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ORIENTATION |
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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 .
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