What different parts of Madrid are like to live in — character, transport, green spaces, housing and honest trade-offs.
Madrid is described here by its districts and the localities inside them. This page currently covers 10 districts and 0 localities.
There is no “best neighbourhood”: what suits you depends on your work, budget, family and lifestyle. We describe places — we do not score them.
Larger pins are districts, smaller ones localities. Every place is also listed below.
Map of neighbourhoods in Madrid
District
A former industrial district south of the centre, inside the M-30, now known for the Madrid Río park along the Manzanares, the Matadero cultural centre and Atocha station. Asking rents sit slightly below the city average.
District
Madrid's most populous district, south of the river Manzanares: dense residential wards built around the former villages of Carabanchel Alto and Bajo, with Metro lines 5, 6 and 11, the Oporto and Plaza Elíptica interchanges and asking rents well below the city average.
District
Madrid's historic core and busiest district: the old town around Sol and the Royal Palace, Gran Vía's theatres, and lively neighbourhoods such as Lavapiés, Chueca and the Barrio de las Letras. Dense, central and the most expensive area to rent.
District
A well-off district in the north, east of the Paseo de la Castellana, with residential areas such as El Viso and Prosperidad, company headquarters, the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, Chamartín station and many private and international schools.
District
A central, largely residential 19th-century extension (Ensanche) with tree-lined streets, squares such as Plaza de Olavide, many modernist buildings and excellent Metro links. One of the most sought-after and expensive districts to rent.
District
A large, green district in the west: the central ward of Argüelles, the university city, the vast Casa de Campo park and, beyond the M-30, the outer wards of Aravaca, El Plantío and Valdemarín. Major transport interchanges at Moncloa and Príncipe Pío.
District
A large district in the south-east with an active community life, Metro line 1 along Avenida de la Albufera, Cercanías stations, the Rayo Vallecano stadium and some of the lowest asking rents in the city.
District
A central, mostly residential district built around Retiro Park, known across Spain, with grid streets in Ibiza and Pacífico, the Paseo del Prado on its western edge and Atocha station in its south-west corner.
District
An elegant 19th-century grid north-east of the centre, home to Madrid's luxury shopping streets around Serrano, many embassies and some of Spain's most expensive housing, with quieter, more varied areas in Guindalera and Fuente del Berro.
District
A varied northern district along Calle Bravo Murillo, from the AZCA financial centre and Castellana towers to older, low-rise streets, with one of the city's largest immigrant communities, very good Metro links and rents a little below the city average.