The city's layout is pretty
straightforward. At the heart of
Madrid - indeed at the very heart
of Spain since all distances in
the country are measured from here
- is the
Puerta del Sol
(often referred to as just
"Sol"). Around it lie
the oldest parts of Madrid, neatly
bordered to the west by the
Río
Manzanares , to the east by
the park of
El Retiro , and
to the north by the city's great
thoroughfare, the
Gran Vía.
Within this very compact area,
you're likely to spend most of
your time. The city's three big
museums - the Prado,
Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina
Sofía - lie in a "golden
triangle" just west of El
Retiro and centred around Paseo
del Prado, while over towards the
river are the oldest, Habsburg
parts of town, centred around the
beautiful arcaded Plaza Mayor
. After Gran Vía, the most
important streets ( calles
- abbreviated as c/) are c/Alcalá
and its continuation, c/Mayor
, which cut right through the
centre from the main post office
at Plaza de Cibeles to the
Bourbon Palacio Real .
