Castellana
Discover Madrid’s financial district on a walking tour that passes by a sports classic: the Bernabéu football stadium
In the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries, the present-day Paseo de la Castellana ran north to south across Madrid. Starting at Plaza de Colón in the south, the first section of this thoroughfare has kept a few noble mansions that were once the typical constructions of the area, now housing embassies, ministries and international cultural centres. In this initial phase, we can find the Open Air Sculpture Museum, located under the overpass joining Juan Bravo and Eduardo Dato streets, which has an excellent collection of Spanish abstract sculpture with works by Joan Miró, Pablo Serrano and Eduardo Chillida, among others.
At Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz, on the right-hand side, there are the National Museum of Natural History – a must for travellers with kids – the High Technical School of Industrial Engineering and Residencia de Estudiantes Halls.
On the site of the former La Castellana Racecourse, which was operative until 1932, today stands the Nuevos Ministerios building, the seat of the Ministry for Development and the Ministry of Work and Social Security. Next to it there starts AZCA, the financial hub of Madrid, dominated by the Picasso, Europa and BBVA towers. Opposite the Congress and Exhibition Centre, whose façade is decorated with a mural by the surrealist abstract, artist Joan Miró, there rises the Santiago Bernabéu (Currently under refurbishment) football stadium, where Real Madrid play their home games. The stadium can be visited on the Bernabéu Tour whose itinerary includes a visit to the Presidential Box, the dressing rooms and the pitch, as well as visiting the exhibition of trophies and finding out more about the history of the club.
Further ahead is Plaza de Cuzco and a section leading onto Plaza de Castilla, with such iconic buildings as Puerta de Europa Towers, aka Torres Kio, and Canal Foundation, which usually holds interesting exhibitions.
La Castellana ends at the Cuatro Torres Business Area, a business park developed on the site of the old Real Madrid Sports City. The complex features four towering skyscrapers: Torre de Cristal – with 249m in height, it’s the tallest tower in Madrid and across Spain –, Torre Cepsa, Torre PwC, and Emperador Castellana Tower. The most recent one is Torre Caleido, with a height of 181 metres and 35 floors, and it is the seventh tallest building in Spain.
The Madrid Nuevo Norte project has been implemented in this area, which is the urban regeneration of the city. Its aim is to improve the quality of life for people, generating employment and creating new green areas and quality public spaces. It is committed to an innovative city model, based on the most sustainable standards of 21st century urban development.
Two of Madrid’s most stylish hotels – Rosewood Villa Magna and Miguel Ángel – stand on Paseo de la Castellana. Other excellent hotel properties can be found in the area: several AC establishments, like the AC Hotel Cuzco or the Aitana, and the accommodations on intersecting streets like the Meliá Castilla, the NH Eurobuilding and the NH La Habana.
The city gives you the chance to live – and sleep – in the sky. Up La Castellana, at Chamartín station, in the Cuatro Torres Business Area is the Eurostars Madrid Tower, a spectacular, modern hotel with the latest technology, fine decoration and the best possible service. In addition, the hotel has a Spa & Health Club with large windows offering views 120 metres up in the air.
The hotels are also a good option to have a drink or dinner as night falls, such as the Volvoreta gastronomic restaurant located on the 30th floor of Eurostars Madrid Tower, which offers a spectacular panoramic view. One of the main attractions of the NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding is its gastronomic offer, headed by DiverXO, the three-Michelin-star restaurant run by chef, Dabiz Muñoz. At Villa Magna, you can find the Magnum Bar with a cosmopolitan atmosphere and an extensive menu that includes original cocktails, a selection of Scottish malts and a wide range of national and international wines.
The culinary possibilities in the Castellana area are abundant, like the cuisine styles. From the careful preparation of spaces such as the cosy and chic Tatel restaurant which merges the best of culture and traditional Spanish haute cuisine; Marieta with Mediterranean dishes, cocktails and a brunch menu; and Luzi Bombón, the perfect place to savour grilled meat, fish and rice.
For 'meat lovers', we also recommend the Sagardi Group’s restaurant in the Castellana, and for those in search of a healthy life, Honest Greens, a restaurant concept inspired by 'fast good'.
Parallel to Paseo de la Castellana, Calle de Orense and Calle del Capitán Haya accommodate a host of restaurants and cafés in a range of styles and with a variety of menus, some at affordable prices. Close by is Mesón Txistu, a traditional Basque tavern right in Madrid.
The Real Madrid stadium is home to the Real Café Bernabéu, an establishment on two floors with the most avant-garde and contemporary cuisine. It is worth highlighting that following its remodelling, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium will be home to several restaurants.
Not far from there is MAD13, an establishment specialised in Mediterranean cuisine that boasts an acclimatised terrace throughout the year. Torcuato restaurant is where you can savour the finest cuisine by the chef, Sergio Fernández.
Furthermore, at weekends Azca becomes an area with nightlife, with pubs and discos –many of which are in Avenida de Brasil, such as Moby Dick or The Irish Rover– and interesting terraces and rooftops in the local hotels.
Probably the largest El Corte Inglés department store is here in La Castellana. On the elegant ground floor, you’ll find the leading designer brands of fashion accessories, with a section boasting the finest jewellery and all kinds of watches.
A great many fashion chains have a store around Calle Orense (Zara, Mango, Promod, H&M, Springfield, Sfera, and so on), and on Calle General Perón fashion is still the big star, with companies like La Compañía Fantástica and the stores in Moda Shopping (Purificación García, Roberto Verino, Geox, Sebago, Naf Naf, Benetton, Adolfo Domínguez, Bimba&Lola, and many others). In this shopping gallery there are also perfumeries, jewellery shops, and gift and home stores, as well as temporary exhibitions and special spaces such as the Chocolate Factory.
The perfect place to go when the weather isn’t great is a shopping centre, isn’t it? Well, in the area there’s ABC Serrano, close to the Rubén Darío tube station. It even houses a supermarket. La Esquina del Bernabéu, adjoining the football stadium, offers clothing, accessories, food, services, etc.
Every Christmas, El Corte Inglés Castellana hosts its traditional Christmas market, where you can find the perfect gift and tasty gastronomic offers.
