Gran Via, Madrid

In 1910, King Alfonso XIII ordered the demolition of some of the buildings between Plaza de España and Plaza de Cibeles, the purpose was to transform the Gran Vía, in a commercial and entertainment epicenter of Madrid and one of the most unique places.
Some of the most emblematic buildings of the city are located here, including the Metrópolis building, the Telefónica skyscraper and the Coliseum, among others which are offices and personal properties.
Apart from such buildings, its pavements lined by cinemas, theaters, cafés and shops.

This famous street is located from Calle de Alcala (near Plaza de Cibeles) to Plaza de Espana. It is lively street full of shops, hotels, banks and large movie theaters. When you walk Gran Via, make sure you look up once in a while and admire the often decorated grand buildings. Because Gran Via many old buildings in the center are demolished. Today you can found one of the most famous buildings in this street such as Edificio Telefonica, Edificio Metropolis, Edificio de Espana, Torre de Madrid...

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The Gran Via is Madrid’s High Street. It is the main commercial route through the city’s central area. When it was created, it was for the purpose of modernising the city. While it was a project started at the beginning of the 20th century, it was not completed until the 1950’s. Many streets and houses were destroyed in preparation for its creation. There are many grand buildings down this stretch, much of them showing an American influence..

I think one of the best roads or avenues to walk would be Gran Via. There are so many interesting buildings, shops and commercial establishments to see. From Gran Via, there are also other side streets to explore that would lead to interesting neighborhoods. Not to forget, it is very centrally located in the heart of Madrid. Happy exploring!

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This street is perfect for you to go shopping!!! It is one of the main avenues in Madrid and also is one of the city's most important shopping areas, it is always busy and full of people, with a large number of hotels and large movie theaters. It leads from Calle de Alcalá, close to Plaza de Cibeles, to Plaza de España.

As I was so busy shopping, I forgot to take pictures!! so I had to borrow some from the internet!! What could I do... I could't help going to the stores!

Colloquially called Edificio Schweppes, in reference to the large Schweppes neon sign, this fine example of art déco architecture was completed in 1933. The building is located on a prominent corner on Gran Vía and, as seen in the photograph, is nicely lit by night.

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In my opinion, the entire city of Madrid runs on very little sleep, but perhaps it is even more obvious along Gran Via, one of its most famous streets. With its hundreds of shops, restaurants, theatres and hotels, Gran Via's sidewalks are always full of people day and night, which gives it the atmosphere of a small Broadway street. The architecture of Gran Via is also strikingly different from that of the old city, thanks to the fact that most buildings date back to the same turn of the 20th century period (over 300 buildings were destroyed to make way for Gran Via).

The street begins at the corner of Calle de Alcala and ends at the Plaza de España, where you'll find a nice little park with a gigantic monument to Cervantes. Although Gran Via can be divided into three main sections, two main architerctural styles stand out in my opinion: starting at the corner of Calle de Alcala, it is easy to see that the first portion of the street was clearly inspired by 19th century Parisian architecture. In fact, French architects Jules and Raymond Fevrier designed the famous Metropolis building which sits at the very beginning of the street. But as you move towards Plaza de España, you can see that the style of the buildings gradually became influenced by the Chicago school of American architecture, giving way to the city's first high-rise buildings. No doubt you'll look like a tourist, but once you're done shopping, it's worth walking around and looking up to see all the beautiful architectural details that grace the buildings located all along Gran Via.

One of the main and busiest streets in Madrid is the Gran Via. It's in the central area from Madrid, and it's not difficult to find. Things you can find in the Gran Via are mainly: Shops, Cafes, Cinemas, Theatres, a few Hotels, as well as some amazing architecture! As you walk up (or down) the Gran Via make sure you pay attention to the amazing buildings on the sides. This street is most days of the year packed with people, especially around the Callao area.