Huertas and Barrio de las Letras, Madrid
Photo: Mike Steele / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Neighbourhood guide

Huertas and Barrio de las Letras

Cervantes, Lope and flamenco

The Barrio de las Letras, around Calle de las Huertas and Plaza de Santa Ana, is where Cervantes and Lope de Vega lived. It is also the home of several flamenco venues and some of the oldest taverns.

The Lope de Vega house on Calle de Cervantes is free but visited in guided groups that need booking, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00. The Trinitarias convent on Calle de Lope de Vega is where Cervantes was buried in 1616. The Teatro de la Zarzuela and the Congress of Deputies are both within a few streets.

Cardamomo on Calle de Echegaray runs four flamenco shows a day, and Tablao Flamenco 1911 on Plaza de Santa Ana, formerly Villa Rosa, does the same. Café Central has put on jazz since 1982 and is open every day 17:30 to 00:30.

Cervecería Alemana on Plaza de Santa Ana dates from 1904 and Casa Alberto on Calle de las Huertas from 1827. Salmon Guru and Viva Madrid are cocktail spots linked to the bartender Diego Cabrera.

Getting there

Antón Martín (L1), Sevilla (L2) and Sol (L1, L2, L3) are the Metro stops the tourism board lists for the Lope de Vega house.

19 places
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What to see

The Basílica de Jesús de Medinaceli on Plaza de Jesús opens at 06:30 on Fridays and closes at 22:00. The Mercado de Antón Martín is open Monday to Saturday 09:30 to 23:30.

Where to eat and drink

Triciclo and La Ancha are sit-down restaurants, and the Cervecería Alemana is open every day from 12:00.

Nearby neighbourhoods

Sol and Centro, Madrid Sol and Centro Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía 41 places · under 1 km away Paseo del Prado, Madrid Paseo del Prado The Paseo del Arte 15 places · under 1 km away Lavapiés, Madrid Lavapiés Markets, cinema and cultural centres 9 places · under 1 km away Chueca, Madrid Chueca Markets, cocktails and a quiet palace 11 places · under 1 km away

The best of Huertas and Barrio de las Letras

Lope de Vega House Museum
Best house museum Lope de Vega House Museum Free by guided visit, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00.
Best flamenco Cardamomo Tablao Flamenco Four shows a day.
Best old tavern Casa Alberto Founded in 1827 where Cervantes lived.

Things to do in Huertas and Barrio de las Letras

Museum · Free ICO Museum A museum next to the Paseo del Arte on Calle de Zorrilla, opened in 1996. Since 2012 the ICO Foundation has run it as an exhibition space.
The narrow street front of the Lope de Vega House Museum
Museum · Free Lope de Vega House Museum The house on Calle de Cervantes where the playwright Lope de Vega lived from 1610 until his death in 1635. The house dates from the 16th century.
The neoclassical portico of the Congress of Deputies seen across the square
Landmark · Free Congress of Deputies The seat of Spain's lower house of parliament on Plaza de las Cortes, built on the site of the old Convent of the Holy Spirit. It was used by the Congress from 1834 to 1841 and again later.
Landmark · Free Royal Academy of History The Royal Academy of History, which began in 1735 as a literary gathering of friends and received Philip V's protection. It sits on Calle del León.
The Teatro de la Zarzuela building with its posters on the street front
Landmark · €€ Teatro de la Zarzuela The only theatre devoted to Spanish lyric theatre, on Calle de Jovellanos behind the Cortes. It was declared a monument in 1994.
The arched doorway of the Basilica of Jesús de Medinaceli
Church · Free Jesús de Medinaceli Basilica One of the six basilicas in Madrid, on Plaza de Jesús in the Barrio de las Letras. It holds a 17th-century image of Christ, the Cristo de Medinaceli.
A stone plaque on the brick wall of the Trinitarias Convent
Church · Free Trinitarias Convent A convent founded in 1612 on Calle de Lope de Vega around a modest church. Miguel de Cervantes was buried here in 1616.
Market · € Mercado de Antón Martín A market on Calle de Santa Isabel that joins traditional fresh-food stalls with several restaurants, in the style of Madrid's newer gourmet markets.
Shopping · €€€ Capas Seseña A cape-maker founded in 1901 by the tailor Santos Seseña Rojas. It makes the traditional Spanish cloak by hand with traditional cutting and sewing, at its current shop on Calle de la Cruz since 1927.
Shopping · €€ Guantes Luque A glove shop on Calle de Espoz y Mina. Its roots are in a glove shop and factory at Puerta del Sol from 1886, and it registered its glove brand in 1927.
Food · €€ Casa Alberto A tavern on Calle de las Huertas founded in 1827 on the site of the building where Cervantes lived and wrote part of Don Quixote and Persiles y Sigismunda.
Food · € Cervecería Alemana A beer hall on Plaza de Santa Ana founded in 1904 by a group of German industrialists to serve beer only. Its decoration has stayed almost unchanged since then.
Food · €€€ La Ancha A restaurant on Calle de Zorrilla founded in 1919 by Santiago Redruello Larrondo, who came from Asturias. The business was first called La Estrecha because of the small premises.
Food · €€€ Triciclo A minimalist restaurant on Calle de Santa María in the Barrio de las Letras, run since 2013 by the chefs Javier Goya, Javier Mayor and David Alfonso. It works with sustainability in mind.
Nightlife · €€ Café Central A jazz club on Plaza del Ángel opened in 1982, with more than 13,500 live concerts. Since 1988 it has brought in international jazz figures.
Nightlife · €€€ Cardamomo Tablao Flamenco A flamenco venue in the Barrio de las Letras with a 30-year history, five minutes from Puerta del Sol. It has hosted both leading figures and new talents.
Nightlife · €€ Salmon Guru A cocktail bar on Calle de Echegaray run by the Argentine bartender Diego Cabrera. It appears on The World's 50 Best Bars list for 2024.
Nightlife · €€€ Tablao Flamenco 1911 A flamenco venue on Plaza de Santa Ana formerly known as Villa Rosa, which the tourism board calls the oldest flamenco tablao in the world.
Nightlife · €€ Viva Madrid A tavern in a historic 1856 premises near Plaza de Santa Ana, now backed by the bartender Diego Cabrera. It moves away from the idea of the Spanish tavern.

