Where to find the most interesting buildings and sights in Madrid, Spain? You can read all about it here (including locations!).
I visited all these sites on my five days winter trip to Madrid around New Year’s Eve 2019/2020.Â
Of course, there are many more interesting buildings, but these are the ones that surprised and impressed me the most. As I came upon numbers 7-10 unplanned, they gave me this wow-effect.
1) Conde Duque
Conde Duque surprised me a lot and ended up being one of my favorite sights in Madrid. The building has a certain grandeur when looking at it from the outside. Once you enter the courtyard you feel the serenity of the vast space around you. Especially if you stand alone in the middle of the courtyard. A very peaceful experience.
Conde Duque is a Churrigueresque building in the baroque-style. Before it was converted to a cultural center it was used by the military as barracks.
Location: Calle del Conde Duque 11, Madrid, Spain
2) Edificio Metrópolis
The Metropolis Building is an office building, that was originally designed by Jules and Raymond Février for the insurance company La Unión y el Fénix and inaugurated in 1911. It looks elegant and huge at the same time.
Location: Calle de Alcalá 42, Madrid, Spain
Also read: Madrid in December: an itinerary
3) Almudena Cathedral
The Almudena Cathedral is a very impressive building from both the inside and the outside. It is right next to the Royal Palace of Madrid.
I saw Almudena Cathedral both by day and by night and I would recommend a night visit. The illumination makes the building even more beautiful. See if you can catch the sunset too!
Location: Calle de Bailén 10, Madrid, Spain
4) Royal Palace
You first enter the courtyard from which you have a nice view of the Royal Palace and also of Almudena Cathedral (behind the gates). The palace is a very impressive building.
Once inside you walk through the hallway with the decorated ceiling. This is also one of the only areas you are allowed to take pictures of. After the first few chambers, you have to put your phone away.
Every single room is lavishly decorated. Beautiful to see but I would dislike living there. I can imagine it succeeded at impressing visiting dignities.
Tip: buy a ticket in advance to decrease your waiting time!
Location: C79P+57 Madrid, Spain
5) Temple of Debod
The Temple of Debod is an ancient Egyptian temple dedicated to Isis of Philae. It was originally located near Aswan in Egypt and was dismantled and rebuilt in Madrid to save the cultural heritage after the construction of the Aswan High Dam.
You can find the temple on a hill west of the Gran VÃa. If you visit during the day, you can enter the temple and look inside. However, the temple is most beautiful at night.
Location: Calle de Ferraz 1, Madrid, Spain
6) CaixaForum Madrid
A very well designed and eye-catching building both on the inside and the outside.
CaixaForum is a museum that is probably best known for its vertical garden, which is well deserved. The green wall next to the other brown walls of the building is a sight to behold. You can walk under the building and feel like you’re entering a crypt (an open-air one).
The stairs leading to the exhibitions inside have an industrial feel to it and the way the light plays with the silvery stairs causes interesting reflections.
Location: Paseo del Prado 36, Madrid, Spain
Also read: The Best Museums in Madrid
7) SGAE Sociedad General de Autores y Editores
The headquarters of the SGAE (a society for songwriters, composers and music publishers) is located in the Palace of Longoria in Madrid. This Art Noveau palace, built by the Catalán architect José Grases Riera in 1902, is a very good example of modernist architecture.
I found the ornaments on this building rather intriguing.
Location: Calle de Fernando VI, nº 4, Madrid, Spain
8) Ministerio de Agricultura
I took this picture standing on the path between Ministerio de Agricultura and Real JardÃn Botánico that leads to Retiro Park. The red color is very powerful, especially because the building is situated between a park and many cream-colored buildings. Do also watch this building from the front, coming from Plaza del Emperador Carlos V.
Location: Paseo de la Infanta Isabel 1, Madrid, Spain
9) Religiosas Salesas Primer Monasterio De La Visitacion
I really like the contrast between the yellow and white building colors and how well the parish blends in with the rest of the structure.
The Order of the Visitation of Santa MarÃa founded its first monastery in Spain on February 18, 1749. The king ordered the construction of a monastery and church of great splendor and beauty, and their nuns were called “Salesas Reales”. The Salesas remained in this monastery until their expulsion in 1870, the building becoming the Supreme Court and the church a parish.
Location: Calle de Sta Engracia 20, Madrid, Spain
10) Patronato de Enfermos
Patronato de Enfermos was built between 1921 and 1924 by the architect Luis Ferrero Llusiá. It was a commission he received from the Board of the Sick, an association that had been founded in 1907 to help poor patients. The building is a mix of brick with stone masonry and Talavera tiles.Â
Location: Calle de Nicasio Gallego, 11, Madrid, Spain
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