Discover the best neighbourhoods to live in Madrid

Madrid is a city in constant growth. Although the population in Spain is starting to decline, big cities like Madrid and Barcelona continue to increase their population thanks to migration. And if you are here, it is probably because you want to move to Madrid and you don't know which area of the city is the best or which neighbourhoods are the best to live in Madrid. If you are an Erasmus student or want to relocate here from abroad, this post is definitely for you!

In this post we will try to clear up all your doubts about where to live in Madrid. Although the title talks about the best neighbourhoods, it will actually be a more general overview, dealing with both specific neighbourhoods and the best districts to live in Madrid in general.

It is important to clarify that this kind of lists are always very subjective, as everyone may have different priorities: for example, in many cases a young student will be looking for atmosphere, while a couple with children will want parks and a retired person will want peace and quiet. Therefore, I will try to specify in each section why I choose that neighbourhood and for whom it would be a suitable place. Without further ado, let's get started!

The best district to live in Madrid: The Chamberí neighbourhood

Although the top may be subjective, I think this is undoubtedly the most balanced district that can offer a quality of life that suits most profiles. It is one of the safest areas of Madrid, but at the same time it is very close to the tourist, commercial and business centre.

It has many supermarkets and several local markets nearby, such as the Vallehermoso market in Arapiles or the Chamberí market in Almagro. Despite its location, it is very quiet in the residential areas, and from any point in the district you can quickly reach Calle Fuencarral, one of the main pedestrian and commercial areas of the city. It is also well connected by metro. For example, from the Iglesia stop (line 1) you can get to Chamartín station, one of the transport and business hubs, in 10 minutes, while both from the same stop and from Quevedo (line 2) you can get to Puerta del Sol in about 5 minutes, in the heart of the city.

If I had to recommend an area of the district it would be between Arapiles and Trafalgar for young people and students, and Almagro for professionals or families.

Malasaña, one of the best neighbourhoods to live in Madrid if you like leisure.

Do you like to eat out, go for a walk or have a few drinks? Then Malasaña is probably the right place for you. Although it is a small area and does not even count as an administrative entity in the city (it is an area of the Universidad neighbourhood in the Centro district), it has become increasingly popular for its atmosphere, bars and shops. Moreover, although it is an expensive area, it is not as expensive as Chamberí or Salamanca.

It is also a well-connected area. It borders Gran Vía to the south, the city's main artery full of life and shops (along with the occasional tourist trap, it must be said). It has a couple of metro stations, such as Noviciado (line 2), Tribunal (lines 1 and 10), or Plaza España just south of the neighbourhood (lines 3 and 10).

This is also the area where I lived for a while, so it has my personal approval :)

Fuencarral-El Pardo, the best green district for families north of Madrid

We now move on to a more family-friendly area. The district of Fuencarral-El Pardo is one of the best areas for those who want to live a little further away from the hustle and bustle of the capital. It is one of the largest districts in the city in terms of surface area, which makes it feel much less congested. There are many green areas, schools and sporting activities, making it an ideal area for children.

Within the district there are several very different neighbourhoods. In some, such as Mirasierra or Valverde, most are detached houses with at least a small garden, making them ideal for large families or pets. On the other hand, there are areas such as El Pilar, which also have these services but with a little more atmosphere and cultural life. Finally, there are neighbourhoods such as Tres Olivos, with better communications and avenues without losing the quiet atmosphere.

Chueca, the LGTB and diverse neighbourhood of Madrid

Chueca...has a bit of everything. It is a neighbourhood famous mainly for its Pride and its relationship with the LGTB+ community, and for being where part of its historical struggle has taken place. There are all kinds of LGBT+ oriented venues here, from shops to bars and other entertainment venues.

However, this neighbourhood is much more than that. It's a very lively area, with beautiful architecture and, above all, a lot of inclusive, neighbourhood-based commerce. If you're vegetarian, vegan, celiac, or just like to try different things, you'll find everything you're looking for here. For example, there is an amazing vegan bakery, and even though I'm not vegan, I used to love to go there every now and then to eat some sweets.

It's also a pretty safe area, and despite the history and fame of the neighbourhood, it's a totally family-friendly place to live.

