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Confusion: Barrios, Areas, Streets and Metros

Several names of barrios in Madrid are also names of streets and Metros which are nowhere near the barrio. This can be a cause of confusion and misunderstandings. To give you a few examples:

Metro La Latina vs. Barrio Latina
La Latina is a Metro station in the very centre of Madrid near the theatres and Rastro. It is a vibrant, artistic, chic, costly area much sought after by many people who want to live in the heart of the city. People here mainly look to rent rooms in shared flat, studios or small apartments. It is difficult to rent larger three or four bed apartments in this area. The Latina barrio, however, is in the far South of the City, below Arganzuela and on the other side of the river. It is a working class part of the city, very cheap (compared to the rest of Madrid), quite removed from the City centre and not an area where we have very much demand at all.

Calle Fuencarral vs. Barrio Fuencarral vs. Fuencarral Village
Calle Fuencarral is a fairly long street that goes up to number 152. This street is very well known for it’s vanguardistic fashion clothes stores, mainly at the beginning of the street near the Gran Vía. From beginning to end the street is full of many and varied shops. This street goes through the very popular areas of Tribunal and Bilbao ending up in Chamberi at the Plaza de Quevedo. The end of the road is renowned for a large variety of cinemas which can be found there, its close proximity to the wonderful Plaza Olavide, and the fact that this part of the road is closed on Sunday mornings so that it is a purely pedestrian area. As a result of all of these things the Calle Fuencarral is one of the roads we have most demand to rent apartments for in Madrid.

Fuencarral barrio, however, is an extremely modern area in the far North of the City above Tetuán starting in Plaza Castilla and carrying on upwards. It is well known, apart from other things, for the four new sky scrapers that are being built there on the land that used to be Real Madrid’s training ground.

The village of Fuencarral is even further North on the other side of the M30 ring road within the Northern extreme of the Fuencarral barrio. There is virtually no demand whatsoever for housing in Fuencarral village. The demand to rent apartments and rooms in shared flats on the Southern extreme of the Fuencarral barrio is increasing substantially, however. Although people find the area above Plaza Castilla quite far from the city centre, there are flats and apartments here that are virtually brand new and relatively cheap to rent for short or long terms. They also find that communication links from Plaza Castilla to the surrounding areas of Madrid by bus and to the centre by Metro are excellent and all of this helps to drive demand forward here.

Calle Hortaleza vs. Barrio Hortaleza
Calle Hortaleza is virtually parralel to the Calle Fuencarral. More renowned for the many shoe shops around it than fashion clothes shops, this road goes through the extremely chic area of Chueca and there is an enormous demand here to rent rooms in shared flats, studios and apartments. There are multiple shops here to cater to all needs.

The Barrio Hortaleza is to the East of Chamartin on the other side of the M30 ring road. Far away from the city centre this is a fairly cheap area to rent flats and apartments, the residents here mainly being blue collar workers. We have very little demand for this area.

Gran Vía vs. Gran Vía De Hortaleza
The Gran Vía in Spanish is equivalent to the “High Street” in the UK and, I would assume, “Main Street” in the US. This means that virtually every city, town and village has one! With reference to Madrid, the Gran Vía virtually always refers to the main street in the centre of the city that goes from the Calle Alcala through to Plaza España. It can also refer to the Metro station on this street, which goes by the same name. It is one of the most well known streets in the city centre and has an enormous history, the official registered office of the worldwide conglomerate Telefonica, a huge variety of clothes shops and the traditional place for all Spanish film premiers in any of the many cinemas along this street, most world famous internationally renowned film stars have been on this street at some point in their career. We rent a lot of rooms in shared flats and whole apartments in, and around, this area. The Gran Vía de Hortaleza, however, is a small main road in the centre of the barrio of Hortaleza described above. An area to the East of the city, quite far from the city centre, relatively cheap, essentially for the working class community with little demand from our clients.

