Plaza del Callao

Plaza del Callao sits roughly halfway along the Gran Via and was built up between 1910 and the 1940s. For decades it served as the cinema heart of Madrid: the Art Deco Cine Callao of 1927 still stands, and so does the Cine Capitol inside the 1933 Edificio Carrion, topped by the famous Schweppes neon sign that dominates every picture of the Gran Via. The handsome facade opposite belongs to the former Coliseum insurance building of 1933. Today the plaza is fully pedestrianised and one of the busiest points in Madrid, with a Fnac, large fashion chains and a constant flow of tourists from morning to late evening.