Which landmark hosts the main New Year's Eve countdown in Madrid, Spain?

Madrid's main New Year's Eve countdown takes place at Puerta del Sol.

Puerta del Sol is a central public square in Madrid and the setting for Spain's best-known televised midnight countdown. The clock on the square's Casa de Correos building provides the chimes that guide the traditional eating of twelve grapes. Large crowds gather there, while millions more watch the ceremony on television or follow it from home.

The square is also one of Madrid's most important civic meeting points. Its name means “Gate of the Sun,” and it developed from one of the former gates in the city's medieval walls. Casa de Correos, now the headquarters of the regional government of Madrid, is especially recognizable for its clock tower.

Puerta del Sol is sometimes confused with Plaza Mayor because both are famous central Madrid squares. The New Year's Eve grapes, however, are specifically synchronized with the clock at Puerta del Sol. The tradition has made the square a national symbol of the Spanish holiday.