Retiro Park vs. Barrio Retiro vs. Metro Retiro
The Retiro park is an enormous park in the very centre of the city with a multitude of lakes, fountains, sculptures, buskers and much, much more. It's a major tourist attraction and something you should really not miss during your time in Madrid. Many people who have experienced the park and fallen in love with its attributes then start looking for accommodation close by. They wrongly think that, therefore, where they want to live is in the barrio Retiro. The Retiro park is actually bordered by four distinct barrios. The cheapest of these is Arganzuela to the South of the park, right next to the Atocha train station. This is an inexpensive area with a high concentration of immigrants from Africa and South America, among other countries. The most luxurious, and expensive, of the areas that border the Retiro Park is the Centro just to the West of the Park with the incredible Prado Museum, Ritz Hotel and Palacio de Communicaciones as well as many, many more important and historic landmarks. There are few opportunities to let flats and apartments here but a lot of demand, this means that rental prices here are well above Madrid averages. Above the park we have the barrio of Salamanca and the Metro Retiro, which is a lovely area of the city with an abundance of luxurious 19th century buildings and various possibilities to rent rooms in shared flats and whole apartments. Finally, to the West of the park we have the barrio Retiro. The Northern part of this area from Calle (and Metro) Sainz de Barranda upwards is an area we would recommend with an abundance of terrace bars in summer and a great atmosphere. There is normally a good selection of rooms in shared flats and apartments to rent here at reasonable prices. The advantage of this area is its proximity to the park, the disadvantage is the fact that it is fairly removed from the centre. The area below Sainz de Barranda is cheaper but not as safe and, therefore, not an area of Madrid for which we have much demand for property rentals.

Tags: Barrios, Areas, Latina, Retiro, Hortaleza, Fuencarral, Gran Via

18/05/2008 | 8277 page views

Areas of Madrid - My Personal Opinion

After 15 years in Madrid we think we have a right to have a personal opinion on areas and “barrios” of Madrid. We are open to comments for or against our personal opinions detailed below. This is not meant to be a definitive description and analysis of Madrid and its areas, it’s just meant to be one of many points of view. It’s even possible that there might be other viewpoints more valid than ours ... although it’s very unlikely!:

In general terms we can say that, for the Northern half of Madrid, property prices and luxury are proportional to their proximity to the Castellana and the centre, the closer you are to both the more expensive the property. In the Southern half of Madrid prices and quality, are generally based on their distance from the Centre.

Let’s analyse the different areas of Madrid:

CENTRO
The centre of Madrid is extremely clean, compared to most other capital city centres. It is also very safe; muggings and violent crime are virtually unheard of. However, it is plagued by pickpockets; Madrid has the third highest incidence of this sort of crime in the world.

Without a shadow of a doubt the centre of Madrid is the place to live if you want to savour the true Madrileñian lifestyle. It is a bustling city centre that never sleeps. It is full of shops, bars, restaurants and clubs and the only thing it doesn’t offer is the chance to get bored! The centre is rife with history on every corner, there are better and worse parts, noisier and quieter areas but these are always interesting and exciting and the Centre caters to all tastes and needs. With a wide variety of accomodation for short or long therm lets this area is highly recommended as a base for your home in Madrid.

CHAMBERI
Just to the North of the Centre, but only a ten minute Metro ride from the very centre of Madrid, is Chamberí. This is an essentially residential and quiet part of the City and it's an interesting choice for many people. It is the second most luxurious area of Madrid, extremely safe and with an extremely low crime rate. Chamberí has abundant “cervecerias” and cafeterias that are ideal for relaxing alone or with friends. The Plaza Olavide deserves a special mention with its numerous terrace bars, restaurants, fountains and generally laid-back atmosphere.

Calle Fuencarral with its multiple cinemas and shops is great for Saturdays. Chamberí is popular with a wide variety of our clients as it is close to the centre, and the Moncloa bus station that most University students need to use. It has a major Cercanias (suburban rail network) and Metro station, Nuevos Ministérios, which makes it very convenient for professionals and students who work or study on the outskirts of Madrid and is also near the financial heart of Madrid. Whether you are looking for your own apartment or a room in a shared flat the Chamberí área will definitely not disappoint you.

MONCLOA
This is as far West as you can be housed in Madrid City. This area comprises three very different barrios. There is the traditional Moncloa area to the West of Chamberí and above the Centre of Madrid, where virtually all students want to be housed, near the Moncloa Bus and Metro Station. Then, below this, there is the area of Moncloa to the West of the Centre of Madrid below Calle Princesa and above the Rosales Park which used to be a very elite area of Madrid and, therefore, has numerous large, refurbished four bedroom apartments and smaller luxurious flats where large rich families in Madrid used to live. Finally there is the Paseo De La Florida / Aravaca area, which is much more modern and really quite removed from the city centre, not recommended for your stay here. Moncloa is close to the majority of Universities in Madrid; they are either within walking distance or a short bus trip from Moncloa Bus Station. In September and February the demand in this area is enormous and it is virtually impossible to find apartments or rooms to rent here so we would highly recommend that, if you want to live in Moncloa, you should reserve your flat or room in advance.

