District
Barrio de las Letras
Madrid Neighbourhood Guide
Literary, lively, bohemian
The old literary quarter (Cervantes and Lope de Vega are both buried within a few streets of each other here), now filled with tapas bars, tucked-away plazas, and one of the liveliest nightlife strips in the city along Calle Huertas.
Day Trips from Madrid
Toledo · Segovia · El Escorial · Ávila
Pick up at Madrid-Barajas Airport — free cancellation on most cars
Explore Barrio de las Letras
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La Venencia
A sherry-only bar open since 1922, famously resistant to change: no photography, no soft drinks, chalk tallies scrawled directly on the wooden bar to track your tab. Order by sherry style; the bartenders will tell you if you're doing it wrong.
Café Central
A jewel-box Art Deco café that's been Madrid's premier jazz venue since 1982; DownBeat magazine has ranked it among the best jazz clubs on earth. Intimate enough that even the back tables feel close to the stage.