Start in the Plaza de España.

Statues of author Miguel de Cervantes and his characters, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, dominate the square. The two tallest structures, the Edificio España and the Torre de Madrid, were designed and built by the prolific Otamendi brothers in the early 1950s.

Walk southeast down the Gran Vía.

When Madrid expanded in the early 1900s, over 300 houses and 14 ancient streets were demolished to make way for this boulevard. New buildings, some inspired by the North American skyscraper, include 1920s-30s cinemas, such as the Capitol in the Carrión building (Gran Vía 41) and the Cine Callao (Plaza del Callao 3). The Palacio de la Prensa (Plaza del Callao 4) originally provided office workers with everything from entertainment to shops and restaurants, all under one roof.

Continue east along the Gran Vía.

At Gran Vía 28 is the Telefónica. This American-designed sky scraper (1929) was the tallest in the city for some 25 years. From here on, buildings are older and more heavily decorated. Note the extravagant roof-top embellishments of the 1913 Edificio del Banco Central (Gran Vía 18) and the Edificios La Estrella (Gran Vía 7 and 10). No 7 shows a Moorish influ ence. The walk ends at the Parisian-style Edificio Metrópolis, which is crowned by a statue of Winged Victory. Down at street level, the figure of a violet seller commemorates the street vendors whose flowers once heralded spring in the city.