Madrid’s 5 icons

Madrid is a city of museums, legendary streets, parks and world-famous sculptures. You have probably seen some of these points of reference in the Spanish capital on a postcard or a photo and said “That’s in Madrid!”. For this reason, we are going on a quick tour of the city, visiting the 5 most relevant icons of the city. Are you coming along?

Kilometre Zero
If you visit the famous Puerta del Sol and its spectacular Casa de Correos and don’t take a photo of the famous Kilometre Zero plaque at the foot of the building, you might as well not have been there. All arterial roads in Spain start at this very point, based on the old Itinerario de Postas, which was created in 1720. It is, at the very least, a curious starting point to discover Madrid, starting from zero.

The Tío Pepe neon sign
Without leaving Puerta del Sol we come across another traditional emblem, undoubtedly one of the most popular amongst locals since 1958. Yes, we are talking about the Tío Pepe advertising sign located at the rooftop of number 11 of the aforementioned square. Funnily enough, this giant neon sign does not promote a local product but rather, cheekily, recommends that we sample a delicious wine from Jerez owned by the González Byass wine-exporting company. Declared a Historical Site, a photo of it is a must for all visitors.

The Kio Towers
Although the official name of this leaning towers is Puerta Europa, everyone knows them by the name of the construction company who built them. They may not be the tallest or the most spectacular members of Madrid’s skyline but they are the most popular ones since they were the first towers in the world built with an inclination of 15 degrees. Tower of Pisa, look away now!

Casa de Campo Cable Car
Some say the expression “From Madrid to the sky”. If you would like to see it, why not go on the teleférico? This cable car rises more than 130 feet from the ground, starting at Paseo de Rosales for a journey of more than 1.5 miles to Casa de Campo (or vice versa), giving visitors a privileged perspective of the Royal Palace, Almudena Cathedral and the chapel of San Antonio de la Florida.

Fried-squid sandwich
You can take a photo of it and upload it to your social media accounts but the ideal thing to do is to wolf down a delicious fried-squid sandwich yourself. The most traditional spot to do so is Plaza Mayor and of all the places who make it, we recommend La Campana, a bar located on Calle Botoneras, 6. They specialise on this local delicatessen and serve it freshly made, with the squid extra crunchy. Enjoy!

Categories: Cultura Madrid