Explorer Madrid

Puerta del Sol is a public square in the centre of Madrid and the point from which distances on Spain's radial roads are measured, marked by the Kilómetro Cero plaque. On its south side stands the Real Casa de Correos of 1766–1768, whose clock strikes the twelve chimes of New Year's Eve, and the square holds the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree.

Plaza Mayor is a rectangular square in old Madrid, first built between 1580 and 1619 and enclosed by uniform arcaded buildings with 237 balconies. Its present look dates from Juan de Villanueva's rebuilding after a fire in 1790; the painted façade of the Casa de la Panadería faces the bronze equestrian statue of Philip III, made in 1616, at the centre.

Plaza de Cibeles is a square in central Madrid where Calle de Alcalá crosses the Paseo del Prado and Paseo de Recoletos. At its centre stands the Cibeles Fountain of 1782, designed by Ventura Rodríguez, with the goddess Cybele on a chariot drawn by two lions. The square is framed by the Palacio de Cibeles, Madrid's city hall, and the Bank of Spain.

Sweet Space Museum is an interactive art space inside the ABC Serrano shopping centre on Calle de Serrano. Its themed rooms, designed by artists such as Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and Alexandra Uzcátegui, include sensory installations and ball pits, and the Astrohub area holds creative workshops. A visit takes about an hour.

Las Ventas is Madrid's bullring, designed by José Espeliú in Neo-Mudéjar style with brick and ceramic tiles, finished in 1929 and inaugurated in 1931. It seats about 23,800 spectators. The visitor tour leads through the ring, the stands, the chapel and the bullfighting museum, while bullfights take place between March and October.

Parque de Atracciones de Madrid is a 20-hectare amusement park in the Casa de Campo, opened in 1969 and run by Parques Reunidos under a city concession. Its four zones hold roller coasters such as Abismo and Tarántula, the 63-metre Lanzadera drop tower, water rides and Nickelodeon Land, an area for young children opened in 2014.

The Santiago Bernabéu is Real Madrid's home ground in the Chamartín district, in use since 1947 and named after the club's long-serving president. A rebuild completed in late 2024 wrapped it in a steel skin and added a retractable roof, raising capacity to about 83,000. The Tour Bernabéu, opened in 1999, includes the club museum.

Zoo Aquarium de Madrid is a 20-hectare zoo in the Casa de Campo, opened in 1972; it is owned by the city and run by Parques Reunidos. Its animals are grouped by continent and include giant pandas, koalas, gorillas and orangutans, and the grounds also hold a saltwater aquarium. A road train runs through the park.

Faunia is a zoo and nature park on Avenida de las Comunidades in eastern Madrid, opened in 2001 and run by Parques Reunidos. Its 16 hectares hold more than 1,200 animals of about 170 species in themed ecosystems, among them a tropical jungle house with manatees, a polar building with over 100 penguins, a Madagascar forest and a nocturnal house.

The Metropolitano is the home ground of Atlético Madrid in the San Blas-Canillejas district. It began as the La Peineta athletics stadium, opened in 1994, and was rebuilt by the club and reopened in 2017 with a roof over all the stands and about 70,000 seats. Stadium tours include the club museum.