Barrio de las Letras, Madrid, Spain

Visit duration: 1 hr 30 min Editorial visit time estimate

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

About Barrio de las Letras

The Barrio de las Letras (Literary Quarter), also called the quarter of the Literati and the Muses, is an area in Madrid's Centro district. It is bounded by Calle de la Cruz and Plaza de Jacinto Benavente to the west, the Paseo del Prado to the east, the Carrera de San Jerónimo to the north and Calle de Atocha to the south. Its best-known streets include Calle de las Huertas, Calle del Prado and Calle de Echegaray, with the Plaza del Ángel and Plaza de Santa Ana. It owes its name to the literary life of the 16th and 17th centuries, when writers such as Cervantes, Quevedo, Góngora and Lope de Vega lived here.

Checked 2026-11-10 · Source

What's inside

Most surviving buildings date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but three Golden Age sites remain: the Lope de Vega House Museum, where the writer lived from 1610 to 1635; the convent of San Ildefonso of the Trinitarias Descalzas, where Cervantes was buried; and the church of San Sebastián. At number 87 Calle de Atocha stood Juan de la Cuesta's printing shop, which produced the first edition of Don Quixote. The Palacio del Conde de Tepa and the Real Academia de la Historia date from the 18th century, and the Teatro Español and Ateneo de Madrid are also here.

Checked 2026-11-10 · Source

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Common questions

Where is Cervantes buried?

In the convent of San Ildefonso of the Trinitarias Descalzas, in this quarter.

Where it is

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Nearby

Within 4 min on foot

1 hour
1 min walk
Teatro Español
- High
- Art and culture venue
45 min
2 min walk
Café La Fontana de Oro
- High
- Historic site
1 hr 30 min
4 min walk
Museo de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
- Must see
- Museum