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The NH Housekeeper’s Tips
Wherever you choose to make your shopping in Madrid, you will soon see why Spain's cool capital is firmly in the vanguard of European fashion and style. Make sure you have extra room in the suitcase and make some fine purchases on Madrid's chic streets!
Shopping in Madrid truly has something for everyone. Fashion here ranges from high-end designer labels to the new-age hippy look and even the outright eccentric. Different styles and price tags can be found in different districts of the city. For example, Salamanca is known as the most affluent area of Madrid and thus elite boutiques by the most renowned local designers are located here. This area is also said to contain the best jewelers, with exquisite stones and diamonds on display.
Chueca is a more hip and Bohemian fashion area offering an incredible selection of footwear. This is the place to visit for more unusual pieces that give the impression of being bespoke but without breaking the bank. Here, common brand labels are intermingled with independent vintage shops and customers can explore some of the more unusual styles that Madrid has to offer.
Known the world over as a fun and vibrant LGBT-friendly community, the area stretching from Chueca to the avenues of Gran Vía-Fuencarral and Calle Goya attracts all kinds of creative minds. This helps to fuel its grassroots fashion scene, which is among the best in Europe and often feeds new talents onto the catwalks of Milan and Monaco as well as Madrid itself. This is the place to beat the crowds and get a leg up on the latest trends in European fashion. There is no better place to end up after a hard day of shopping than these colourful streets, where a mixture of the city's liveliest, classiest, rowdiest, cheapest and most popular bars are located. Countless performing arts venues showcase the latest from Madrid's thriving music and theatre scenes.
The center of Madrid houses more of the common brands and shops found throughout the world, such as Mango and Zara. Take a walk up Gran Vía, the impressive thoroughfare that never seems to sleep, and you’ll quickly get a feel for why Madrid is known for its all-hours lifestyle. Between the government buildings, hotels, theater houses, bars and restaurants are a multitude of mainstream shopping options. All your favorite brands beckon you in with highlights for me including New Balance, Pull & Bear, Camper, and Spain’s largest Primark store. Take your pick as you mingle with the masses.
As you can probably imagine, a thoroughfare the size of Gran Vía through the center of the city is interconnected with a plethora of intriguing side streets, all with their own personal shopping identity. If time permits, check them all out, however if I had to pick just one that shouldn’t be missed it would be easy. Calle Fuencarral leads off at the Gran Vía metro station and is my favorite place in the whole of Madrid to pick up some new threads. Its pedestrianized walkway has its own unique vibe about it, and I often find myself bouncing back and forth between the small doorways of Quicksilver, Levi’s, Gas, Calvin Klein and the rest.
Many of these shops will advertise on their websites the exact dates of their sales, so it is well worth checking online before booking your trip if you wish to indulge in the Madrid sales.
Making a beeline towards Sol, Spain’s geographical center, you will be greeted by a wonderful variety of shopping treats in its vicinity. Let’s start with Eduardo Rivera, sitting on the corner of Plaza del Ángel, and giving an exquisite selection of men’s and women’s fashion items in a beautifully laid out store. Another place worth visiting, even just for a look around, is right on the main Puerta del Sol plaza, Casa Diego. It’s the ideal place for high-quality, traditional Spanish items including umbrellas, fans and shawls. Truly authentic and fabulous if you’re looking for gifts to please those back home.
One other recommendation for shopping in the Madrid city center that I don’t want to miss is a shop held with almost mythical status in the Spanish capital. Down on Calle de la Cruz is Capas Seseña, where they have been perfecting the art of cape designing for over a century. Both men and women are catered for in an accessory that can be both daring and practical, but always stylish. Pop in and see what they do; you may change your impression of the item commonly believed to be only in the realm of superheroes and bull fighters.
A visit to our NH Collection Colón hotel places you right in the center of Madrid’s exclusive, up-market shopping zone. With wide, beautifully paved sidewalks, dotted with majestic trees and stylish benches, you can stroll past big-name designer stores, popular retail brands and quaint boutiques found nowhere else on the planet. Known as the Milla de Oro, the Golden Mile, is one of the best shopping areas in Madrid, a heaven for those that seek elegance and individuality, and just a short walk from the hotel.
The Golden Mile is certainly one of the classiest retail stretches in the world, up there with London's Oxford Street or New York's Fifth Avenue. Found in Madrid's exclusive Barrio Salamanca, it features rows of gorgeous shopfronts displaying the most beautiful recent additions to the canon of modern European fashion. Designer boutiques and flashy stores showcase the world's leading luxury brands, including Valentino, Chanel, Ermenegildo Zegna and Yves Saint Laurent. Alongside these stand a proud selection of cutting-edge Spanish designers, such as Roberto Verino and Victorio & Lucchino. Fashionistas and keen shoppers could spend hours ogling at the windows, but even those without prior interest in fashion will enjoy a stroll down this marvellous strip, also home to many top bars, busy cafés and exquisite restaurants.
