Morning
The Prado, properly. Velázquez, Goya and Bosch two blocks downhill — free 18:00–20:00 (Sun 17:00–19:00), but worth a full paid morning at opening.
Brass-letter street reading. Follow the golden quotations set into Calle de las Huertas' pavement — a self-guided literature walk from Plaza del Ángel to the Paseo del Prado.
Afternoon
The Golden Triangle mile — 2.5 km · 1.5 h. Plaza de Santa Ana → Huertas' brass letters → Paseo del Prado → Neptuno fountain → CaixaForum's vertical garden → Reina Sofía. Three world-class museums and a botanical garden on one straight boulevard.
Casa Museo Lope de Vega. The playwright's actual house and garden, kept as he left it — free guided visits, book ahead.
Evening
Jazz & sherry after dinner. Café Central is one of Europe's great jazz rooms; the barrio's tabernas pour sherry flights within stumbling distance of your bed.
Sleeping here? Plaza de Santa Ana and Calle del Prado are the classic addresses — lively until midnight, elegant after. Downhill toward Antón Martín the barrio gets more local and cheaper, with the Mercado de Antón Martín's stalls as your canteen. Anything here is under 10 minutes' walk from all three museums of the Golden Triangle.
Questions, answered
Where to sleep: Huertas — Barrio de las Letras
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