As said before, yes it is a touristy place, but as a tourist its one of the sights to see. A pretty rectangular square, with cafes and restaurants around the perimeter, a statue in the middle, some lovely olde worlde style lamposts, and lots of mime artists and entertainers around the way too. Restaurants all seemed quite expensive, and most... more

On our first day in Madrid, we walked over to The Plaza Mayor...fun place, full of action, great architecture, plenty of entertainers to take fun photos with, very touristy...which was fine because we were tourists! Then we had our first glass of sangria at one of the restaurants in the Plaza and just took in the view, excellent! While we... more

Yes, it's a hideous tourist trap and it has the most overpriced restaurants in the city and even served up the worst cafe con leche I'd drunk in three days, but the Plaza Mayor is an essential must-see. There's just something about it. There's so much going on. But give the cafes and bars a wide berth. Far better options... more

The plaza seems to be more geared towards tourist, the atmosphere with musicians and buskers as well as turistic menus on the restaurants say it all. All the restaurants serve the same grub at almost the same price and same menu. Some of them come from the same kitchen or were instant microwave meals. But it's still a nice place... more

beautiful setting and all the restaurant have pictures for each dishes, easy to choose from. But am not sure about price wise more

Beware of selecting restaurants in Plaza Mayor, Madrid. A group of us went there, and after perusing the displayed menus and prices of the dishes on offer we elected to eat at Casa Carmen. Steak and chips was on offer at 24euro, so everyone chose just a main course. Previous to this we had eaten very well in small tapas... more

This place is the heart of Madrid, and it is filled with restaurants, shoppes, and lively people. It is a must see...We went during the day, and at night as well...There was man playing the harp, and tons of people sat around him and requested songs....Everyone was sitting on the floor, listening to this man play and having drinks...It doesn't... more

I was suprised to see negative reviews of Plaza Mayor since we had such a nice time there. Our hotel was relatively close, so we went a couple times to eat at the outdoor cafes and people watch. There are many different restaurants that have outdoor tables and they all have their menus displayed so you can pick what you... more

Plaza Mayor is a great place to have a drink, but if you don't want to be a tourist, go and eat in any of the brilliant tapas bars and restaurants in the surrounding streets. We visited 13-16 September and whilst the Plaza was full of tourists, they were mainly Spanish. The food was pricey but if you wanted to... more