The Gran Via with its illuminated lights that seem to whiz by in the night is one of Madrid ‘s iconic images. The city’s main urban artery, it is a busy street that sees a constant bustle of cars on the roadway and people on its wide pavements.
A stroll along the Gran Via will put you in direct contact with the metropolitan soul of Madrid, but among the crowds of passers-by and the lights of the shops are hidden unexpected and fascinating traces of history.
The very way the street was built in the early 20th century is an interesting story: as many as 300 houses were demolished and 50 streets altered to make room for an avenue whose monumental design betrayed the Spanish ruling class’s desire to modernise the city’s appearance to keep up with other European capitals.
It can certainly be said that they succeeded: what was once the old city centre became a modern thoroughfare, soon joined by other signs of modernity: skyscrapers, a radio station, the first department stores.
The Gran Via is the perfect place for a carefree couple of hours, surrounded by historic buildings, shops, theatres and cinemas.
The Gran Via is one of the main streets in the centre of Madrid. With a total length of 1.3 km, it is divided into three sections:
You can reach it quickly by metro, lines L1, L3 and L5.
The Gran Via is essentially a shopping street so don’t expect to find museums or monuments to visit – there are plenty of them nearby. The Gran Via is an open-air attraction!
The Gran Via is best visited on foot, walking around without any real agenda but taking a look at the beautiful buildings that line it. In particular, pay attention to what we think are the most beautiful buildings on Madrid’s Gran Via:
Among the historical cinemas of Madrid’s Gran Via, the Capitol deserves a mention: still functioning today, it has three theatres that can accommodate a total of 1,300 spectators. It is housed inside the Carrión Palace, an imposing expressionist-style building.
The Avenida cinema, on the other hand, is no longer in operation and has become the site of an H&M chain shop. Upon entering the shop, you can easily recognise the old lobby, the side staircases and the original distribution of the stalls.
The cinemas that are still open have been renovated and offer all the comforts of modern movie theatres; some even offer original language screenings.
Another reason to walk the Gran Via, perhaps the main reason why people come here, is to go shopping. Apart from outlets of famous international chains, mostly for clothing and technology, a few historical shops survive along the Gran Via.
One of these is the head office of Loewe, a company that has been international since its inception: founded by the German Enrique Loewe in Spain using French capital, it specialised from the outset in the production and sale of leather goods, luggage and luxury bindings and in 1905 became a supplier to the royal house.
Even today, the shop at Gran Via 8 is the company’s main showcase; if you are interested in the history of this historic brand, you can visit the Loewe Gallery.
Also worth a visit is the Casa del Libro, a monumental four-storey bookshop that has become a reference point for literature lovers in Spain.
If you get hungry during an intense shopping session, don’t worry: whether you need a quick snack or a hearty meal, you’ll find plenty of bars, restaurants and cafés along the Gran Via to suit your needs.
If the first two sections of Madrid’s Gran Via come alive during the day with people shopping or stopping at bars, the third section, from Plaza de Callao to Plaza de España, comes to life when the sun goes down.
This is the leisure area par excellence, with entertainment for all ages. There is no shortage of trendy bars and discos, but the street is most famous for its theatres and cinemas, most of which were built in the 1950s at the height of the Gran Via’s commercial success.
Due to the quantity of musical theatres concentrated in a small area, this section of the Gran Via is also known as the Broadway of Madrid.
If you are coming from outside the centre of Madrid, the best way to get to the Gran Via is to use the metro. From west to east, the street originates at Plaza de Espana, where you will find the stop of the same name on lines 3 and 10. If you use line 3 you can also get off at the Santo Domingo and Callao stops. It is at Plaza de Callao that the Gran Via changes direction, making a slight bend to the left, and after a few hundred metres you will come to the Gran Via metro stop, on lines 1 and 5. Finally, the Gran Via ends at the intersection with Calle de Alcalà, where the famous Metropolis building is located. A few metres from here is the Banco de Espana stop, on line 2.
If, however, you are already in the city centre and want to get to the Gran Via, go ahead and walk along it, but chances are you will cross it even without knowing it!
The Gran Via is very long and practically from top to bottom you will find one hotel after another. Hotels of all sizes, categories and prices, just think that no less than 4 five-star hotels and 15 four-star hotels overlook it! Finding a place to sleep near the Gran Via is certainly not difficult: the important thing is to understand that the budget must often be adequate, given the centrality and importance of the area. To save a little money, move to the side streets, preferring establishments such as flats or guest houses.
Madrid's Gran Via is one of the main streets in the city centre. From west to east it starts at the plaza de Espana, continues through plaza del Callao and ends at the confluence with Calle de Alcalà. Its central location means that it is very well served by the metro.
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