Orientation
The city's layout is pretty straightforward. At the heart of
Madrid - indeed at the very heart of Spain since all distances in
the country are measured from here - is the Puerta del Sol
(often referred to as just "Sol"). Around it lie the oldest parts
of Madrid, neatly bordered to the west by the Río Manzanares
, to the east by the park of El Retiro , and to the north by
the city's great thoroughfare, the Gran Vía .
Within this very compact area, you're likely to spend most of
your time. The city's three big museums - the Prado,
Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofía - lie in a "golden
triangle" just west of El Retiro and centred around Paseo del
Prado, while over towards the river are the oldest, Habsburg parts
of town, centred around the beautiful arcaded Plaza Mayor .
After Gran Vía, the most important streets ( calles -
abbreviated as c/) are c/Alcalá and its continuation,
c/Mayor , which cut right through the centre from the main
post office at Plaza de Cibeles to the Bourbon Palacio
Real .
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