1. Moncloa, Arguelles, Plaza España (Ciudad Universitario): These neighborhoods are not as centrally located as the rest but have some interesting options to consider. For starters, they offer some cheaper options for renting, as well as a quieter.
Universities area especially for young people famous and biggest public university Complutense, American universities, CEU, etc. The area is a lot of bars and shops. It’s also a relatively quick walk from Sol 15-20 minutes by metro 4-5 stops, also right next to the two most famous neighborhoods–Malasaña and Chueca. It also borders Chamberí.
Princesa, From Plaza de España to Moncloa, countless tourist attractions await you, including an authentic Egyptian temple! Princesa is one of the largest tourist destinations in Madrid, a district with many must-see attractions.
2. Chamberi: Located just to the East of Moncloa and stretches to the Castellana street where the business area, Chamberí boasts beautiful architecture some of its buildings are absolutely gorgeous, such as Museo Soroya, Instituto Internacional and even the British Council. It also has quaint plazas such as Plaza de Chamberí and Plaza de Olavide, the latter being my favorite plaza for drinking and terras time in all of Madrid.
3. Malasaña: Malasaña is the most famous student area, also known as the hippest part of town, especially for its history. Its main street, Fuencarral (a lot of shopping places, bars, restaurants, clubs), runs parallel to Calle Hortaleza, making Malasaña and Chueca very friendly neighbors. Its main plaza, Plaza del Dos de Mayo(students-Spanish meeting point especially Saturdays), was home to the battle in 1802 when the Madrileños rose against Napoleon on the same day. Now the plaza is full of cafés and restaurant terraces.
Malasaña is also home to Madrid’s breaking experimental movement known as “La Movida Madrileña” which sparked after the fall of Franco’s dictatorship in the late 1970s. The highly drug-ridden and sexually-open movement ran throughout all of the ’80s, and well into the ’90s, leaving a heavy imprint on the neighborhood. A lot of graffiti can be seen as you walk through its tiny streets, and the seedier places have since been replaced by high-end tattoo parlors, vintage shops, and trendy cafés, bars, clubs, and restaurants.
4. Salamanca: Salamanca is a very nice neighborhood, but on the higher end in terms of luxury and pricing. From designer shops to fancy restaurants, you will find everything in Salamanca is on the nicer end of the spectrum.
Madrid’s most fancy and luxurious neighborhood a lot of shopping stores serrano street. Located just above Retiro Park and to the East of the Castellana, this neighborhood’s two main streets are Serrano and Velázquez. It is much quieter than the other neighborhoods.
As in most fancy neighborhoods, you will find the high-end shoe stores, top-notch restaurants, and prime real estate. However, chic nightclubs and lounges aside, you will also be pleasantly surprised to find many fancy stores. After all, Salamanca is a neighborhood where people live in, and they too have mom and pop shops and friendly bars.
5. Chueca: From a hipster/trendy paradise, as well as LGBT friendly capital! is one of the best places to go out in Madrid. Its main street is street Hortaleza. Known as the LGBT neighborhood for the past two decades, Chueca is undoubtedly one of the trendiest nightlife destinations in the city.
During the day, Chueca offers fabulous restaurants, outdoor terraces, there is Mercado San Anton story gourmet food market offering all types of delicious food and nice rooftop. Chueca is also proudly home to one of the world’s largest Gay Pride Parades, as well as many other city activities. There are a lot of nightclubs, restaurants, bars, stores, and ambiance.
6.Sol: Puerta del Sol is the biggest attraction for tourists coming to visit Madrid located at the heart of its city center. It’s one of the biggest areas for shopping, and its bars and terraces serve up snacks, beers, and a lot of tapas restaurants. Bear statue (El Oso y el Madroño) is the symbol of Spain’s capital city. The center of the city is the easiest to get to and always packed with activities to do. Including but not limited to bars, clubs/discos, coffee shops, etc.
7. Lavapies, Embajadores: Lavapies is becoming one of the trendiest and Multi-cultural neighborhoods, despite its underground and rugged feel. This neighborhood has been occupied by African and Middle Eastern immigrants for many years. Lavapies now embraces its edgy culture, diverse cuisine, and alternative nightlife. Only one stop from Sol, Lavapies is the perfect place to check out Madrid’s changing personality, especially for its amazing Indian restaurants. Lavapies is lined with more hipster bars with tantalizing outdoor seating areas. Lavapies near to Atocha Street behind the Reina Sofia Museum.