The eastern edge of Madrid's old town is best known as the gateway to phenomenal cultural institutions, namely the world-renowned Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums. However, a little chunk of this central area holds a particularly romantic standing in the minds of generations of locals for a different reason. Sloping downhill from Plaza de Santa Ana towards the glorious greenery of Retiro Park is the Barrio de Las Letras, or "quarter of letters", named in honour of the numerous Spanish literary icons who settled here in decades and centuries gone by. The best loved former resident of this charming area is none other than Miguel Cervantes, creator of the seminal Don Quixote.
With its quirky buildings and winding alleys, this area may not be as strikingly studded with fashion statements and designer stores as Salamanca but it is nonetheless a haven for shoppers who like to step off the beaten track and make unique discoveries. Dotted along these old streets are some of the best shopping opportunities in Madrid, especially in the independent boutiques. Creative crowds are drawn to this neighbourhood, and it inspires and fuels some of the city's leading young designers, some of whom sell their latest work in the area.
The sales in Madrid continue around Cuatro Caminos, towards the north of Madrid, following the Castellana thoroughfare towards Chamartín. The area is not too crowded, if you want to escape from the masses while shopping. It has more of a neighborhood vibe and features large general stores and stores in various sectors, such as electronics and appliances, offering discounts. There is also a large space for clothing and footwear.
The Moncloa area is nearby, closer to the Complutense University, and has a similar shopping spirit, although the well-known firms, represented in the center, are also present here to offer their designs and footwear. Cuatro Caminos and Moncloa can be reached using the metro stations of the same name, on lines 1 and 3, respectively. From there, the Castellana area and the Malasaña neighborhood are also close by.
For those looking for something different, head down to Calle Luna and Malasaña. Some of the shops here have brass plaques affixed to them which read "Comercios Centenarios" – in other words, a century old! Many of these boutiques sell delightful surprises from yesteryear. It is one of the best shopping areas in Madrid if you are looking for some really heartfelt and unique souvenirs.
We often have to make a choice: do we fork out for a top-tier product, or do we gamble by paying less for something of lesser quality that might not last? This dilemma is summed up by the old mantra: you get what you pay for. Well, this isn't always the case with purchases in Madrid. At Las Rozas Village on the outskirts of the city, upmarket brands are available at a fraction of their normal retail prices. It’s one of the best shopping areas in Madrid if you’re looking for a bargain. Easily accessible from central Madrid via the nearby Pinar de Las Rozas train station, Las Rozas Village is well worth the trip for anyone with elegant taste but perhaps not bottomless pockets.
Summer holidays in Spain are characterized not only by long days on the beach sipping cocktails but also the start of the summer sales in Madrid. Usually starting around mid-July, the sales season tends to last until late August or early September. On top of these excellent summer sales, Madrid boasts another key discount season immediately following Christmas. These winter sales typically span from the first week of January until the start of March. Sales in Spain do not apply exclusively to fashion and clothing. The sales seasons mark the best times of year for nearly every type of purchase, from electronics to sometimes even property and business dealings!
It is worth remembering that purchases made by credit card by foreigners usually require identification. Be sure to carry your passport or identity card (for European citizens) with you at all times, but don't leave it behind on a shopping counter in all the excitement! In the main centre and busy districts, shops will generally operate extended opening hours during the sales and will not close for siesta. It is however worth noting that smaller stores in quieter neighborhoods may well still acknowledge the usual mid-afternoon break.
Spend less on your accommodation and more having fun! Find out more about our budget hotels in Madrid.
The NH Collection Madrid Colón hotel enjoys one of the best locations in Madrid, in the heart of the well-heeled Salamanca district. It’s footsteps from the high-end shops and restaurants along the ‘Golden Mile’ and the city’s best museums and galleries are within easy walking distance, too.
The NH Collection Madrid Suecia hotel, formerly known as NH Madrid Suecia, is in the heart of the city’s historic center. A chic hotel on Madrid's Broadway, Gran Vía, it's ideal for shopping and musicals alike. Renovated in 2016, the hotel was originally opened in 1956.
You could spend weeks exploring Madrid, but look a little further than the city and you will find that the region offers much more, including ruins, picturesque towns and quaint villages.
Madrid is a great place to experience the culinary delights Spain has to offer. Full of wonderful restaurants, markets and small eateries, visitors will encounter Spanish culture and an array of gastronomical treats.
Home to two of Europe's most celebrated football clubs, as well as a wealth of tapas bars, gorgeous architecture and raucous nightlife, Madrid has long been a favourite holiday destination with football fans.
Referred to as Plaza del Arrabal, Plaza de la Constitución, Plaza Real and Plaza de la República at various points in history, the name Plaza Mayor came about towards the end of the Spanish Civil War, and hasn't been changed since.
The Museo del Prado is the national art gallery of Spain. Spain's answer to the Louvre boasts a fine collection of European art, with galleries include paintings, sculptures and much more.
El Rastro dates back to the Middle ages and takes as its location the area surrounding the majestic Plaza de Cascorro and the part of Ribera de Curtidores that runs between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda de Toledo.
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