Plaza de España
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza stare across a rectangular pond while two Madrid skyscrapers rise directly behind them — one of the city's most recognized views.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Madrid offline.
The Cervantes monument is a full literary universe in granite and red stone from Sepúlveda: a seated Cervantes presides above his knight and squire, with Dulcinea nearby and figures representing five continents all shown reading Don Quixote. The whole ensemble was commissioned for the 1915 centenary of the novel's second part.
What to look for
- The rectangular pond that frames Don Quixote and Sancho Panza against Torre de Madrid and Edificio España
- Red Sepúlveda stone on the monument sculpture, contrasting with the granite base and bronze details
- The allegorical Spanish Literature figure above the fountains, dressed in period costume and holding an open book
Sits at the western end of Gran Vía; the Palacio Real is a short walk south. The square reopened to pedestrians in November 2021 after a 2.5-year renovation.
Plaza de España is one of 31 sights worth the detour in Madrid, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Madrid pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Madrid
- BernabéuThe only stadium on earth to host both a UEFA Champions League final and a Copa Libertadores final — and the first in Europe to crown both a World Cup and a Euro.
- Museo del PradoThe Spanish royal collection — 7,600 paintings accumulated over centuries — opened to the public in November 1819 and never looked back.
- Metropolitano StadiumThe pitch that staged the 2019 Champions League final will host another in 2027 — and is shortlisted for the 2030 World Cup.
- Royal Palace of MadridThe original Alcázar burned to the ground on Christmas Eve 1734 — what the Bourbons built in its place is the largest palace in Western Europe.
- Museo Reina SofíaGuernica — Picasso's 1937 painting of wartime devastation — hangs here at full scale, in person.
- Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy)A duke's private library meeting in 1711 grew into the institution that still rules what counts as correct Spanish — for Spain and 22 other Spanish-speaking nations.