We'll be in Madrid for one night and I'm wondering which Plaza we should visit. On our last trip to Italy, we stayed in Pistoia only because we were flying back home from Florence. That evening in Pistoia's (main) Piaza was probably the nicest experience we had in Europe. The fact that Pistoia doesn't get that many tourists really made it special, I think the majority of the people there were families that lived in local apartments.
Would like to hear about favorite Plazas in Madrid. Thanks.
Plaza del Sol and Plaza Mayor are both filled with people. Plaza Mayor has a lot of restaurants around the square with outside dining and no cars. Plaza del Sol has some traffic and not as inviting IMO. I personally prefer Plaza Mayor in the evening. I am sure other posters may have a tab on different ones around the city. Enjoy.
I agree, PUERTA del Sol or the Plaza Mayor. They are within a five minutes walk of each other. As already stated, the Plaza Mayor has a lot of restaurants if you want to sit and people watch. There are also some street performers. On my last couple stops there, 2014 and 2017, some vagrants began selecting their sleeping locations around 9pm. They don’t bother anybody, but wreck the atmosphere somewhat. The Puerta del Sol is more likely to have bands and street actors/performers. It is also the place where people like to protest for whatever reason. It’s a good place to people watch, but watch your belongings if it’s crowded.
We loved staying at Puerta Del Sol and enjoyed standing on our balcony to observe the music, dancing and overall great vibe. Our favorite place to stroll in the evening was the lovely Plaza Major. If you are interested in a free 2.5 hour walking tour we recommend OgoTours. It was a great way to learn the city's culture and explore the city's main attractions.
Although we felt very safe in Madrid, we made sure we secured our valuables in a hidden money belt or neck wallet.
Our favorite dinner was at La Sanabresa. It was about a 15 min. walk from either Puerta Del Sol or Plaza Major. We ate their twice. It featured a traditional Spanish menu. We enjoyed the reasonable pricing for an ample 3 course meal that included a bottle of wine & dessert for less that €30. A lot of locals & tourists patronize this restaurant. We arrived when they opened to avoid waiting or not getting a table.
My thought after a couple trips and about a week each in Madrid:
Puerto del Sol and Plaza Mayor: a mass of locals and tourists, worth a visit, but not a pleasant evening stroll.
Slightly better would be a stop at the Mercado de San Miguel, near Plaza Mayor; a really vibrant, but crowded market with a happy hour vibe.
For what you might be looking for, you need to go further afield. I would suggest Plaza de Chueca (with a handy Metro stop) Lots of locals, a number of small restaurants, plus the big plus of the Mercado de San Anton nearby, a more local version of the Mercado de San Miguel.
Even heading to the Plaza de Santa Ana just south and east of Puerto del Sol would lose much of the tourist crowd, bigger than Chueca, and slicker.
If you really wanted to head off track there are other areas, but much more sedate.
They are not very far apart, you could easily have dinner in Plaza Mayor and stroll to Puerta del Sol. There are lots of smaller plazas nearby with many options.
I liked the Plaza de Santa Ana. Less touristy than Sol or Plaza Mayor, less vast, still hopping on a weeknight, lots of outside dining and great people-watching.
Paul beat me too it, but I would also recommend plaza Santa Ana. Stroll through the other plazas and dine in Santa Ana.
Wow, such great info. Thank you.
Plaza de Santa Ana is my favorite spot in Madrid for sunset drinks. It's absolutely beautiful and less crushed by tourists than the other two more famous squares.
We arrived in Madrid yesterday (10.21) and will depart 10 .24. As others have noted Plaza Mayor and Sol are both great. Plaza Major is, in our opinion, a better choice to sit and have a meal or beverage, Sol is super crowded (on both a Sunday and Monday night). If you go to Sol visit the La Mallorquina for a tasty sweet; there’s seating on the second floor just walk up and find (or wait for) a table. It is at the west end of the plaza.
If this is your only chance to see Madrid then the advice above is fine,
but if you're serious about finding a real space that local people use,
then I would point you to Plaza de la Paja and walking along the Calle Cava Baja
for the hot spots.
If you're up for something even more real, then the area around the Lavapies metro station is terrific.
Another vote for Plaza de Santa Ana. Good dining options here too. Hardly undiscovered (it is very centrally located after all), but less of a crush than you'll find at most times at nearby Plaza Mayor or Puerta del Sol.
