Madrid de los Austrias: the Habsburg core
The arcaded square, the oldest town hall, a covered market, and the lanes down to Sol. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Plaza de la Villa
Start in the small square the city governed itself from for centuries. Three buildings, three eras: the medieval *Torre de los Lujanes*, the Renaissance *Casa de Cisneros*, and the old town hall. Quiet at this hour — read the three facades against each other before you move on.

2. Mercado de San Miguel
The 1916 iron-and-glass market hall, now wall-to-wall food counters. Go in early to see the cast-iron structure before the crowd thickens; one *vermut* or a plate of olives at the bar is the right dose. It's a snacking market, not a grocer's — keep your appetite for later.

3. Plaza Mayor
Through the arch into the great enclosed square, finished under Philip III, whose bronze sits dead centre. Walk a full lap under the arcades — they once held bullfights, executions and royal proclamations. Step into the *Casa de la Panadería* corner to see the painted facade, then leave by the southern stairs.

4. Arco de Cuchilleros
Drop down the steep stepped arch out of the square's southwest corner — the knife-makers' street. Sobrino de Botín, signed in by the Guinness book as the world's oldest restaurant, is just below; you don't need to eat there, but stand at the foot of the arch and look back up.

5. Plaza de la Provincia
A short detour east past the brick-and-stone bulk of the *Palacio de Santa Cruz*, once the court prison, now the foreign ministry. The Habsburg-era spires and slate roofs here are the signature Madrid skyline — the *chapiteles* the Austrias brought down from Flanders.

6. Puerta del Sol
End at the half-moon square that's the country's literal centre — the *Kilómetro Cero* slab is set in the pavement outside the old post office. Find the bear-and-strawberry-tree statue, the city's emblem, then take the Metro from directly beneath your feet.

Madrid de los Austrias: the Habsburg core