Salamanca, Madrid
Photo: FEDERICO JORDÁ / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Neighbourhood guide

Salamanca

Serrano, Recoletos and the Golden Mile

Salamanca is the grid of wide streets east of Paseo de Recoletos, around Calle de Serrano. It has several free or cheap museums, a market hall and some long-standing food shops.

The National Archaeological Museum on Calle de Serrano costs 3 euros and is free on Saturdays from 14:00 and Sunday mornings. The Juan March Foundation on Calle de Castelló has free exhibitions, and the National Library has free exhibitions too. Fundación MAPFRE's Recoletos hall is free on Tuesdays that are not holidays.

The Las Ventas bullring and its museum are on Calle de Alcalá, and the museum is free with capacity control. The Mercado de la Paz on Calle de Ayala opened in 1882 and was built with iron.

The Gran Café de Gijón opened in 1888 on Paseo de Recoletos. Mantequerías Bravo has sold wine and gourmet food on Calle de Ayala since 1931, and La Mantequería Alemana on Calle de Padilla sells German food.

Getting there

Colón (L4) and Serrano (L4) are the Metro stops the tourism board lists for the National Archaeological Museum.

18 places
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What to see

The Lázaro Galdiano Museum on Calle de Serrano is closed on Mondays. The Open-Air Sculpture Museum under the bridge on Paseo de la Castellana is open 24 hours.

Where to eat and drink

StreetXO is on the third floor of El Corte Inglés on Calle de Serrano and does not take bookings. Hola Coffee on Calle de Lagasca serves specialty coffee.

Nearby neighbourhoods

Chueca, Madrid Chueca Markets, cocktails and a quiet palace 11 places · 1.4 km away Retiro, Madrid Retiro The park and its palaces 10 places · 1.6 km away Paseo del Prado, Madrid Paseo del Prado The Paseo del Arte 15 places · 1.7 km away Malasaña, Madrid Malasaña Movida bars and old churrerías 15 places · 1.9 km away

The best of Salamanca

Best free stop Juan March Foundation Free exhibitions, open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 20:00.
Best cafe Gran Café de Gijón Open since 1888 on Paseo de Recoletos.
Best gourmet shop Mantequerías Bravo Open since 1931.

Things to do in Salamanca

The brick Moorish Revival arcades of Las Ventas, the bullring that houses the Bullfighting Museum
Museum · Free Bullfighting Museum A museum in the Patio de Caballos of the Las Ventas bullring, opened in 1951. It has three rooms, one on the bullring itself and others on bulls, bullfighters and costumes.
Museum · € Fundación MAPFRE Recoletos Hall An exhibition hall of Fundación MAPFRE on Paseo de Recoletos, opened in 2008, for art from the late 19th century to after the Second World War. It occupies a building put up between 1881 and 1884.
Museum · Free Juan March Foundation A cultural centre on Calle de Castelló, created in 1955 by the financier Juan March Ordinas. It has exhibitions, a shop, a library and a cafeteria.
A decorated doorway and painted ceiling inside the Lázaro Galdiano Museum
Museum · € Lázaro Galdiano Museum An art museum in a former mansion on Calle de Serrano, opened in 1951. The collection includes works by Goya, El Greco, Zurbarán and Bosch, plus bronzes, ceramics and textiles.
Museum · €€ Madrid Wax Museum A wax museum on Paseo de Recoletos, opened in 1972. The tourism board's page recommends it for visits with children.
The columned neoclassical facade of the National Archaeological Museum
Museum · € National Archaeological Museum Spain's national archaeology museum, on Calle de Serrano. It is run by the Ministry of Culture and has a cafeteria and a library.
Sculptures beneath the concrete bridge of the Open-Air Sculpture Museum
Museum · Free Open-Air Sculpture Museum A sculpture collection under the Enrique de la Mata Gorostizaga bridge on Paseo de la Castellana, between Calle de Serrano and Glorieta de Rubén Darío.
The Moorish Revival brick facade of the Las Ventas bullring
Landmark Las Ventas Bullring The Monumental bullring of Las Ventas, designed by José Espeliú and finished by Manuel Muñoz Monasterio. It opened in 1931 and holds 23,798 people.
The columned facade of the National Library of Spain
Landmark · Free National Library of Spain Spain's national library, founded by Philip V in 1711 as the Real Biblioteca. Its building on Paseo de Recoletos opened in 1896 and has free exhibitions.
Park · Free Discovery Gardens A park on Plaza de Colón opened in 1970, close to Calle de Serrano, Paseo de la Castellana, the National Library and the National Archaeological Museum.
A stone fountain among trees in Fuente del Berro Park
Park · Free Fuente del Berro Park A park on Calle de Enrique D'Almonte, one of six city parks that can close in weather alerts.
A shaded street beside the Mercado de la Paz
Market · € Mercado de la Paz A market in the Salamanca district opened in 1882 and built with an iron structure. It is among the best-known markets in the district.
Shopping · €€ La Mantequería Alemana A delicatessen on Calle de Padilla with German food from sausages to pork knuckle, and apple cake.
Shopping · €€€ Mantequerías Bravo A gourmet shop open since 1931 on Calle de Ayala in the Salamanca district, with wines and food from Spain and abroad and a wooden shopfront.
Food · €€ StreetXO The casual project of chef Dabiz Muñoz, on the third floor of El Corte Inglés at Calle de Serrano 47. Its menu is inspired by Asian street food.
Cafe · €€ Gran Café de Gijón A cafe on Paseo de Recoletos opened on 15 May 1888 by Gumersindo Gómez, an Asturian who came back from Cuba and named it for his home city.
Cafe · € Hola Coffee Lagasca A specialty coffee shop on Calle de Lagasca. Pablo Caballero and Nolo Botana founded Hola Coffee in 2016, and the company has two cafes and a roastery in Madrid.
Cafe · € Viena Capellanes A bakery and pastry house whose origins go back to 1873, when Matías Lacasa won ten years of exclusive production of a new loaf, the Viena bread. This branch is on Calle de Goya.

What's on in Salamanca

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