Madrid's Literary Quarter. Walks, routes and places

Streets of the Barrio de las Letras. Photographs by (c) Mariola DCA.

El Madrid's Literary Quarter It is in the heart of the Villa and Corte and is its literary heart. A must for natives and foreigners, its streets keep the sounds, aromas and footsteps of the ghosts of our most famous authors, especially the Golden Age. Quevedo, Lope de Vega or the old soldier of Lepanto and universal glory don Miguel de Cervantes they are sharing streets on the same block. So you have to go and get lost over there among boiled, feathers, inkwells, capes and swords whenever possible.

Where is the Barrio de las Letras

It's a few blocks from Official Center district and the name of Barrio de las Letras is more sentimental, popular and practical to attract tourism in all its forms. Culture, gastronomy and secluded architectural corners Full of history, they come together in narrow streets, mostly pedestrianized, quiet and authentic. But the truth is that, for the most literary spirits, it's easy to travel back in time and imagine greetings or poisoned darts among the famous neighbors who stepped on them.

But to focus with the map the neighborhood is delimited by the Carrera de San Jerónimo, Paseo del Prado, Calle Atocha and Calle de la Cruz. You can also expand the area from Cruz to the street Wagons, which comes out of Puerta del Sol. And you can highlight streets such as Victoria, Príncipe, the beautiful Plaza de Santa Ana with the magnificent Spanish Theater, its neighboring squares of Matute or del Ángel.

And although Lope, Quevedo and Cervantes are the most sought after names, in the Barrio de las Letras there are also streets dedicated to Moratín, San Agustín or José de Echegaray. In one of its limits is also the Plaza de Jacinto Benavente.

Three representative streets

Huertas Street

Dotted with literary fragments on its pavement, it is perhaps the most emblematic and busiest street in the neighborhood. Two fundamental streets run in parallel: that of Lope de Vega, with the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians of San Ildefonso, from the XNUMXth century, where Cervantes was buried and where Sister Marcela, Lope's daughter, professed. On the way you pass by the San Sebastián Parish, where the remains of Lope de Vega are believed to rest.

Cervantes Street

It is essential to visit it to see the place where the author of Don Quixote lived and died. A little further down is the Lope de Vega House Museum where he lived until his death. You can visit and see the recreation of the office where the Fénix de los Ingenios wrote his works.

Cervantes and San Sebastián streets. Photographs (c) Mariola DCA.

Quevedo Street

Located between those of Cervantes and Lope de Vega, it is a very small street. Again a plaque remembers the place where the house was and the dates of its stay.

Cervantes free tour

It is a fairly complete route that lasts one hour and half and the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 12:15.

Starts from Plaza de Santa Ana with the Spanish Theater, which was built on one of the best-known comedy corrals in the world. Spanish Golden Age: that of the Prince. It is continued by Huertas, Cervantes and Lope de Vega, where the origins of the great enmity that existed between these two neighboring geniuses are explained. And it ends by going down to the Plaza de las Cortes, in front of the Congress of Deputies. There is the Cervantes statue, the first that was dedicated in Madrid to a non-religious personage.

But the best…

Es get lost in those streets. A map or the browser and nothing else. Down to Anton Martin, or bump into him Athenaeum or the Monumental Theater. Discover the secluded plaza de Matute, ideal to sit for a while on one of its terraces. Or extend a little beyond its limits to the square Tirso de Molina or approach and cross the street of skunk behind the back of Congress.


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