If you like the hustle and bustle of the big city, you’re going to want to live in the historic center of Madrid. The historic center is abuzz with restaurants, shops, theatres and bars. Most of the buildings in this part of town are quite old. Some have been completely rehabilitated and some have not. This means that searching for an apartment in this part of town is challenging
Depending on your price range, you’ll probably see a lot of apartments that would benefit from a major overhaul before you’ll find accommodation suitable for living. It’s also important to remember that a lot of the older buildings don’t have elevators, so if you’re not willing to walk up three, four or even five flights of stairs, always enquire about the elevator before visiting an apartment.
If you are interested in living in Madrid’s historic center, look for apartments near the following metro stations:
- Sol
- Tirso de Molina
- Anton Martin
- Atocha
- Lavapies
- La Latina
- Puerta de Toledo
- Opera
- Callao
- Gran Via
- Plaza España
- Santo Domingo
- Noviciado
- San Bernardo
- Tribunal
- Bilbao
- Alonso Martinez
- Chueca
- Sevilla
- Banco de España
- Retiro
Renting in the center of the city is more expensive than if you’re willing to live in the more residential neighborhoods that are about a 30 minute metro ride from Puerta del Sol. Thankfully, Madrid has an excellent public transportation system, and commuting is never a problem.
If you prefer an area that is more calm and quiet or would like more space, look outside of the center, which can easily be in Madrid proper and not in the “suburbs”. Some of the neighborhoods outside of the center are quite upscale, while others are more working class. There are also several more affordable neighborhoods known for their large immigrant populations.
The wonderful thing about Madrid is that each of its neighborhoods has its own personality. Spend some time walking around different neighborhoods to find out which one suits your lifestyle best. It’s usually quite a bit easier to look for an apartment once you know which neighborhoods you love.
