MADRID DISTRICTS:
Hello everybody! Some time ago I did a recap of all Autonomous Communities of Spain, and I think it’s about time I made one with the best place in all of the world, Madrid. It’s also gonna be really useful in Skam España, as they could visit some of the places I could mention here.
As a heads-up, I am from Madrid but not from Madrid City, so I don’t know it by heart. At first I was gonna talk about the peripheria and places in Madrid Autonomous Community in general and then go in-depth with Madrid City districts, but it got really long and I think it would be better if I leave it for another post. I already have all the info for the other regions of Madrid, so the post will happen real soon.
First of all, here is a map of Madrid’s towns, as you can see, Madrid City is not the only big place here.
And here is another of Madrid City districts:
But, tbh, this is really the map that we madrileños use more often, the public transportation one
So, let’s start!
1. CENTRO:
(for future reference, the picture shows the division in Neighbourhoods and a pic of some notable place from the district)
It translates to “centre” and well, it comprises the city centre. It has a lot of important places and monuments of Madrid, so I’ll try to be brief:
(Ok I didn’t know Centro was that big and had so much stuff holy shit. And there are lots of stuff that I didn’t include)
Puerta del Sol ( “Door of the Sun”): This is probably the neuralgic point of all Madrid, it is the perfect meeting spot and everything is closer from here on. It is one of the main squares in Madrid, and it is really important, as it hosts the “0 km” mark, from which all of the distances in Spain are measured. Also here is from where the New Year is greeted in all of Spain (I’ll try and make a post about all of the Christmas and New Years festivities in Spain when we get closer to them), as here is the clocktower that is shown in TV, that announces us the New Year after eating the 12 grapes as the bell is chiming. There’s also a certain statue that I’ll talk about later.
Plaza Mayor ( “Main Square”): This is, well, Madrid’s main square. Not much more to say, only than in Christmas there’s a marketplace where you can buy figurines for Nativities. Also, there is the tradition of having here a cup of hot chocolate with churros on New Year’s.
Gran Vía ( “Broadway”): This is the biggest and busiest street in all of Madrid. Think of it as, well, the Spanish Broadway. It is also filled with theaters, along with restaurants and shops, and I would say this is the most visited place in Madrid for sure, the true beating heart of the city.
Plaza de España ( “Spain Square”): In every major Spanish city there’s a “Plaza de España”, and although my favourite is Sevilla / Seville ‘s (look it up, it is beautiful), this is also one of the most important meeting points of Madrid. It is also one of the starting points of Gran Vía. And it has one of the tallest buildings in Madrid, the “Edificio España” (Spain Building).
Barrio de La Latina (”La Latina Neighborhood”): This is the most artsy neighbourhood in all of Madrid, full of theaters and colorful murals. It also has the most popular market of the city, full of color and all types of products.
Madrid de los Austrias ( “Habsburg Madrid”): This is for me the prettiest quartier of Madrid, it is basically part of the old city, with buildings from where the Habsburg family (or “Austrias”, as we call them) ruled Spain, from 16th to 18th century.
Palacio Real ( “Royal Palace”): This is the Royal Palace of Spain, where the King hosts official and important acts of every kind. It is actually open to the public if you want to visit it.
Catedral de la Almudena ( “Almudena Cathedral”): And, just by the side of the Royal Palace, lies the main cathedral of Madrid, Almudena Cathedral. Fun fact, there are a lot of women from Madrid called “Almudena”. This happens a lot, that usually men and women have the name of the main saint of the city or town. That’s why in Madrid there are also a lot of women named “Paloma”, the other female saint, or “Isidro”, the male saint.
Edificio Metrópolis ( “Metropoli Building”): You’ll see this building in all promotional pictures of Madrid, it’s kinda an emblematic building at this point, like our Eiffel Tower or something like that.
Chueca: You’ll know this place from Skam España, this is the LGBT+ hub of Madrid, a whole neighborhood full of pride.
Malasaña: This is the most popular, trendy and hipster neighbourhood in all of Madrid, everybody wants to live here and everybody who is an actor, musician, content creator, or an artist in general lives here. It is the most loved part of Madrid, and actually my father lived here when he first came to Madrid when he was 17! He said back there it was smuggling and drugs hub, so yeah… things have changed, fortunately :)
Barrio de las Letras ( “Neighborhood of the Letters”): Another of my favourite places of Madrid. A lot of writers either live or have lived here, and the streets are full of the inscriptions of verses and paragraphs written by different Spanish writers throughout history.
