The Puerta del Sol is Madrid's central square, where Calle Mayor, Calle del Arenal, Calle de Alcalá and Calle de Preciados meet. It is a public space open day and night, every day, and entry is free; people come for the Kilometre Zero of Spain's roads, the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree and the clock that strikes the twelve chimes of New Year. The square is named after an old gate in the town walls. Its south side is taken up by the Real Casa de Correos, built between 1766 and 1768 by the French architect Jaime Marquet for Charles III: it is the oldest building on the square, a former post office that is now the seat of the Presidency of the Community of Madrid. Allow 20 to 30 minutes to see its main landmarks.
Highlights
The Real Casa de Correos and its clock
The neoclassical façade, at number 7, is topped by a clock tower. The clock, donated by the clockmaker José Rodríguez de Losada and inaugurated in 1866, marks the arrival of the new year: Spaniards eat one grape on each of the twelve strokes of midnight, broadcast on television.
The Bear and the Strawberry Tree
This stone and bronze statue by the sculptor Antonio Navarro Santafé, inaugurated in 1967 at the start of Calle de Alcalá, depicts the emblem of Madrid's coat of arms. It is the city's most common meeting point.
Kilometre Zero
A slab set into the pavement, in front of the main entrance of the Real Casa de Correos, marks the starting point of Spain's major radial roads, from which their distances are measured.
The equestrian statue of Charles III
In the middle of the square, it is the largest of the three statues on the Puerta del Sol. It honours the king nicknamed "Madrid's best mayor" for the urban improvements carried out during his reign.
La Mariblanca
At the entrance to Calle del Arenal, this female statue is a copy of a 17th-century figure, one of the square's oldest symbols.
The streets leading off the square
Calle Mayor takes you in a few minutes to the [Plaza Mayor](/fr/attractions/plaza-mayor-madrid), and Calle de la Montera climbs towards the [Gran Vía](/fr/attractions/gran-via-madrid). The pedestrianised Calle de Preciados and Calle del Carmen are lined with department stores and fashion chains.
Infos pratiques
Tips
The square is one of the busiest places in Madrid: keep your bag closed and in front of you, and be wary of people who approach you with a petition or an offer to take your photo (see [scams and safety in Madrid](/fr/articles/arnaques-a-eviter-madrid)). The costumed characters who pose for photos expect a tip. For New Year's Eve, in recent years the square has been cleared in the evening and then reopened through police-filtered entry points from the surrounding streets, with a capacity of about 15,000 people; the "preúvas", a rehearsal of the twelve chimes, take place at midnight on 30 December. The arrangements for the year are announced in late December; see also [Christmas in Madrid](/fr/attractions/noel-a-madrid).
How to get there
Puerta del Sol, 28013 Madrid. Metro Sol (lines 1, 2 and 3), whose exits open onto the square; Ópera (lines 2 and 5 and Ramal), Callao (lines 3 and 5) and Sevilla (line 2) are a few minutes' walk away. Cercanías commuter train: Sol station (lines C3 and C4), beneath the square.
Opening hours
Nearby
Comments
No comments yet.