CervecerĂa Alemana
This 1904 beer hall was such a favourite of Hemingwayâs that he had his own table in prime position â in the window overlooking the beautiful Plaza Santa Ana. Today, there is a photograph of the writer hanging above his old favoured seat, so you can sit at the same table where Hemingway enjoyed a beer.
Plaza Sta. Ana, 6, Madrid, Spain +34 914 29 70 33
La Venencia
Little has changed in this sherry bar since the days of the Civil War, when Hemingway would pop by to hear the latest news from the Republican soldiers who frequented the bar. The rules established at that time, such as no tipping (Republicans saw themselves all as equal workers) and no photographs (in case you were a Fascist spy), remain in place to this day. Tabs are still written in chalk on the bar and the sherry is stored in huge, wooden barrels.
Calle Echegaray, 7, Madrid, Spain +34 914 29 73 13
Sobrino de BotĂn
Officially the worldâs oldest restaurant (it was founded in 1725), El Sobrino de BotĂn was a firm favourite of Don Ernesto, who used to enjoy its speciality, roast suckling pig. Legend has it he would arrive early in the day and write upstairs until his friends showed up for lunch, and was even allowed to make his own martinis. He also used the restaurant as the location for the final scene in his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.
Calle Cuchilleros, 17, Madrid, Spain +34 913 66 42 17
Sobrino de BotĂn, the oldest restaurant in the world and one of Hemingwayâs favourites|©Esetena/Wikimedia
Museo Chicote
Hemingway frequented this cocktail bar, supposedly Spainâs first, throughout the 1930s when it was a popular haunt with foreign journalists. Later, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardener would mix with the most famous bullfighters of the day in the cosy booths of this Madrid institution.
Gran VĂa, 12, Madrid, Spain +34 915 32 67 37
Las Ventas Bullring
Itâs no secret that Hemingway was a big bullfighting aficionado. He explored Pamplonaâs infamous Running of the Bulls in his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises, being a regular visitor there and at Madridâs Las Ventas bullring. His 1932 book, Death in the Afternoon, explored the culture and traditions of bullfighting. Today, you can still visit Las Ventas, which holds regular bullfights (the best time to see one is during the San Isidro festivities for Madridâs patron saint in May). If you would prefer not to see a bullfight, you can visit the bullringâs museum and take a tour of the impressive building.
Calle de AlcalĂĄ, 237, Madrid, Spain +34 912 76 12 87
Las Ventas Bullring in Madrid|©imagea.org/Flickr
Palace Hotel
One of Hemingwayâs favourite places to stay was the Palace Hotel (now the Westin Palace Hotel), supposedly because of its close proximity to the Prado Museum, where he liked to wander around taking in some of Spainâs finest art. He would often begin his evenings with an aperitif of a martini or two at the hotel bar, which also appears in The Sun Also Rises.
Plaza de las Cortes, 7, Madrid, Spain +34 913 60 80 00
Telefonica Building
Not a favourite haunt, but certainly a regular one. During the Spanish Civil War, Hemingway would run the gauntlet of sniper fire down Madridâs Gran VĂa to get to the Telefonica Building, home of the Office of Foreign Press and from where he would wire his reports. It was one of the first skyscrapers in Europe and today is the headquarters of the Spanish telecommunications company, Telefonica.
Gran VĂa, 28, Madrid, Spain +34 915 80 87 00
The Telefónica Building, from where Hemingway sent his reports during the Spanish Civil War|©Javier Paredes/Flickr
Matadero
This former slaughterhouse is today a thriving arts and cultural centre, but back when a young Hemingway visited Madrid he liked to hang out at the slaughterhouse in the early mornings. He would watch the apprentice bullfighters practise killing and the old women who would stand in line to drink the blood, which supposedly had nutritious qualities.
Paseo de la Chopera, 14, Madrid, Spain +34 915 17 73 09