Puerta del Sol

Puerta del Sol takes its name from an east-facing gate in the old town walls, decorated with a rising sun, and has been Madrid's meeting place for centuries. In front of the Real Casa de Correos, now the seat of the regional government, a plaque in the pavement marks Kilometre Zero, the point from which Spain's radial roads are measured.

On New Year's Eve the square fills and the whole country eats twelve grapes to the chimes of the clock on the Casa de Correos, broadcast live on television. Look for the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, the city's emblem, and the equestrian statue of Charles III, nicknamed the mayor-king for the public works he gave the city.