Cut in the early 1900s as modern Spain's façade: Gran Vía's dome-and-statue-crowned buildings — iconic Metropolis, musical theaters, and shopping past midnight. Night is its true show: the lit façades from the Alcalá junction are Madrid's most famous canvas; the Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop (few euros) gives the panorama; summer heat finds serial air-conditioned refuges along it.