Spain Guide
Madrid
Puerta del Sol
The obvious starting point for exploring Habsburg Madrid (and most other areas of the centre) is the Puerta del Sol (MSol). This square marks the epicentre of the city – and, indeed, of Spain. It is from this point that all distances are measured, and here that six of Spain's Rutas Nacionales officially begin. On the pavement outside the clocktower building on the south side of the square, a stone slab shows Kilometre Zero.
The square is a popular meeting place, especially by the fountain, or at the corner of c/Carmen, with its statue of a bear pawing a madroño (strawberry tree) – the city's emblem. These apart, there's little of note, though the square fulfils something of a public role when there's a demonstration or celebration; at New Year, for example, it is packed with people waiting for the clock to chime midnight. The square's main business, however, is shopping, with giant branches of the department stores El Corte Inglés and the French chain FNAC in c/Preciados, at the top end of the square. In the course of the next few years, the area is likely to be heavily disrupted by the construction of a subterranean train station beneath c/Montera.