Museo del Prado ( “Prado Museum”): This is the most-known and biggest museum in all of Spain, it is our Louvre, and has really amazing paintings, from a lot of authors, but mainly of legendary Spaniards like Goya or Velázquez.
Museo Reina Sofía ( “ Reina Sofía Museum”): This is kinda like the MOMA, it mainly hosts art from the 20th century onwards, including the works of the Spaniards Dalí and Picasso. Its most important painting is the “Guernica”, by Picasso.
La Osa y el Madroño ( “The Bear and the Strawberry Tree”): This is a statue found in the Puerta del Sol that basically shows the symbols of Madrid (they are even in the city flag and shield!), a female bear and a strawberry tree (fun fact, in Spanish they are called “madroño”, a word that comes from “Madrid”).
Estación de Atocha (”Atocha Station”): Probably the most important train station of Madrid, along Chamartín and Príncipe Pío. The interior is really amazing, as it has a garden on the inside (look it up, it’s amazing!). Also it has near the station a commemorative monument in honour of those killed during the 11-M terrorist attack (here is what happened, if you want to know).
Also here are the campus of the Complutense University of Madrid and the Polytechnic University of Madrid in the University City, I just wanted you to know that.
2. ARGANZUELA:
(ok I just realised Atocha Station is in Arganzuela and not in Centro sorry people I messed up)
So Arganzuela is basically the Madrid Río district, a giant park and nature area by the Manzanares River. It also has some really cool buildings I’ll talk more about, but yeah, I think the most important thing about this district is the river and its surroundings.
Madrid Río ( “Madrid River”): It’s, as I have said, a park built around Manzanares River, the river that passes through Madrid. It has a lot of green areas and even a mini-beach to be able to survive Madrid’s summers.
El Matadero ( “The Slaughterhouse”): Previously a Slaughterhouse by the Manzanares River, now it is a complex where a lot of cultural and artistic activities are planned, it is now a hip and really popular spot.
Invernadero del Matadero ( “Greenhouse of the Slaughterhouse”): A Greenhouse open to public with a lot of species of plants. One of the various “Crystal Palaces” in Madrid.
Museo del Ferrocarril ( “Rail Museum”): Previously the Delicias Station, it is now just a museum.
Planetario ( “Planetarium”): Pretty self explanatory I guess.
Estadio Vicente Calderón ( “Vicente Calderón Stadium”): Old stadium of the Atlético de Madrid, one of the two main football / soccer teams in Madrid.
3. RETIRO:
Here is where the Skam España high school is located!!! Also, I made a post about my adventures going through this district, and specially through the Retiro Park, the main place of this district, so if you want to know a more in-depth look at this district, here it is.
Parque del Retiro ( “Retiro Park”): This is the main part of this district as I said, everything I’m gonna talk about in this district is in here, it is basically our Central Park.
Lago del Retiro ( “Retiro Lake”): This is the main part of the Retiro, a big ol artificial lake, you may remember it from the Skam España clip after Cris didn’t go to class.
Monumento a Alfonso XII ( “Alfonso XII Monument”): I honestly thought this was in honour of Carlos III???? Well, whatever. It is a beautifully breathtaking monument, my favourite part about Retiro Park.
Estatua del Ángel Caído ( “Fallen Angel Statue”): This is the only statue dedicated to the Fallen Angel in the whole world, so yeah, pretty badass.
Palacio de Cristal ( “Crystal Palace”): Yup, another one. But this one is like THE Crystal Palace you know, the og. It’s honestly really beautiful, it looks like an elvish home or something like that.
4. SALAMANCA:
This is the richest district of Madrid by far, full of “pijos” and snobs. Here are the most luxurious stores, and also it is a financial hub.
Paseo de la Castellana ( “Castellana Promenade”): This is one of the central streets in Madrid, and it is one of the most heavily business focused area, with a lot of Madrid’s few skyscrapers.
Biblioteca Nacional ( “National Library”): Not much more to add here.
Museo Arqueológico Nacional ( “National Archaeological Museum”): The best museum in the whole world (not biased at all, obviously). It is on the same building as the National Library, just at the other side.
