Las Letras Neighborhood

Have you ever walked between fragments of books? Have you ever dreamed of being the main character of a novel? If your answer is yes, then submerge into the surprising Las Letras neighborhood.

Don’t rush; let yourself get carried away by paragraphs of literature printed in a beautiful golden color. Feel the Spanish Golden Age with every step you take, in every corner, in every wall. If, like me, you pass it every morning, you will be lucky enough to take the daily pulse of a neighborhood that is so much more than just buildings.

Modern shops, designer stores, traditional ones, convents, palaces, luxury hotels, bars, taverns, restaurants, museums, plazas, and a succession of streets where Madrid shares its history, culture, gastronomy and, of course, its literature!

It’s perfectly delimitated between the famous streets of Atocha, Carrera de San Jerónimo, Paseo del Prado and, closing the almost perfect triangle, Carretas Street. To go into Las Letras neighborhood is to submerge in the living history of the Spanish Golden Age. Sometimes you can hear the streets whispering a piece by Lope de Vega, or you can imagine Don Juan Tenorio. Sometimes you listen to the literary battles of Góngora and Quevedo and, other times, Cervantes’ figure welcomes you.

If you’re in Madrid one weekend and interested in getting some culture, the Las Letras neighbourhood is a good option. It undoubtedly has one of the highest concentrations of art and culture per square meter of anywhere on Earth. I’m not exaggerating. If you don’t believe me, maybe the three world-class museums (The Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza, and Reina Sofía), theatre productions throughout the year, and streets lined with plaques celebrating Spain’s Golden Age of literature will convince you. I’ve been there hundreds of times and I always find something new: a sign that shows you the birthplace of a 19th century Romantic writer, a new art gallery, an impromptu event.