SALAMANCA
Traditionally the most luxurious area in Madrid and, therefore, the most expensive and safest. Salamanca is to the East of Chamberí and above the Retiro Park. The part of Salamanca between Velazquez and the Castellana is extremely exclusive and has an abundance of 19th Century apartments and flats of which the majority have been professionally and tastefully refurbished. This area includes the Calle Serrano, the most expensive street in Madrid with the Cartier, Gucci, Loewe shops and many, many more. The area between Calle Velazquez and Calle Francisco Silvela is more reasonably priced and still in the heart of Salamanca, the actual Plaza Marqués De Salamanca from which the area derives its name is here.

From the Calle Francisco Silvela over to the M30 ring road is also considered to be Salamanca although the purists don’t see it that way. This is an area built over the last fifty or sixty years a bit removed from the city centre and cheaper than the rest of Salamanca. Due to its traditional reputation of being the most luxurious part of Madrid, Salamanca has a constant demand all year round for rental of all types of accomodation from rooms in shared flats through to studios and apartments.

RETIRO
To the South of Salamanca and East of the Retiro Park we find the Retiro area. Please do not confuse this with the Retiro Metro Station which is in Salamanca just above the park. The focal point of the Retiro area is, obviously, the park with its various lakes, gardens, statues and buskers. It is always a good option any day of the week although it really surpasses itself on Sundays.

The part of the Retiro area which is close to the park and above Sainz De Barranda is what we would recommend, there is a strong demand for rental of rooms in shared flats and whole apartments in this area during the summer months due to the multitude of terrace bars and restaurants in the area.. Any further away from the park or lower down normally results in cheaper prices but a significantly less secure and appealing area.

ARGANZUELA
Below the centre of Madrid, occupying the Southern extreme of the city we find Arganzuela. Rented accommodation in the parts of Arganzuela on the border with the centre of Madrid are good value for money as this area is cheaper than the centre but extremely close and well connected. Further removed from here in the Southern extremes of Arganzuela we find an area much further away from the city centre and much newer to the Madrid skyline.

To encourage people to go to these newer areas, and compensate for the distance to the centre, the majority of these apartments have air conditioning, swimming pools, gyms, saunas and many other amenities. Many people are housed in Arganzuela because of its cheap rent prices and the fact that the Atocha train station is there, which makes commuting to the suburbs easier and quicker. Arganzuela is the cheapest area in central Madrid and is, therefore, less secure but, by no stretch of the imagination, could you ever consider it to be dangerous.

TETUÁN
Tetuán, just above Chamberí, is split down the middle by the Calle Bravo Murillo. To the east of Bravo Murillo we have the City area of Madrid with an array of multinational companies, sky scrapers and modern buildings. The West of Bravo Murillo is cheaper and reknowned for having a large South American community, flats here are a little bigger than average and sometimes have lovely balconies or terraces. There has been a lot of building development to the North and West of Tetuán resulting in very new studio flats and apartments available to rent there. The east side of Bravo Murillo consists, mainly, of apartments built around 20 years ago. Tetuán is a considerable distance from the centre but is home to several Universities and very close to the Nuevos Ministérios and Plaza Castilla hubs for connection to Madrid´s suburbs, it is therefore relatively cheap but well sought after and a viable option for your stay in Madrid.

CHAMARTIN
Chamartin is an enormous area to the North of Salamanca. The area close to the Avenida America bus and Metro hub is relatively close to the centre and interesting for airline staff as buses go from this station to the airport virtually 24 hours a day. This is a fairly inexpensive area with a high concentration of shops, bars and restaurants. As you go further North the area becomes more residential and there are less shops, bars etc. The Northern part of Chamartin, one of the quietest areas of this capital city, with the possibility to rent large apartments and flats is ideal for families. There are excellent transport connections here, the Chamartin train station with its extensive long distance and suburbian network and the Plaza Castilla bus station (on the border with Tetuán) with a large variety of buses to surrounding areas, villages and towns. Chamartin is a medium priced area quite far from the City centre where you can rent anything from a room in shared flat with bars and restaurants on your doorstep to large apartments in quiet residential streets, worth considering for your time in Madrid.

Tags: Centro, Chamberí, Moncloa, Salamanca, Retiro, Arganzuela, Tetuán, Chamartin

18/05/2008 | 9334 page views

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