The Palacio de Cibeles, located in the heart of Madrid, is the most important building in the Plaza de Cibeles.
The Palacio de Cibeles was formerly known as Palacio de Telecomunicaciones, and today as CentroCentro.
The building, which looks like a cathedral, was built in 1909 by the architects Antonio Palacios and Joaquín Otamendi to be the headquarters of Spain’s post office. This spectacular building was the seat of Postal and Telegraphic Museum until 2007, when it became the new headquarters of the Madrid City Hall, previously located in Plaza de la Villa.
In addition to the area where public servants work, CentroCentro has more than 5,000 square meters of exhibition space distributed on floors 1, 3, 4 and 5. These spaces exhibit artistic projects and initiatives on urban culture that reflect the character of the city and its residents.
Don’t miss a visit to the Palacio de Cibeles
If you can, enter the main building to take a quick look inside.
I also suggest you to climbing to the rooftop terrace of the building, known as Mirador Madrid. From there, you’ll enjoy some amazing views of the city. The rooftop terrace allows you to contemplate all the buildings around the Plaza de Cibeles, as well as other highlights of Madrid downtown.
The rooftop terrace is located on the 8th floor of the central tower of the building (70 meters high). There are visits every half hour and the ticket office is located next to the main entrance of the building.
Practical information about the Palacio de Cibeles
The nearest subway station is the Banco de España on line 2 (red).
You can go inside the building for free.
Climbing to the terrace costs € 3 for adults and € 1.50 for children under 12. You can do so Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:30.
See more information on the official CentroCentro website.
You can see the Banco de España if you follow walk 5 of my ‘Madrid In 9 Walks’ guide.