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Morning
The Cava Baja crawl. One tapa and one drink per bar, standing, then move — the whole street is the restaurant. Start at the Plaza del Humilladero end around 13:30 or 20:30.
El Rastro market. Sunday 9:00–15:00, five centuries old, everything from antiques to bootleg shirts. Go early for the antiques, late for the atmosphere.
Afternoon
Habsburg Madrid to Las Vistillas — 2.5 km · 1.5 h. Plaza de la Cebada → Cava Baja → Plaza de la Paja → Calle de Segovia viaduct → Las Vistillas gardens for the Guadarrama skyline, ending at San Francisco el Grande.
Plaza de la Paja & San Andrés. The most beautiful square in old Madrid, on the site of the medieval market — with the Capilla del Obispo's Renaissance altarpiece next door.
Evening
San Francisco el Grande. The great neoclassical dome — 33 m across, frescoed, with a Goya in the side chapel — and the Las Vistillas gardens' sunset behind it.
Sleeping here? Between the Plaza de la Paja and Cava Baja is the storybook core — gorgeous, but book interior rooms near the tapas streets. Toward the Puerta de Toledo and the Rastro streets prices drop noticeably. The San Francisco el Grande end is quieter and greener, with the basilica's dome as your landmark home.
Questions, answered
Where to sleep: La Latina
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