Moncloa, the student area par excellence

Although the district is called Moncloa-Aravaca, in this case I am only talking about the area around the Moncloa bus interchange, the south of Ciudad Universitaria and the Argüelles neighbourhood, as the rest of the district is quite far away and poorly communicated due to the huge Casa de Campo park, as well as not being the safest area.

That said, the neighbourhood is a very pleasant place. It has plenty of shops and restaurants, and is ideal for university students. The reason? Good atmosphere, proximity to the campus and slightly cheaper rents than the average in the city centre.

If you are a student and you want to be in a very comfortable area that makes things easy for you while still having a great atmosphere for going out, this is definitely the place for you.

Special mentions

These are also some of the best neighbourhoods to live in Madrid, but for one reason or another they haven't made it into the top 5. They are still very worthwhile, but I'll tell you some of the things to keep in mind if you choose them.

Barrio Salamanca

An extremely clean and well-kept area, with beautiful architecture. The location and communications are very good and except for some small and infrecuent thefts, it's a relatively safe area. Why isn't it in the top then? Mainly for 3 reasons:

• Price: It is a considerably more expensive area than the rest of the city. It is a neighbourhood where people with high purchasing power tend to live, which raises the price of rents quite a lot. It can be a great place to live in general and if you are not worried about expenses, but at least I think there are other areas that offer better value for money in Madrid.
• Bustle: This neighbourhood may be one of the best to live in Madrid, but at the same time it is quite bustling. There tends to be quite a lot of cars and some noise.
• Leisure: The Salamanca neighbourhood has very good restaurants. However, most of the locals around here are clothes shops. It is an ideal place if you like to be fashionable, but maybe it is more for passing through from time to time than for living there.

La Latina

Another of my favourite neighbourhoods in Madrid. It's a great place to go out for dinner or a drink, and has a lot of very good restaurants at a slightly lower price than average. It is also full of import shops and is a very multicultural neighbourhood.

However, it has two small problems. The first is noise. Most of the buildings are old and not as well insulated as they should be, so the atmosphere can be a bit disturbing sometimes if your aim is to rest. The second is also to do with the houses, and that is that most of them have very little natural light.

If you manage to find a property that doesn't have these problems, you will love La Latina.

Sol

Living in the heart of the city is not a bad option at all. Plenty of shops, restaurants of all kinds, lots of atmosphere and lots of things to do. The communication is also fantastic, both by metro and train. However, it also has some drawbacks.

The biggest problem is noise. You will need a very well insulated flat to avoid waking up at night if you live close to some locals. Another drawback is the lack of supermarkets nearby, as due to the prices of the rents it is rare to find large supermarkets and you will have to walk a bit or take the metro. Finally, although it is still a safe area, you do have to be careful about pickpocketing, as there are many people trying to catch unsuspecting tourists to empty their wallets.

Beyond that, if it is a well insulated property and you walk with a minimum of attention, it is still one of the liveliest areas to live in Madrid by far.

Other areas

Madrid is very big and there are other areas that, despite not being considered the best, are not bad at all. To avoid making this entry too long, I will tell you some basic information about them.

One of them is the Retiro district. Despite being quite popular, I'm not too convinced by it because, except for the Jerónimos area, everything is quite far away and it doesn't have much to offer beyond the park. It also has some less peaceful areas such as Pacífico (Pacifico means peaceful in Spanish, so this one is quite ironic) or Adelfas.

Another case is Arganzuela. It has the Madrid Rio park and a very good shopping centre. However, despite this, it is an almost completely residential area, and does not offer much to do.

Finally we have Puerta del Ángel. It is a neighbourhood that is gaining a lot of fame lately, and it is compared to Brooklyn in New York City for its atmosphere. However, it's still a bit far from the centre and, although it has improved a lot, it's still a bit busy and not so quiet.

And now it's your turn

And that's all for this entry. I hope you found it useful or at least interesting to read. Remember that this is something quite subjective, and although it is fairly justified and something that many people agree on, it doesn't have to be your case.

Now it's your turn to tell me a bit about your opinions, which area has caught your attention the most? Do you live in or are you planning to go and live in one of them soon? I'll read you! :)