Bulevares (Los)

The Boulevards

Northern boundary of the old town

Description

Three roundabouts (Ruiz Jiménez, Bilbao and Alonso Martínez) connect these four tree-lined boulevards - Alberto Aguilera, Carranza, Sagasta and Génova - to each other. They correspond to what was the northern part of the old city wall. The northern gate was where the Bilbao roundabout now stands. It's an area that's well worth a visit if you want to really get to know Madrid because it's full of the usual contradictions - it's calm and noisy, elitist and working class - all at the same time. There are lots of good bars around Bilbao and Alonso Martínez for drinks and tapas.