The Top 6 Things To See In Puerta Del Sol, Madrid, Spain!

A stone slab on the pavement in front of the main entrance to the Casa de Correos marks Spain’s Kilometre 0, the starting point for all major radial roads in Spain. Across the square, at the beginning of Calle Alcalá, Madrid’s longest street, you’ll find the famous Oso y Madroño. The official symbol of the city, the statue of a bear nuzzling a strawberry tree is a popular meeting spot for Madrileños. Plaza Puerta del Sol is one of the most famous central squares and streets, located in Madrid, the capital city of Spain. It is usually very crowded and considered to be the busiest place of the city.



Like many medieval towns in the 15th century, Madrid was surrounded by a protective wall and Puerta del Sol was once the entrance to Madrid. Through the gate passed traders and visitors from all over the known world. It gradually grew to an important meeting place for important merchants and politicians. The gatehouse is long gone and the area was turned into a square in the late 19th century. A more recent addition to Puerta del Sol is the very modern SOL metro station in front of the statue of Carlos III.

In Madrid’s medieval days, the Puerta del Sol was the site of the walled city’s eastern gate. Each morning, the sunrise crowned the gate until it became known as the Puerta del Sol, one of Spain’s most recognisable meeting points. As the absolute centre of the city, nearly every form of transport touches Puerta del Sol. Both the Madrid Metro and Intercity trains serve the city with platforms that are always bustling with energy. The historic centre of Madrid may lie at Plaza Mayor, but the Spanish capital’s geographic centre is at another well-known square, the Puerta del Sol.

Considered the Times Square and Picadilly Circus of Madrid, there is never a dull moment to be had. Outside the Casa de Correos is a stone slab on the pavement marking Kilometre Zero - the official starting point for Spain's 6 National Roads. The photo below shows the original stone in its deteriorated state, but in September 2009 it was replaced with a shiny bright new one.

The end result was that the Church took control of the pastures, while the forest and hunting grounds were to be owned by the council. Set in the heart of the city, AbraCadabra Suites offers easy access to Madrid's main shopping and sightseeing areas. It is situated a short walk from the Gate of Toledo, Almudena Cathedral and Royal Palace of Madrid. The large equestrian statue of King Carlos III is located in the middle of Puerta del Sol and was installed in the square in 1997.

Also on the east side lies the statue of The Bear and the Strawberry Tree (in Spanish, el Oso y el Madroño), the heraldic symbol of Madrid. Until 2009, the statue stood on the north side at the entrance to Calle del Carmen. The Mariblanca is a copy of a statue , which marks the place of a former fountain displaying that figure. Puerta del Sol is home to many famous statues, the most important of which is El Oso y El Madrono, or the “Bear and the Strawberry Tree.” This statue is located at the east end of the square below the famous Tio Pepe advert. For many years now the Bear and the Strawberry Tree has been the unofficial symbol of Madrid.

Puerta del Sol (meaning The Sun's Gate in English) is one of the most renowned central squares in Madrid, a meeting point both for tourists and Madrileños, and home to several of the city’s landmarks, such as the Kilometre zero. Under the square lies a public tiktokcompilations transport hub served by lines 1, 2 and 3 of the Madrid Metro. A commuter service was inaugurated on 27 June 2009, four years behind schedule. The lateness of the construction was in part due to the discovery of the remains of the Church of Our Lady of Good Success during the excavation of the main chamber.

If you want to stay right in the square itself, check out Apartamentos en Sol, some self-catering apartments whose address is Puerta del Sol 3. The square is actually almost semi-circular in shape and owes its current form to the major renovation work carried out between 1854 and 1860. In 1939, in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, military dictator Francisco Franco added a sixth major radial road connecting Madrid and his homeland Galicia. The House of the Post Office was built by French architect Jacques Marquet between 1766 and 1768. The building was the headquarters of the Ministry of Interior and State Security in Francoist Spain.