If you get the bus from Barajas to Avenida de América (the 200 - best deal in town and at only 1.50 the cheapest way to get from the airport into town!) you may spot this unusual building to your right. It leaves no one indifferent, and love it or hate it, Las Torres Blancas will make an impression.
You won't have seen anything quite like it before. The circular grey stacks make an incongruous sight in a city such as Madrid, which is pretty low-rise and very much not a concrete jungle. It is so ugly! Or so I once thought, but it grew on me!
81m and 23 storeys - when this building was finished in 1968, it represented the height of cutting edge design and the award winning architect Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza, who designed it and was influenced by Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, lived in it until his death.
So keep 'em peeled when you pass by in a bus or taxi - do you love it or hate it?
Avenida de América 37
€
free
Find your way with 258 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
"Autocine Madrid" is the largest drive-in cinema in Europe! My recommendation: grab a snack before the movie at any of the foodtrucks or at the diner.
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Hidden in Madrid’s Salamanca district, Brownie’s café offers a Parisian-style courtyard, specialty coffee by Hola Coffee, and a cozy mix of fashion and flavors.
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"Microteatro por dinero" in Madrid is simple: 15m² - 15-minute plays - 15 spectators. It's a new way to to go the theater. What a thrilling experience!
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"La Pentola Mágica" in Madrid makes the best Italian food I ever had. The chef's a character, the food's amazing... I can't stress it enough. Just go.
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Madrid in the 1980s was certainly rocking and she became a fixture in the city’s music scene, always going out in her famous leather jacket and cap.
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Misión Café serves top-tier coffee and flaky pastries in a cozy, modern space — perfect for a quick fix or a slow, dreamy breakfast in Madrid.
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This fantastic wine shop, "Vino y Compañía" is the place to discover the fantastic variety and quality of wine on offer in Spain. Come with an open mind!
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Although it’s a Galician restaurant, they do an excellent paella mixta (chicken and seafood) and arroz negro, flavoured and coloured with squid ink.
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The apartment block this cafe sits under is an ugly beauty and I love it, not least for the exuberant planters that are an integral part of the building.
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I didn’t think Madrid was lacking anything but now I’ve found "Mazál Bagels and Café" I’m wondering how I survived without its bagels all these years!
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What sets this bar apart is its exceptional handling of ingredients, creating dishes that sing with Andalusian flair—a nod to Manu's roots.
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258 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
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