the monument to Cervantes
The monument also includes allegorical figures and a fountain, adding to the formal, ceremonial feeling of the plaza. It is part monument, part meeting place, and part stage set for the life of the city around it.
Then we left Plaza de España and walked in the direction of the Royal Palace, our next stop.
Royal Palace in the distance