Calle Alcalá ( “Alcalá Street”): Another of Madrid’s main arteries, there’s a “chotis” where it’s featured: Por la Calle de Alcalá, con la falda almidoná…
Puerta de Alcalá ( “Alcalá Door”): Our “Arc de Triomphe” or “Brandenburg Tor”, and one of Madrid’s symbols. There’s a song that talks about it, “La Puerta de Alcalá” by Ana Belén & Víctor Manuel.
Calle Serrano ( “Serrano Street”): This is the center of what Salamanca means, it is the luxurious shopping center of Madrid, full of the top and priciest international and national brands.
Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas (”Las Ventas Bullring”): Even though it is a bullring (one of the bigger, if not THE biggest, of Spain), I know it as a concert venue tbh. I have to repeat this because it’s important: the majority of Spain doesn’t support bullfighting, especially young people. Nowadays only conservative and / or rich people support it.
5. CHAMARTÍN:
Chamartín is probably the most finance and business district, full of offices and with the most notable skyscrapers in Madrid that made up its recognizable skyline, namely the 4 Towers and the Kio Towers.
Kio Towers: Two towers hanging at the end of Castellana Promenade.
Cuatro Torres ( “Four Towers”): These are, well, four towers, the tallest buildings in Madrid, and they are the most prominent feature in Madrid’s skyline. Fun fact, they are currently building a fifth tower!
Estación de Chamartín ( “Chamartín Station”): One of the most important and busiest train stations in Madrid. Fun fact, I go here every day on my way to university.
Museo de Ciencias Naturales ( “Natural Sciences Museum”): Pretty self-explanatory.
Residencia de Estudiantes ( “Student Dorm”): This is not any student dorm, this is THE student dorm. Here lived most of the most important personalities, mainly writers and poets, of the early 20th century, an age that Spain is called the “Silver Age” of writers, composing of the Generations of ‘98, ‘27 and ‘36. Some of these artists you may know, people that stayed here are for example the painter Salvador Dalí, the cinematographer Luis Buñuel, my favourite poet of all time, Federico García Lorca, other writers and poets like Luis Alberti and Juan Ramón Jiménez, the scientist Severo Ochoa, the musician Manuel de Falla, the philosopher José Ortega y Gasset, etc. It definitely is one of my favourite places of Madrid.
AZCA : The most important business area in Madrid.
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu ( “Santiago Bernabéu Stadium”): The stadium of one of the two most important football / soccer teams in Madrid, the Real Madrid.
6. TETUÁN:
Tetuán is one of the districts with more immigrants, and with more economic inequalities, with a lot of huts and some really rural-like parts with one story little houses.
Estación de Nuevos Ministerios ( “Nuevos Ministerios Station”): This is also a big train and metro station, and it is my favourite of them all, I’ve learned to love it because it is also the station I go to the most. Everyday I have to cross it in order to change from metro to train and viceversa on my way to uni.
Calle de Bravo Murillo ( “Bravo Murillo Street”): This is the main street of Tetuán.
Mercado de Tetuán ( “Tetuán Market”): This is the, well, market of Tetuán. Pretty self-explanatory.
Rural houses in Valdeacederas: I just wanted to show you how the “rural” houses in Tetuán look like.
7. CHAMBERÍ
Chamberí is another of the central districts of Madrid, with a lot of buzzing.
Hospital de Maudes ( “Maudes Hospital”): This was an old hospital, now is one of the councils of the city.
Museo Sorolla ( “Sorolla Museum”): This is one of the painting museums in Madrid, dedicated to the painter Joaquín Sorolla.
Teatros del Canal ( “Channel Theatres”): These are one of the main theatres of Madrid, at least for the ones who are not located in Gran Vía.
Torres de Colón ( “Colón Towers”): Two skyscrapers located in Colón Square, another neuralgic point in Madrid.
Canal de Isabel II ( “Isabel II Channel”): In Chamberí there are a lot of installations of the Isabel II Channel, the main channel that delivers fresh water from the mountains into the city, and makes Madrid’s water the best in Spain (we are really proud of it, you don’t even know)
8. FUENCARRAL-EL PARDO:
This is the largest district in Madrid and also the least inhabited one, as a big chunk of it is occupied by El Pardo, a big forested area that was previously the hunting area of the king, now a protected area.
