Conde Duque and the streets above
A vast Bourbon barracks turned cultural centre, a convent square, and the quiet north-west centre. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Calle del Conde Duque
Come down from San Bernardo and walk the long street the barracks gives its name to — low, calm, residential, with the great wall of the building ahead. The quietest approach to one of Madrid's biggest doors.

2. Cuartel del Conde Duque
The enormous early-1700s royal barracks, now a cultural centre with libraries, archives and exhibition halls. Walk into the courtyards even if nothing's on; the scale and the Churriguera doorway are the point. Closed Mondays.

3. Plaza de las Comendadoras
The square behind the barracks, fronted by a 17th-century convent church and ringed with terraces under the trees. One of the calmest places to sit in central Madrid. Take a table and stay a while.

4. Calle de Conde Duque shops
Back along the street for the small independents — a couple of bookshops, design studios, a quiet café or two. Browse the windows; the pace here is deliberately slow.

5. Plaza del Conde del Valle de Suchil
A round, leafy junction at the top edge of the barrio with terraces and a fountain. A two-minute pause off the route to see the residential north-west at its most settled.

6. Plaza de España
End at the big square below, replanted and reopened in 2021, with the Cervantes monument and Don Quixote in bronze. The Metro is right here; the Royal Palace gardens are a short walk on.

Conde Duque and the streets above