Madrid: Gran Via and the Rise of Modern Spain Tour

Overview

Begin your tour at the Maqueta del Centenario and set off on a journey through Gran Vía, Madrid’s most famous avenue. As you walk, learn about the street's transformation from a medieval network to a modern thoroughfare. Discover how Gran Vía was conceived as a showcase for new architecture, technologies, and ways of living. Admire the elegant Beaux-Arts buildings, Art Deco skyscrapers, and glamorous cinemas that line the street. Hear stories of how Gran Vía became a stage for Madrid to present itself as a cosmopolitan European capital. Explore the avenue as architecture, social history, spectacle, and memory, and see how it tells the story of a city constantly negotiating its identity. End your tour at Plaza de Callao, having traced the story of how Madrid reinvented itself between tradition and modernity.