Personalized Madrid: exploring the places of the city's creative elite

What to expect

Saint Anne Square

• At the symbolic monument to Federico Garcia Lorca, we will talk about the famous poet and playwright who lived in the Las Letras area and was forced to leave for the USA due to the Civil War. You will learn about the last years of his life and the reasons why he decided to return to his homeland, where he was later killed by soldiers of the dictator Francisco Franco.
• Also on the square, we will approach the Spanish Theater - the facade bears the names of Lope de Vega, Miguel de Cervantes, and other iconic Spanish cultural figures, about whom there will also be a brief narrative.
• Additionally, you will see the Queen Victoria Hotel, still considered the hotel of the bullfighters. Anticipating your questions, I can say that we will be able to have an honest conversation about bullfighting.

Alvarez Gato Alley and the code of the Spanish DNA
Then we will turn into a short street famous for flamenco restaurants adorned with stunning ceramics. A very photogenic place. Here is also an authentic cafe where the renowned Galician writer Ramon Maria del Valle-Inclan liked to spend time. You will see his graffiti-style portrait and hear about the work of the man who sheds light on the Spanish countryside and local mentality.

Canalejas Square

• You will admire the whimsical architecture of the buildings and learn about the most unusual building, which was the first shopping center in the capital. Here we will also visit the La Violeta violet candy boutique, where you can taste Madrid for free - they treat with violet candies made from a secret recipe. Local bourgeois and even members of the royal court used to visit this boutique.
• We cannot overlook the Four Seasons Hotel. I will tell you how this magnificent building became a hotel, why it is essential to have coffee in its lobby, and why you can see elephants without tusks on its facade.
• Opposite the hotel, you will see the country's main casino, which still enforces a strict dress code, with one of the best Michelin-starred restaurants in the capital upstairs.

Must-visit bar on Gran Via and Chueca district

• On Madrid's main avenue, I will show you the first bar in the capital, "Museo Chicote". The vintage ambiance of old Hollywood with red velvet furniture is still preserved here.
• Crossing Gran Via, we will enter one of Madrid's most unusual districts - Chueca. You will learn how its atmosphere of freedom and tolerance formed, and how it transformed from a troubled area into one of the most expensive and prestigious places to live. You will also visit the Raffaella Carrà Square, where you will learn about the spiritual connection between Madrid and the Italian star Raffaella Carrà.

Gaudí-style House
The walk will end near the mansion belonging to the politician and financier Senor Longoria. The palace greatly resembles the works of the father of Spanish modernism. The owner dreamt that Gaudí himself would realize the project, but Gaudí categorically did not work in Madrid, so another architect built the structure. Today, the building houses the Spanish Writers' Union.