To the west of Madrid you will find the Gran Vía, a commercial street where many theatres, cinemas and restaurants can be found as well as the Gran Casino de Madrid. The Gran Vía, which runs from the Calle de Alcalá to the Plaza de España, reflects the very essence of modern Madrid. The Gran Via is one of the city's most important shopping areas in Madrid and contains a large number of hotels and large movie theaters. But what makes this street so special it the architectural design of many of the large buildings.

This lively street is also one of the city's most important shopping areas. In fact, the Plaza Mayor, the Gran Via, the Puerta del Sol and adjacent streets make up the oldest shopping area in Madrid where there are myriad small shops specialising in all kinds of traditional, typical and craft products.

In the mid 19th century, Madrid's urban planners decided that a new big avenue must be constructed, connecting the Calle de Alcalá with the Plaza de España. The project required many buildings in the center of the city to be demolished. Finally in 1904 it was approved and construction started a couple of years later.

The first part of the Gran Vía was built between 1910 and 1920. This stretch still preserves the atmosphere of the 19th C., with buildings such as the Gran Peña (No. 2) and Ybarra (No. 8), or the one at the corner of Calle Clavel. However, the Telefónica Building displays a very different architectural style. The last part of the street was constructed between 1925 and 1929 and leads to the Plaza de España, a large square dominated by two skyscrapers the symmetric Edificio de España and the Torre de Madrid.

There are several grand buildings or "edificios", such as the Edificio Metrópolis, built between 1907 and 1911; the Edificio Grassy, a corner building with a small tower, built in 1917; the Telefónica building, a skyscraper built between 1926 and 1929 for the Spanish telecommunications company, among others.

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