This contemporary-arts centre is a stunning multipurpose space south of the centre. Occupying the converted buildings of the old Arganzuela livestock market and slaughterhouse, Matadero Madrid covers 148,300 sq metres and hosts cutting-edge drama, musical and dance performances and exhibitions on architecture, fashion, literature and cinema. It's a dynamic space and its proximity to the landscaped riverbank makes for a non-touristy alternative to sightseeing in Madrid, not to mention a brilliant opportunity to see the latest avant-garde theatre or exhibitions.
@AndresGarciaM/iStock
Matadero Madrid
La Latina & Lavapiés
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.5 MILES
Welcome to one of the world's premier art galleries. More than 7000 paintings are held in the Museo del Prado’s collection (of which only around 1500 are…
1.12 MILES
Home to Picasso’s Guernica, arguably Spain’s most famous artwork, the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Madrid’s premier collection of contemporary art.
1.65 MILES
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is one of the three points composing Madrid’s Golden Triangle of Art along the Paseo del Prado (Art Walk), together with the…
Basílica de San Francisco El Grande
1.54 MILES
Crowning Madrid’s oldest neighborhood of La Latina is an architectural and visual masterpiece that is the Basílica de San Francisco el Grande (Basilica of…
3.27 MILES
One of Spain’s most atmospheric arenas, the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas has hosted everything from Beatles concerts to motocross competitions during its…
2.43 MILES
Few people would ever guess that a 2200-year-old Egyptian temple exists in the center of Madrid. Yet the Templo de Debod is in no way a Vegas-style…
3.13 MILES
This imposing early-20th-century Italianate stone mansion, set discreetly back from the street, belonged to Don José Lázaro Galdiano (1862–1947), a…
Nearby La Latina & Lavapiés attractions
0.58 MILES
You don’t have to be a trainspotter to enjoy this railway museum – you’ll see as many kids as anoraks – but it helps. Housed in the disused 1880s Estación…
0.94 MILES
This cultural centre is utterly unpredictable, if only because of the quantity and scope of its activities – everything from exhibitions to cinema…
1.06 MILES
In the modern northeastern corner of the Antigua Estación de Atocha, this memorial is a moving monument to the victims of the 2004 terrorist attack at the…
1.08 MILES
In 1992 the northwestern wing of the Antigua Estación de Atocha was given a stunning overhaul. The structure of this grand iron-and-glass relic from the…
1.11 MILES
One building that catches the community spirit of the lively Lavapiés is La Corrala, an example of an intriguing traditional (if much tidied up) tenement…
1.12 MILES
Home to Picasso’s Guernica, arguably Spain’s most famous artwork, the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Madrid’s premier collection of contemporary art.
7. Museo Nacional de Antropología
1.13 MILES
The National Anthropology Museum houses collections of clothing, images and everyday objects from indigenous cultures in Africa, Asia and the Americas…
1.16 MILES
The triangular Plaza de Lavapiés is one of the few open spaces in Lavapiés and is a magnet for all that’s good (a thriving cultural life) and bad (drugs…