Spent 2001 and 2002 living single in Madrid and now moving back later this year with my wife and kids. Any recommendations on what part of the city to live in that will be good for a young family? I was thinking around Retiro near the park but was wondering if there are any places I am missing. Also, anyone part of the Newcomers club in Madrid? My wife was in the one in Mexico City and loved it

On a side note, I am happy to see that MadridMan moved to Madrid. Back in 2001 he was wishing it and now I see it came true. Congrats (even though it seems you have been in Madrid for a while).

it all depends on what you are looking for. I wouldn't live near Retiro because of the traffic and noise, and it is not cheap.

I used to like in Quevedo and hated that too, because of all the noise and traffic. Before Quevedo I lived in Tetuan (Sor Angela de la Cruz) and liked it. fairly peaceful as it is away from all the overloaded busy areas, but still in the city.

however, i now live outside the city in a village and would never ever return to live in the centre. i have peace, quiet, no problems parking my car outside my house. the village is nice, not suffocatingly hot in summer, i have a swimming pool, national park to go walking etc.

just depends on what you want...

I would recommend Moncloa-Argüelles area. Nice, well communicated (Moncloa and Argüelles Metro stations), close to Ciudad Universitaria, lots of commercial streets and restaurants (Pintor Rosales and Princesa streets), and "Parque del Oeste nearby". It is cheaper than Retiro, but less traffic and polution. Rapid exit from the city through the A-6 highway.

Here is the area:

Moncloa-Arguelles

PS: We are selling an apartment in the area if you are interested.

Regards,

Luis

Lol! Now I see why you are recommending the area Luis! ;-)

p.s. it is a nice area, especially if your wife likes shopping :-S

It is also well connected for buses and metro.

Lol..well even though it might appears I´m recommending that area for that "reason", I really like that "barrio", although it depends what jmp110372 is exaclty looking for. The idea of looking for something at nearby towns for a family doesn´t sound bad, but taking into account that they will probably have to use the car more often. Tell us more, and We´ll give you more suggestions.

Thanks for the help and will look up the 2 suggestions. My wife and I are both city people (born and raised in NY/Long Island) and we currently live in Miami and hate driving everywhere. I was thinking Retiro because I have a 2 year old and thought she would love going to the park. I like living where I can walk out of my place and have tons of options for Restaurants and Entertainment without having to drive or taking multiple subways.

I have been researching apartments and was looking for a 3 bedroom (I was not able to locate many this big). Most of the websites I have found are short term/Holiday rentals and the price was around 3K Euros/month. Is 3K Euros what I should expect to pay for an apartment that big? Also, how has the housing bubble effected the rents in Madrid? Have they been coming down?

Again, thanks for everyones help and I will owe everyone a drink at the next gathering.

The rents have come down a LOT in the past 6 months (and rents are very negotiable right now, whereas before the renter was at the mercy of the landlord). 3000 euros a month is outrageous for a three bedroom. Double (or more) what it should be. Check out idealista.com, you can narrow down the results by number of bedrooms and neighborhood. The area around the Ibiza metro is nice and fairly quiet (a short walk to Salamanca would get you to interesting restaurans). I think living next to the Retiro would be great. You might also look near the Palacio (a.k.a. Los Austrias), where there are nice playgrounds and lots of gardens (and it's just a few metro stops from the Retiro). Everything in the center of Madrid is walkable--the further out you go, the more dependent you will be on a car/taxi/bus/metro, etc.

spanishl, sounds like you're in/near the Argüelles area, no? I too like that area a lot but can't really afford anything there either. You'll have to give me some details about the flat you're selling.

The Quevedo/Chamberi area mentioned above by Daniel-Madrid is another one of my favorite areas. There, (and also in Argüelles) it's much cleaner, seemingly much safer (not that other areas are UNsafe, mind you), and there are parks nearby both of them. The areas are clearly "richer" as well (Argüelles moreso than Quevedo) so the public schools there might very well be better for your kids.

jmp110372, take a look at the rental options in Madrid at http://www.Idealista.com . These rentals are for "normal people", not short-term tourist rentals. There, a 3BR place might well run you 1K+ Euros per month, depending on A NUMBER of factors including the following: LOCATION (first), Elevator or not, garage or not, terrace/terraza or not, views or not, interior versus exterior. And yes, rental prices have come down.

And thanks, jmp110372. