Madrid for beginners… and not. Secret corners, cosy cafes, new shops, adventures in new districts. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a “beginner”, you will always discover something new about Madrid (we know something about it!).
helpMadrid has created this blog with the aim of entertaining people, but, above all, to help students and young workers to find a room and get settled in Madrid. A description of the city and its neighbourhoods and districts may be extremely useful when you are looking for a shared flat, especially if you are not familiar with the city at all.
We have already pictured for you some neighbourhoods (our adventure continues, don’t worry) and we have provided you information about its services, connections, etc. Before keeping describing you district after district, we want to make for you a huge overview of all the areas of the Spanish capital. As the tour could have been infinite, we will divide it in two times (or maybe more!).
How well do you know this city? This should have been the first question of this article! Whatever the answer is, you will be entertained with a wide description of Madrid and all the areas where you will go during your stay. Are you ready for the first part of this extremely instructive tour?
Before any list and description of the neighbourhoods, it is worth to spend some words to describe the structure of Madrid. There is a reason why we have decided to divide the information in different articles: Madrid is just too big to describe it in a single one!
There are in total 21 districts that cover the entire area (from the South to El Pardo) and each district is divided in barrios (the ones that we talk about in our articles). As sometimes the names of the districts and the names of the neighbourhoods match, this division may be a little tricky.
Now that we have solved this critical detail, we can go on and describe the “South” of Madrid! As you can imagine, we cannot describe every single neighbourhood, so we have selected only the ones where it is highly probable that you will spend your days and evenings…
Atocha
This is the neighbourhood of one of the main stations in Madrid. This part is not exactly the South; let’s say that it is the South of the city centre. If we suggest you to live here? Of course we do! No other neighbourhood may have those services and connections! Other strengths of this area? It is close to the museums, to the park and the city centre.
Madrid Rio
As the previous one, it is part of the Arganzuela district. As the name may suggest, this area is close to the river and has a brand new park to go jogging, for a walk or to meet your friends. It has a commercial area, too, with a shopping mall and other little boutiques. It is a little bit farer from the city centre; nonetheless, this neighbourhood is a great choice if you are still looking for a shared flat.
La Latina
Do you like restaurants, bars and escape rooms? Close to the pretty Plaza Mayor, this barrio is very good for its location and for the several activities that it offers. On Sundays, one of the most famous markets takes place in the nice streets of La Latina and we suggest you to go there at least once during your stay.
Lavapies
This neighbourhood is quite popular and it is similar to the previous one. Many restaurants, cafes, vegan supermarkets, small shops and international people. Furthermore, the cultural offer is extremely wide: poetry readings, theatres, the museum Reina Sofia (it is actually extremely close), cinemas, bookshops, etc.
Las Letras
This is one of our favourite neighbourhoods, with its pretty houses, the jazz bars the small shops, museums etc. It is named after the writers and intellectuals who lived in this area. If you walk through its tiny and picturesque streets, it is possible to see some commemorative plaque or sentences taken from some of the most important Spanish writers. Being extremely central, it is the perfect location for your new home away from home! Do you want more information? Just have a look at the article that we have written about this neighbourhood…
Paseo del Arte
Just around the corner of the previous neighbourhood, there is the majestic Paseo del Arte. As the name suggests, the most important and famous museums of Madrid are located there. Once you have enjoyed beautiful masterpieces, you can have a small walk in the park or go shopping in the exclusive Barrio Salamanca (we have already talked about it in one of our articles, link).
How do you feel after this long (but interesting!) city tour? We hope that you feel more confident when it comes to Madrid, the various districts and the flat hunting. At least you have a clear panorama of every single part of the city… the only thing you have to do is finding your new home away from home, on which we also help you!
Do you want more details about those districts? helpMadrid will keep writing about the neighbourhoods of the Spanish capital, so stay tuned and don’t miss the next articles!
See you soon… hopefully in Madrid!