Not a real city district, this long continuous avenue is Madrid's north-south axis, its name changing along the way. Many restaurants and hotels are located both on it and along its side streets.
The Castellana is the longest and most modern section, descending from Plaza Castilla to Colon Square and including the skyscraper AZCA business center, the huge Santiago Bernabeu soccer stadium, and a choice of top hotels en route. Shorter and more intimate is Recoletos, linking Colon with Cibeles. Its central median is often reserved for antique book fairs, and its most famous buildings include the National Library and the Gran Café de Gijón.
Leading from Cibeles down to Atocha, the Paseo del Prado is the elegant final stretch. Tree-shaded and maturely beautiful, it's home to such incomparable city gems as the Neptune statue, the Bolsa (Stock Exchange), the Ritz hotel, the Museo del Prado, and the Botanical Gardens.