La Latina & Lavapiés

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MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 3: People relaxing in a bar terrace in La Latina district, a very typical area to enjoy the spanish food and drink culture, on April 3, 2014 in Madrid, Spain; Shutterstock ID 187121855

Shutterstock / VICTOR TORRES

Overview

La Latina combines Madrid's best selection of tapas bars, fine little boutiques and a medieval streetscape studded with elegant churches; graceful Calle de la Cava Baja could be our favourite street for tapas in town. Down the hill, Lavapiés is one of the city's oldest barrios (districts) and the heart of multicultural Madrid. Spanning the two neighbourhoods is the Sunday flea market of El Rastro.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Basílica de San Francisco El Grande. The Royal Cathedral of St. Francis the Great (Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande), XVIII century. @Valery Rokhin/Shutterstock

    Basílica de San Francisco El Grande

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    Crowning Madrid’s oldest neighborhood of La Latina is an architectural and visual masterpiece that is the Basílica de San Francisco el Grande (Basilica of…

  • Traditional market in Madrid during a sunny day with many people shopping, Rastro de Madrid

    El Rastro

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    A Sunday morning at El Rastro flea market, Europe's largest, is a Madrid institution. You could easily spend the entire morning inching your way down the…

  • Locals and tourists walk though a modern bridge over the Manzanares River in the public park of Madrid Río in Madrid, Spain, with the Matadero building (a former slaughterhouse converted to an arts centre) in the background.

    Matadero Madrid

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    This contemporary-arts centre is a stunning multipurpose space south of the centre. Occupying the converted buildings of the old Arganzuela livestock…

  • Restaurant tables in Plaza de la Paja, Madrid, Spain.

    Plaza de la Paja

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    Around the back of the Iglesia de San Andrés, the delightful Plaza de la Paja slopes down into the tangle of lanes that once made up Madrid's Muslim…

  • Capilla del Obispo

    Capilla del Obispo

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    The Capilla del Obispo is a hugely important site on the historical map of Madrid. It was here that San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of Madrid, was first…

  • Viaduct & Calle de Segovia

    Viaduct & Calle de Segovia

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    High above Calle de Segovia, Madrid's viaduct, which connects La Morería with the cathedral and royal palace, was built in the 19th century and replaced…

  • Museo de San Isidro

    Museo de San Isidro

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    This engaging museum occupies the spot where San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of Madrid, ended his days around 1172. A particular highlight is the large…

  • Iglesia de San Pedro El Viejo

    Iglesia de San Pedro El Viejo

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    This fine old church is one of the few remaining windows on post-Muslim Madrid, most notably its clearly Mudéjar (a Moorish architectural style) brick…

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