Puerta del Sol Hotel Madrid
Hotel Ateneo is situated a few yards from one of the main historical sites of Madrid, Puerta del Sol. Puerta means door or gate, and del Sol means of the Sun. This Gate of the Sun was originally one of the main entrances to the city of Madrid oriented to the East, hence the name.
Nowadays, la Puerta del Sol is not just the centre of Madrid, but also a main meeting point for Madrilians and for people coming from all over the world. Kilómetro 0, a slab on the ground below the big clock tower, marks the centre of all the roads in Spain and you will see it often surrounded by people waiting for friends or just taking pictures.
From Puerta del Sol you can easily walk around to many of the major sites in the centre. Paseo del Prado with its three museums, Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen, is just around the corner. If you follow Calle Mayor from Sol, it will take you down to the Royal Palace and on the way you will be able to visit the main square, Plaza Mayor, with all its many tapas bar and restaurants.
However, Puerta del Sol itself is a jewel, with the big sign of Tio Pepe on the top of a building, which was originally placed there to advertise the brand and now it’s just part of the urban furniture. The symbol of Madrid, a bear holding onto a strawberry tree, el Oso y el Madroño, can be seen proudly standing at the entrance of one of the side streets, always surrounded by people taking holiday snaps or just waiting. Puerta del Sol is truly the heart of the city and much more so now, a few years ago Madrid transport linked the underground station, Metro Sol, with the regional railway network. It is now very easy to get anywhere in the city of Madrid or in the region from Sol. Sol is on the Metro line 1 which splits the city in two from North to South and links in with most other Metro lines. The railway links to the main lines travelling outside Madrid, and visitors can easily take a one day return trip to nearby historical towns like Toledo or Avila.
Hotel Ateneo offers the opportunity to the traveller to stay in a modern and comfortable environment just two steps away from the main sites and facilities of one of the most important and fascinating cities in Europe.
