This portico lined square is situated at the heart of Hapsburg Madrid, the old part of the city and one of the capital’s most charming districts. Before Madrid became a capital city, with its wide avenues and boulevards, its footprint consisted of narrow streets, alleys and passageways, which today take us back to the times of swashbuckling swordsmen and medieval rogues. The foundations of Plaza Mayor were laid, when Philip II's court moved to Madrid, on the site of the former Plaza del Arrabal, where the town's most popular market was located towards the end of the 15th century. In 1617, architect Juan Gómez de Mora was commissioned to create a greater uniformity amongst the buildings in this location, which for centuries had hosted popular entertainments, bullfights, beatifications, coronations and the occasional auto de fe. https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/plaza-mayor-madrid

Together with Barceloneta beach, these are the city's oldest and most traditional beaches. They were the first to have amenities for bathing, an activity that was the exclusive domain of the city's well-to-do classes at the time. The recent building of a hotel has created a small, peaceful cove where you'll find a number of restaurants. http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/page/1113/sant-sebastia-beach.html