Gran Via

Gran Via was cut through the dense old city from 1910 to 1929, demolishing several hundred buildings and fifty streets to create a boulevard that would connect the centre to the western districts and demonstrate that Madrid was a modern capital. The architecture reflects the decades it took: the Metropolis building of 1911 with its winged victory on a dome at the eastern end, the Telefonica building of 1929 which was Europe's tallest for a time, the Carrion building with the Schweppes sign that appears in every night photograph, and a run of cinema palaces from the 1920s and 1930s, most now converted to musical theatres. Rooftop bars on several buildings sell the view.

What you actually see

• The Metropolis building - a domed corner block with a winged bronze.
• The Telefonica tower - a 1929 skyscraper, briefly Europe's tallest.
• The Schweppes sign - the Carrion building's neon at Callao.
• The theatre row - former cinema palaces now staging musicals.

When to go

Year-round; evening is when the neon and the theatre traffic make the most of it. Weekends are extremely crowded along the pavements. Rooftop bars require booking in season.

Honest expectations

The pavements are packed and slow-moving, particularly between Callao and Plaza de Espana. Shops are chain retail throughout. Traffic and noise are constant despite pavement widening.

Nearby

Plaza de Espana is at the western end; Puerta del Sol and Cibeles lie either side.