4 Best Sights in Madrid, Spain

Go on an international tapas crawl here—nibbling on tacos (at Cutzamala), sushi (at Yokaloka), homemade croissants (at Cafés Tornasol), and more—without so much as stepping outside. Doppelgänger, an eclectic tasting-menu-only cubbyhole headed by a young Somali–Spanish chef, is currently all the rage.

Spain’s national museum of contemporary art houses works by all the major 20th-century Spanish painters and sculptors. Its collection breaks from tradition by grouping works of the great modern masters—Picasso, Miró, and Salvador Dalí—by historical context as opposed to artistic movement. So, Goya's Disasters of War engravings (a precursor of the avant-garde movements of the 20th century) sits beside one of the first movies ever made, Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory by the Lumière brothers. Picassos and Dalís are not displayed together but are rather scattered around the 38 rooms. The museum also displays important works by Juan Gris, Jorge Oteiza, Pablo Gargallo, Julio González, Eduardo Chillida, and Antoni Tàpies.

The crown jewel is Picasso's Guernica. The sprawling black-and-white canvas depicts the horror of the Nazi bombing of innocent civilians in the ancient Basque town of Gernika in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The work was commissioned by the Republican government for the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 World's Fair in an attempt to garner sympathy for the Republican cause. Rooms adjacent to Guernica reconstruct the artistic significance of Spain's participation in the World's Fair with works by Miró, Josep Maria Sert, Alexander Calder, and others. Guernica did not reach Madrid until 1981, as Picasso had stipulated in his will that the painting return to Spain only after democracy was restored.

The fourth floor in the Sabatini Building is devoted to art created after World War II, and the Nouvel Annex displays paintings, sculptures, photos, videos, and installations from the last quarter of the 20th century.

The museum was once a hospital, but the austerity of the space is somewhat relieved (or ruined, depending on your point of view) by the playful pair of glass elevator shafts on its facade. Three separate buildings joined by a common vault were added to the original complex in 2005—the first contains an art bookshop and a public library, the second a center for contemporary exhibitions, and the third an auditorium and restaurant. The latter, which got a face-lift in 2017, is a colorful, space-age spot to enjoy a café con leche—or a cocktail—and an eye-catching tapa or two.

The historical 19th-century residence Corrala de Sombrerete, which overlooks this lively square from the southeast corner, is one of Madrid's few remaining corralas, tenement houses distinguished by timber frames and a central patio. It is closed to the public but still worth a walk-by. Beyond it is a brick building with a hollow cupola dominating the square: the Escolapios de San Fernando, one of several churches and parochial schools razed due to anti-Catholic sentiments during the Spanish Civil War. It is one of Madrid's only unrepaired Civil War ruins. Though partially refurbished by the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), which turned one section into a library, the building is closed to the public.

This oblong plaza is Lavapiés's nerve center. To the east is Calle de la Fe (Street of Faith), named for the church of San Lorenzo.