Monte de El Pardo ( “El Pardo Mount”): I have already talked about this place, it is just a big forested protected area.
Cantoblanco : This is the main campus of the Autonomous University of Madrid (the best university in the world, totally unbiased. But really, statistically it is the best in Spain)
Avenida del Cardenal Herrera Oria ( “Cardinal Herrera Oria Avenue”): This is the main street in this district.
Hospital La Paz (” La Paz Hospital”): This is probably the biggest and busiest hospital in Madrid.
Palacio Real de El Pardo ( “El Pardo Royal Palace”): One of the many royal palaces in Madrid, this one was one of the vacation palaces for the king.
9. MONCLOA - ARAVACA:
This district has also a really big green area, the Casa de Campo, and it’s kinda wealthy, specially Aravaca and whatnot. This is probably the district I know the most because I leave near here, and the bus from my town goes up to Moncloa.
Casa de Campo ( “Countryside House”) : Another big park of Madrid, that was used as a royal hunting area.
Parque de Atracciones ( “Amusement Park”): Inside Casa de Campo and near the Zoo, it is the main Amusement Park in Madrid.
Estación de Moncloa ( “Moncloa Station”): This is one of the most important and busiest stations in Madrid.
Palacio de la Moncloa ( “Moncloa Palace”): This is where the president of Spain lives.
Cuartel General de las Fuerzas Aéreas ( “General Headquarters of the Air Forces”): Previously a palace, it is just by the Moncloa Station.
Faro de Moncloa ( “Moncloa Lighthouse”): You can go up here and have a really nice view of all of the city.
Estación de Príncipe Pío ( “Príncipe Pío Station”): Another one of the main stations of Madrid, the interior is now a mall, look it up, it’s kinda amazing.
(I just remembered I forgot to put Debod Temple, it was a gift from the Egyptian Government during the Aswan Dyke international operation, and it is a real Egyptian temple, in the middle of Madrid. Pretty cool, huh)
10. LATINA
Latina is one of the more humble districts of Madrid, full of buildings meant for workers in the nearby factories during the Industrial Revolution and whatnot.
Estación de Aluche ( “Aluche Station”): This is the main station in Latina, as Aluche is its main neighbourhood.
Paseo de Extremadura ( “Extremadura Boulevard”): This is the main street in Latina.
11.CARABANCHEL:
It is the most populated district of the city, and its considered like the “true” Madrid, people here fulfill all madrileño stereotypes, having a really neighborhood culture, where every neighbour is close, and they are really “chulos”, proud of who they are and where are from. It is also where San Isidro, Madrid’s most important festivity (I made a post about it), takes place, so that makes their inhabitants the most madrileño of them all.
Parque de San Isidro ( “San Isidro Park”) : The park where the San Isidro Prairie and San Isidro Shrine are located.
Pradera de San Isidro ( “San Isidro Prairie”): A prairie where it takes place the San Isidro festivity celebrations.
Ermita de San Isidro ( “San Isidro Shrine”): A Shrine dedicated to Saint Isidro, and that contains the magical fountain that grants wishes, according to legend, created by Saint Isidro himself.
Puente de Toledo ( “Toledo Bridge”): Probably the biggest and most impressive bridge over the Manzanares River in Madrid.
Palacio Vistalegre Arena ( “Vistalegre Palace Arena”) : One of the most popular venues for concerts and other events in Madrid.
12. USERA
Usera is basically Madrid’s Chinatown. Also, some neighbourhoods like Orcasitas are known for being one of the poorest parts of Madrid and having a high criminality index.
Calle Marcelo Usera ( “Marcelo Usera Street”): This is the main street of Usera.
Parque de Pradolongo ( “Pradolongo Park”): This is the main park in Usera.
La Caja Mágica ( “The Magic Box”): This is the main venue of Madrid for tennis, here takes place the Madrid Masters tournament annually. It is also used for concert and other events.
13. PUENTE DE VALLECAS:
This district, with Villa de Vallecas, forms the Vallecas region, the most humble and poor in Madrid, also one of the most populated and, kinda like Carabanchel, people here feel like true madrileños, even more than people in Carabanchel. It is also known for being a bit unsafe, especially neighborhoods like Entrevías. This district is known for hosting the “San Silvestre Vallecana”, a 10 km marathon that takes place every December 31st.
