The Puerta del Sol, very close to Hostel Sol Square, is almost certainly the most famous square in Spain. It contains the emblem of Madrid, the popular sculpture of the Bear and the Tree, as well as being the point from which all the radial roads in Spain start, the so-called Kilometer Zero. It is also the place where the twelve bells of New Year’s Eve are struck from the famous clock in the tower of the Post Office Building, the current seat of the regional government of Madrid. You can find much more information here.

The majority of the impressive art collection that makes up the National Thyssen-Bonermisza Museum, located, like the Prado Museum, on the Paseo del Prado, comes from the most important private art collection in Europe gathered over almost a century by the Thyssen-Bornemisza family. The collection, installed in Madrid since 1992, when it was acquired by the Spanish state, ranges from 14th century Gothic to the pop art of the last decades of the 20th century. Here you can visit the museum’s website.

The Gran Vía is one of the main streets of the city of Madrid, which runs between Calle de Alcalá and Plaza de España. Its predominantly commercial character gives it a happy and cosmopolitan atmosphere. To walk through it is to discover the diversity and uniqueness of a city as alive and vibrant as Madrid. The Gran Vía is an impressive succession of iconic buildings in Spain’s capital, such as the Metropolis, the Telefónica building, the Casino, the Callao cinema or the very cinematographic Carrión building (also known as the Capitol) with its famous Schweppes light. You can consult the history and anecdotes of the Gran Vía de Madrid here.

An imposing building of neoclassical style of the 18th century, former General Hospital of Madrid, located in the area of Atocha, near the Hostal Sol Square, houses the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, an institution dedicated to 20th century and contemporary art. On one of its walls hangs Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, one of the all-time greats of art. The Reina Sofía is the southern point of the so-called Art Triangle of Madrid, which includes two other famous museums: the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. You can consult all the information about the museum’s collections, temporary exhibitions and activities on its website.