Quick answer: La Latina is Madrid’s tapas barrio and one of its oldest. Go on a Sunday after El Rastro, eat on Cava Baja, and look for three secrets most tourists miss: Plaza de la Paja and its hidden garden, 4,000 square metres of roses behind San Francisco el Grande, and a piece of the 11th-century city wall inside a patio at Cava Baja, 30.
La Latina is named after Beatriz Galindo, a super-smart woman who taught Latin to Queen Isabel in the 15th century. Today it’s tapas central. On Sundays half the city ends up here, balancing cañas and croquetas like pros.
The secrets of La Latina
Plaza de la Paja: the place to be seen for 700 years
In the Middle Ages this square was the centre of everything. If you wanted to be seen, you came here. The name comes from paja (straw): the priests of the Capilla del Obispo had mules, and the straw to feed them was sold here. Mules. That glamorous.
Today it’s the quietest square in La Latina, with palaces, terraces and a secret garden at the end: the Jardín del Príncipe de Anglona.
- Where: Plaza de la Paja
- Metro: La Latina (L5)
- Your Spanish: ver y ser visto = to see and be seen
Jardines de San Francisco: a secret rose garden in Madrid
Next to the enormous dome of San Francisco el Grande there’s a garden with more than 4,000 square metres of roses, where a convent cloister used to be. It opened in 2007. First it was full of dahlias, but dahlias don’t last, so they changed them for roses.
—Like men —says la Vikinga—. Short season, so you switch to something that lasts.
- Where: Gran Vía de San Francisco, 29
- Metro: La Latina
- Tip: in spring, first thing in the morning
- Your Spanish: no hay mal que por bien no venga = every cloud has a silver lining
Cava Baja, 30: the medieval wall hidden in a patio
Cava Baja, number 30. A normal door, a normal intercom. Inside the patio there’s a 20-metre piece of the Christian wall from the 11th century. Most of the wall was knocked down in 1561, when the royal court arrived, and what was left ended up inside the houses.
The neighbours hang their washing next to a thousand years of history. Ring politely: Hola, ¿puedo ver la muralla?
- Where: Calle de la Cava Baja, 30
- Metro: La Latina
- Your Spanish: quien no llora, no mama = if you don’t ask, you don’t get
Free PDF · No-Guiris Madrid · download it now
Want all 30 secrets, with la Vikinga and Puri, where to eat in every barrio and the Spanish you need at each stop?
Where to eat in La Latina
Cava Baja is the most famous tapas street in Madrid: every bar is a mini fiesta. Then drift to Plaza de la Paja. Remember: a tapa, a media ración and a ración are not the same size. Ask before ordering four enormous plates.
El Rastro, the Sunday flea market, starts at Plaza de Cascorro and goes down Ribera de Curtidores (Sundays and holidays, normally 9:00–15:00). You came for a walk. You’ll leave with a lamp.
Spanish you’ll need: sharing tapas in La Latina
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hola, ¿tenéis una mesa para dos? | Hello, do you have a table for two? |
| Sí, dentro. | Yes, inside. |
| ¿Qué nos recomiendas para compartir? | What do you recommend for us to share? |
| Una ración de croquetas. | A plate of croquetas. |
| Perfecto. ¿Y unas patatas bravas? | Perfect. And some patatas bravas? |
At El Rastro: how to bargain in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cuánto cuesta este libro? | How much is this book? |
| Diez euros. | Ten euros. |
| ¿Me lo dejas en ocho? | Would you let me have it for eight? |
| Venga, nueve. | Come on, nine. |
| ¡Vale! Gracias. | Deal! Thanks. |
Where do these stories come from?
I’m writing a novel about a copywriter who walks around Madrid when she can’t sleep, when a man leaves her, or when a deadline is eating her alive. Two voices walk with her: la Vikinga, who speaks English and has no filter, and Puri, who speaks Spanish and is shocked by everything. Every secret on this page is one of her walks.
The novel is Una felación al día (yes, that’s the title, and yes, it’s a novel, not self-help): a copywriter in Madrid, love, desire, friends and a mystery, all in Spanglish. When it goes on sale, this Madrid guide will come with it as an extra. For now, it’s free: download it directly from this page.
📖 Read the first chapter of Una felación al día for free. And if you’re learning Spanish, my book How to Speak Spanish with a Narco, a Philosopher and a Real Human is the next step after the guide.
More secret Madrid, barrio by barrio
- Secret Madrid: 30 Hidden Places and the Legends Behind Them
- Madrid de los Austrias: Secrets and Legends Near Sol
- Lavapiés and Tirso de Molina: Corralas, a Severed Head and a 1916 Cinema
- Malasaña Legends: the Fish on Calle del Pez, Manuela’s Scissors and the Missing Number 109
- Gran Vía Secrets: a Rhino, a Naked Man on the Roof and the Street of Disappointment
- Chueca Secrets: Saint Valentine’s Bones and the House of the Seven Chimneys
- Retiro and Calle de Alcalá Secrets: the Fallen Angel, the Two-Faced Gate and Tonnes of Gold
- Chamberí and Beyond: the Ghost Metro Station, Sorolla’s House and a Mine Under Madrid
FAQ
Why is it called La Latina?
After Beatriz Galindo, “La Latina”, a 15th-century scholar who taught Latin to Queen Isabel the Catholic and founded a hospital in the area.
What is the best tapas street in La Latina?
Calle de la Cava Baja. It’s full of traditional bars and gets very lively on Sundays after El Rastro.
Can you see the medieval wall at Cava Baja 30?
Yes, a piece of the 11th-century Christian wall is inside the patio. It’s a private building, so ring and ask politely.
When is El Rastro open?
On Sundays and public holidays, normally from 9:00 to 15:00. Check the official Madrid tourism website before you go.
— Monica Bernabe Perez