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Where to find the best shops and markets in Madrid

Madrid is the best city in Spain for shopping, but since it’s a big place, you’ll need to know where to look. Here you will find details on where to find the best shopping centers and districts in Madrid.

Madrid shopping districts

Many of these parts of Madrid are on the Madrid tourist bus route.

  • Las Rosas A large shopping center with all the biggest brands in Spain. This is outside the city center so you may want to use the bus to get there.
  • Gran Vía y Sol The biggest brands have their biggest stores in this area. The most prominent are the Inditex chains owned by Amancio Ortega Gaona, such as Zara, Pull & Bear and Stradivarius. This giant of the Spanish garment industry is expanding to other parts of Europe, but its motherships can be found on or near Gran Vía. Be sure to look up at the sky on Gran Vía – many of the buildings are most interesting on the roof. Here you will also find the largest cinemas in Madrid (and Spain).
  • Principe Pío A bus and train hub, there is also a modern shopping center built on top. The largest and most central indoor shopping center in Madrid, perfect for when you don’t want the rain to spoil your purchases. The fastest way to get to Príncipe Pío is by metro shuttle from Opera metro station.
  • Ortega y Gasset This is the classy district, where people like Victoria Beckham and the wives of other footballers go shopping. Not far away, on c / Serrano you will find ABC Serrano , a three-story shopping center with some of the most expensive clothing stores in Europe.
  • Fuencarral and Hortaleza Right next to Gran Vía is the nonconformist paradise of c / Fuencarral and c / Hortaleza. To the right is Chueca, the gay district of Madrid, to the left is Malasaña, the most modern part of the city. In the middle is where they do their shopping. Although many of the trendier stores are being pushed out by the big brands, you can still get modern and quite individual clothing in the Fuencarral market. Don’t be put off if the first thing you see is outrageously expensive, there are bargains to have. Cheap shoes, in particular, can be found at c / Hortaleza. The nearby streets of Almirante , Piedmont and Argensola . Also, quite far, but out of place is the hippy market in Plaza Felipe II, near Metro Goya.
  • Opera The area around the opera house is ideal for purchasing musical instruments, especially locally produced guitars.
  • Santo Domingo A bit like a ghost town in the center of Madrid, it’s not pretty or exciting, but there are some good record stores.
  • Xanadu One of the largest indoor ski resorts in Europe with an adjacent healthy shopping center.
  • The omnipotent and ubiquitous chain of El Corte Inglés department stores in Spain: they are so large that they count as their own districts. If you can’t get it from one of their many branches, it’s unlikely you’ll find it anywhere. Many try to avoid the chain in an attempt to keep the smaller stores alive, but it is often difficult to do so. Nothing beats El Corte Inglés for convenience, no matter how reluctantly you go.

Flea markets in Madrid

  • El Rastro The large Sunday morning market is located between the Tirso de Molina and La Latina metro stations. It was no longer a bargain hunter’s delight, but El Rastro is still a Madrid institution that needs to be seen.
  • Cuesta de Moyano Book Market Near the Retiro park and the botanical gardens is this row of cabins that sell interesting books, many of which are out of print. You can also find a similar permanent book stall in the Church of San Ginés. Don’t forget to browse your new purchase at Chocolateria de San Gines while eating churros and chocolate .
  • Coin and Stamp Market in Madrid In the Plaza Mayor every Sunday morning
  • Chinchón Market In the Plaza Mayor of this town south of Madrid. Saturday mornings.
  • Alcalá de Henares In c / Mayor, in this town to the east of Madrid, again on Saturday mornings.
  • Rastrillo de Tetuán A mini version of the Rastro, in c / Marqués de Viana, near the Tetuán metro. Sundays in the morning.

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