What's on in Huertas and Barrio de las Letras

Local events in the next 30 days, read from the ward, park and organiser pages each one links to.

    Show 10 events nearby, outside Huertas and Barrio de las Letras

    • Eñe festival screenings Performance

      9 to 25 Nov · Círculo de Bellas Artes, Barrio de las Letras

      Screening or show at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

      Map · Source: Círculo de Bellas Artes · Proyecciones Festival Eñe

    • La Zarzuela que hay en mí Performance

      On now, until 10 Nov · Círculo de Bellas Artes, Barrio de las Letras

      Screening or show at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

      Free · Map · Source: Círculo de Bellas Artes

    • Rainer Maria Rilke: transformation and permanence Activities

      10 to 19 Nov · Círculo de Bellas Artes, Barrio de las Letras

      Public talk, workshop or visit at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

      Free · Map · Source: Círculo de Bellas Artes · Rainer María Rilke: transformación y permanencia

    • Talk: Illusion and the human condition Activities

      Tue 10 Nov · Círculo de Bellas Artes, Barrio de las Letras

      Public talk, workshop or visit at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

      Free · Map · Source: Círculo de Bellas Artes · Ilusión y condición humana. Del prósopon clásico a la

    • Book presentation: El que pueda hacer que haga Activities

      Thu 12 Nov · Círculo de Bellas Artes, Barrio de las Letras

      Public talk, workshop or visit at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

      Free · Map · Source: Círculo de Bellas Artes · Presentación de ‘El que pueda hacer que haga’

    • QueerCineMad LGBTIAQ+ film festival Festival

      12 to 22 Nov · Círculo de Bellas Artes, Barrio de las Letras

      Festival programme at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

      Map · Source: Círculo de Bellas Artes · 31 QueerCineMad. Festival Internacional de Cine LGBTIAQ+ de

    • 27 hours with the Generation of 27 Activities

      13 to 15 Nov · Círculo de Bellas Artes, Barrio de las Letras

      Public talk, workshop or visit at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

      Free · Map · Source: Círculo de Bellas Artes · 27 horas con el 27

    • Talk: Europa crudelis Activities

      Tue 17 Nov · Círculo de Bellas Artes, Barrio de las Letras

      Public talk, workshop or visit at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

      Free · Map · Source: Círculo de Bellas Artes · Europa crudelis: la violencia y la crueldad en la añoranza

    • Book presentation: Fango y anhelo Activities

      Thu 19 Nov · Círculo de Bellas Artes, Barrio de las Letras

      Public talk, workshop or visit at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

      Free · Map · Source: Círculo de Bellas Artes · Presentación de ‘Fango y anhelo’

    • Frugal Coding talk Activities

      Fri 20 Nov · Círculo de Bellas Artes, Barrio de las Letras

      Public talk, workshop or visit at Círculo de Bellas Artes.

      Free · Map · Source: Círculo de Bellas Artes · Frugal Coding

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