Estación de Asamblea de Madrid - Entrevías ( “Asamblea de Madrid - Entrevías Station”): The main station of Puente de Vallecas.
Estadio de Vallecas ( “Vallecas Stadium”): The stadium of one of the most known football / soccer teams in Madrid, Rayo Vallecano. People from Vallecas are really close to this team, and they treat the players like family, they are really tight.
14. MORATALAZ:
Moratalaz is another of the “true” Madrid kinda-districts, this one really nice and much more safer than the others I’ve talked about.
Templo de Madrid ( “Madrid Temple”): It is the biggest mormon temple in all of Madrid, and probably also the biggest in Spain.
Cuña Verde ( “Green Wedge”) : The green part of Moratalaz, with parks and forested areas.
Lonja ( “Marketplace”): The main hub of Moratalaz.
15. CIUDAD LINEAL:
This district is really interesting, because it started as a project of the architect Arturo Soria to create kinda an “utopian” outskirts of Madrid. In the end, it was only completed partially, and now it is just part of core Madrid City.
Calle Arturo Soria ( “Arturo Soria Street”): This is the main street of Ciudad Lineal
Cementerio de la Almudena ( “Almudena Cemetery”): This is the biggest and most beautiful cemetery of Madrid, a lot of historical figures are buried here, and it is full to the brim with amazing statues.
16. HORTALEZA:
Hortaleza is one of the nicest parts of Madrid, being the most known here the neighborhood of Sanchinarro.
Edificio Mirador ( “Lookout Building”) : A very weird building.
Iglesia de San Matías ( “Saint Matthew Church”): The main church of Hortaleza.
Silo de Hortaleza ( “Hortaleza Silo”) : A big ol tower.
Ciudad Deportiva del Real Madrid ( “Real Madrid Sports City”): This is where Real Madrid trains and whatnot.
17. VILLAVERDE:
Villaverde is usually considered as the most, as we say here, “chungo” district, that is, the most unsafe. It is also one of the poorest, and has one of the highest immigrant population of all the districts of Madrid. It also has a lot of industry and factories.
Plaza Mayor de Villaverde Alto ( “High Villaverde’s Main Square”): This is the center of Villaverde.
Parque de la Ciudad de Los Ángeles ( “Los Ángeles City Park”): This is the main park of Villaverde.
18. VILLA DE VALLECAS:
This is the other Vallecas district, so its characteristics are pretty much the same as in Puente de Vallecas, only this district hosts the historical center of Vallecas. I forgot to add that Vallecas is sometimes seen as its own independent city, and their inhabitants kinda seen it that way too. Also, for the longest time this part was full of huts and really really poor people, there are photos from that time and it really shows how much it has changed since the early 20th century:
Mercamadrid: Mercamadrid is the biggest and busiest marketplace in all of Madrid, and even probably in all of Spain.
Paseo de Federico García Lorca ( “Federico García Lorca Boulevard”): This is the main street of Villa de Vallecas.
19. VICÁLVARO:
Vicálvaro is another Madrid district that just feels like its own thing, like it was an independent town from the big city. It also has a lot of industry like Villaverde, but it’s generally regarded as nicer. It also, apparently, has the biggest sepiolite mine in the world.
Iglesia de Santa María la Antigua ( “Saint María the Old Church”): This is the main church in Vicálvaro
Calle Horno Labrador ( “Horno Labrador Street”): This is one of the main streets in Vicálvaro.
20. SAN BLAS - CANILLEJAS:
This is the biggest working class district in Madrid and also in Spain, having also a really strong “chulo” identity, being proud and having an amazing neighborhood culture.
Estadio Wanda Metropolitano ( “Wanda Metropolitan Stadium”): This is the new Atlético de Madrid stadium, and right now the biggest in Madrid (and I think in all of Spain but I’m not sure if Camp Nou is bigger)
Parque Quinta de los Molinos ( “Quinta de los Molinos Park”): This is the main park of this district.
21. BARAJAS:
Tbh the main part of this district is the Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas Airport.
Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas ( “Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas Airport”) : This is the main airport of Madrid, and the biggest in all of Spain.
IFEMA : This is the main conference and exposition center in Madrid, here are where all the expos and stuff like that take place.
And that was all!!! Hope you like it, it was a long of work (I spent like 4 days making this post end me)!!
And feel free to add and / or correct me in some things!!!