8.Retiro: Retiro is a perfect neighborhood for people that enjoy being close to nature, as Retiro park is enormous and provides the perfect setting for biking, running, relaxing, etc.
Retiro is Madrid’s Central Park and also refers to the residential neighborhood which borders the park’s eastern side. It’s a great neighborhood to live in if you enjoy the quiet and want to leave the city noise behind. You can enjoy plenty of beautiful attractions such as the lake, the Palacio Cristal, rose garden and inviting green lawns. Also, you can find many free activities such as Bootcamp and running clubs, roller skating, yoga lessons much more fun.
9. Huertas/Barrio de las Letras: These neighborhoods boast some of the best nightlife spots around, as well as many gastronomic and cultural opportunities too. The latter neighborhoods offer some of the most culturally diverse options in terms of dining and general populations, with many bars offering tapas over a nice glass of wine or mug of beer.
Another name Barrio de las Letras there are a lot of bars, restaurants terrace only 5 minutes by walk Sol. It is nice to go out before going out and nightlife and clubs. Huertas street is lined with all types of bars, some upscale and some divey, plus lots of great restaurants. If you walk down Huertas street, you will arrive at Castellana street, Madrid’s largest boulevard which at that point is actually called Paseo del Prado, full of museums and sightseeing activities, thus turning Huertas into a good day-neighborhood as well.
10. Asturias: the oldest part of Madrid combines the majestic Royal Palace with the popular atmosphere of Plaza Mayor and surroundings; Plaza Mayor, La Encarnación Monastery and Plaza de la Villa, with buildings erected in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. This part of Madrid, peppered with churches and crowned by the Alcázar, was chosen by the Bourbons to raise the Royal Palace. Nearby are Plaza de Oriente, La Almudena Cathedral, which has a museum that gives access to the dome, affording beautiful views of the sierras, and other buildings from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries.
Some of these sights are the Collegiate Church of San Isidro, the Basilica of San Miguel, the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande which has a large art gallery with numerous works, including some by Goya and Zurbarán, and the Teatro Real opera house. Having visited the area’s entire monumental heritage, we can take a stroll through the clipped hedges of the Sabatini Gardens, at the feet of the northern façade of the Royal Palace.
11. Aeropuerto-Feria de Madrid: Are you coming to Madrid on business? Enjoy your leisure time in the area around the trade show center and the airport. Although it’s located further afield, the area of Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport and Campo de las Naciones, where the IFEMA-Feria de Madrid trade show center is to be found, is well worth a visit.
IFEMA is the venue for over 80 fairs a year, supporting numerous sectors of the economy. These include some of today’s emblematic events, which have become authentic ambassadors of the Spain Brand and the Madrid Brand. This is the case of FITUR, ARCOMadrid or the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid.
12. Madrid Río: Green area for sports and leisure on the banks of the River Manzanares. Inaugurated in April 2011, Madrid Río covers nearly 700hac of restored land. Madrid Río is one of Madrid’s major ecosystem-rebalancing projects. Part of the busy M-30 ring road running parallel to the River Manzanares was buried underground, which resulted in a vast 10km-long park that both locals and out-of-towners can enjoy.
The banks of the river and the surrounding area are filled with a wide range of recreational facilities and attractions that revolve around four themes – new architectural highlights, green corridor, sports, and leisure and culture.
13. Castellana: Discover Madrid’s financial district on a walking tour that passes by a sports classic: the Bernabéu football stadium. In the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries, the present-day Paseo de la Castellana ran north to south across Madrid. Starting at Plaza de Colón in the south, the first section of this thoroughfare has kept a few noble mansions that were once the typical constructions of the area, now housing embassies, ministries, and international cultural centers. In this initial phase, we can find the Open Air Sculpture Museum, located under the overpass joining Juan Bravo and Eduardo Dato streets, which has an excellent collection of Spanish abstract sculpture with works by Joan Miró, Pablo Serrano and Eduardo Chillida, among others.
The stadium can be visited on the Bernabéu Tour whose itinerary includes a visit to the Presidential Box, the dressing rooms, and the pitch, as well as visiting the exhibition of trophies and finding out more about the history of the club.
14. Casa de Campo: The largest urban park in Spain, Casa de Campo is a short drive walk from central Madrid. At over 1,722 hectares, Casa de Campo is the largest urban park in Spain. Situated to the southwest of Madrid, it’s flanked by the banks of the River Manzanares, the municipality of Pozuelo, and other wooded areas such as Monte del Pardo. The most common trees are holm oaks and pines, in the style of most meadows in the Castilian plateau.
