The Best Areas to Stay in Madrid for Any Budget

Centro is the Madrid of history and romance, where the royal families of Castile and Aragon held court and Hemingway wrote stories over a pitcher of beer in one of his favorite bars. Lose yourself for hours in the network of ancient streets around Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, but be aware you'll be far from the only one especially during peak season in the summer. Centro is divided into several smaller neighborhoods such as Cortes and Lavapies, but all are within walking distance of each other and the major central attractions.

Attractions in Centro

• Royal Palace of Madrid
• Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
• Almudena Cathedral
• Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
• Teatro Real
• Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
• Convent of Las Descalzas Reales
• Sobrino de Botín
• Teatro de la Zarzuela
• Museo de Historia de Madrid

The centerpiece of Retiro, to the east of Centro, is the enormous and verdant Parque del Retiro. Retiro also has the advantage of proximity to the Museo del Prado and the option of staying at some of Madrid's grandest luxury hotels.

Attractions in Retiro

• Museo del Prado
• Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
• Naval Museum of Madrid
• Museo Nacional de Antropología
• Hotel Ritz
• Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas
• Royal Observatory of Madrid
• Platform 0

To the north of Centro is Malasaña, generally considered to be Madrid's hippest neighborhood, replete with bars and restaurants that are popular with madrileños from all barrios. Malasaña also has the advantage of being just a fifteen minute walk from Plaza Mayor, allowing travelers to experience the best of modern and historic Madrid without troubling with the Metro.

Attractions in Malasaña

• Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Madrid)

Adjacent to both Malasaña and Centro is Chueca, best known as the center of gay culture in Madrid. Chueca is well-known for its liveliness as well as modern food halls such as Mercado de San Anton and Mercado de San Ildefonso. It is only slightly further than Malasaña from the main tourist attractions in Centro.

Attractions in Chueca

• Museum of Romanticism

Given the large choice of neighborhoods in and adjacent to Centro, it's difficult to think of a reason to stay much further from the center. One exception might be Salamanca, to the northeast of Centro. Salamanca is a grid of wide avenues and blocks of stately residential townhouses. The neighborhood is home to the vibrant Mercado de la Paz and the upscale food hall Platea, along with countless other restaurants and well-known fashion boutiques. Salamanca may be an ideal area to find more economic accommodations as well as street parking for those traveling by car.

Attractions in Salamanca

• Biblioteca Nacional de España
• National Archaeological Museum of Spain
• Las Ventas
• Museo Lázaro Galdiano
• Museo Casa de la Moneda