House-Museum of Lope de Vega

The Casa Museo Lope de Vega on Calle Cervantes is the home where playwright Felix Lope de Vega spent the last 25 years of his life until 1635, and where much of his extraordinary output of over 1,500 plays was written. The location in today's Barrio de las Letras is symbolic: Cervantes lived around the corner and is buried just steps away in a convent, earning the area its "Writers' Quarter" nickname. Opened as a museum in 1935, the house preserves the original Spanish Golden Age room layout, with a study, household chapel and a surprisingly lively interior courtyard garden. Guided tours are free but only by reservation and in small groups, preserving the intimate atmosphere of the house.