If you are thinking of visiting the capital of Spain, the best area to stay in Madrid is the city center , district 1, which concentrates the main tourist attractions of interest to its visitors.Specifically, we refer to the Puerta del Sol , which is the Plaza that not only represents the center of Madrid, but all of Spain, near .
You will have a very good location if your hotel is in the vicinity of this Plaza.a few steps will have The Prado Museum, El Retiro Park, The Royal Palace, The Plaza Mayor, Plaza Santa Ana, The Thyssen-Bomemisza Museum and The Reina Sofia National Art Museum.
The main streets for leisure and shopping are also in the centre of Madrid: La Gran Vía , reborn lately as a leisure centre with the reconversion of the old theatres where nowadays the trendy musicals are presented; la calle Serrano , where the main shops of luxury brands are located and el paseo de la Castellana , that goes through the city from the Plaza de Colón, in the centre, to the Nudo Norte.
If you are interested in knowing where to stay in Madrid , you may also be interested in knowing where to stay in Barcelona, where to stay in Seville, where to stay in Granada and where to stay in Lisbon.
Other neighbourhoods to stay in Madrid
Barrio de las Letras
Due to its privileged location, the so-called Barrio de las Letras is one of the best options to stay in the centre of Madrid, since apart from its charm and cultural, gastronomic and nightlife offer, from this area it is possible to walk around the main attractions of the capital.
The Barrio de las Letras is bordered by the Triángulo del Arte (Museo del Padro, Museo Thyssen- Bornemisza and Museo Reina Sofia) and the Plaza Mayor-Puerta del Sol axis, the Atocha station being a short distance away.This modern station, located at the end of the Paseo del Prado, which can be accessed by going down Calle Huertas, is considered the nerve centre of the network of trains of the entire peninsula, and from there it is possible to take local, medium and long distance trains to travel comfortably to other places of interest, making day trips (such as to Toledo, Segovia or Salamanca) or visiting almost any other place in the peninsula thanks to the well known Spanish railway infrastructure, being able to take an AVE train that will transport us to Valencia or Barcelona in just 3 hours.
The Barrio de las Letras is so called because it was the place where great writers of the Golden Age of Spanish literature had their home.’, ‘Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, Quevedo and the playwright Lope de Vega lived and died here, and it is possible to visit his House Museum.
The area also has old low buildings with beautiful facades and numerous pedestrian areas.Huertas street is its main artery, and it not only has a wide range of restaurants and tapas bars, but is also one of the best options if you are looking to enjoy the Madrid nightlife.In this street you will find numerous bars with different atmospheres frequented by both Madrid residents and foreign visitors, and in the surrounding area you will find some century-old taverns that still maintain the charm of the most traditional Madrid.
At the end of Calle Huertas you will find Plaza de Santa Ana, with its large terraces and the Teatro Español, and a little further on, Plaza del Ángel, where the famous Café Central is located, offering live jazz sessions almost every day of the week.
Hotels in Barrio de las Letras
Malasaña
In the 1980s, the Malasaña neighbourhood was home to the so-called “Movida Madrileña”, the cultural movement that modernised Spanish youth after the dictatorship.Today, Malasaña has become the coolest and most underground area of the capital, modernizing its appearance but at the same time conserving its young and groundbreaking essence.
Malasaña has an excellent location as it borders the neighbourhoods of Chueca, Alonso Martínez and the famous Gran Vía.At its epicentre we will find the Plaza del Dos de Mayo, where the monumental arch that gave entrance to the old Monteleón Palace and a statue in homage to Manuela Malasaña, heroine of the May 2nd uprising, is preserved.Furthermore, in the Malasaña area we will find Fuencarral Street, full of shops to go shopping, and in the adjacent squares and streets, an infinite number of independent bookstores, bars with a “hipster” atmosphere, vintage clothing stores and boutiques with all kinds of accessories to decorate the clothes of the urban tribes.’, ‘
The streets of Malasaña are also known for their nightlife offerings because many of the best independent music bars in Madrid can be found here, some survivors of the mythical “Movida” such as Penta or the Milky Way, as well as discotheques such as the Pacha club, located near the busy Tribunal underground square.The area is full of restaurants and squares full of terraces where you can have a drink, but perhaps the most famous is the Calle del Pez, which is lined with dozens of busy tapas bars.In addition, in Malasaña you will also find numerous theatres such as the Maravillas Theatre, the Victoria Theatre and places with micro-theatre shows, which are an alternative to the classic offer of Gran Vía.
Malasaña is the ideal neighbourhood to stay in if what you are looking for is to be surrounded by a young and modern atmosphere at a short distance from the rest of the attractions of the city, although you should bear in mind that this is not an area characterised by its peace and quiet.It is a safe area like the rest of the city, although you should bear in mind that if you walk around the area at night there is the possibility of meeting prostitutes offering their services in some streets, especially in Fuencarral and Montera streets when crossing the Gran Vía, and it may not be the best option to enjoy quiet nights.
Hotels in Malasaña
Chueca
The gay district of Madrid’s capital is the best option if you are looking for the best bars and clubs in Madrid.
The area has excellent hotels of modern design, varied restaurants with the best of Spanish and international cuisine and a wide range of shops.
Fuencarral street marks the boundary between Chueca and Malasaña, and on the other side you will find the Plaza de Cibeles, which begins the Paseo del Arte, making it a very convenient location to tour the rest of the city on foot or by public transport.If you plan to visit Madrid in early July, bear in mind that Chueca is the nerve centre of the Gay Pride celebrations and both its streets and accommodation will welcome thousands of tourists from all over the world, for better or worse.
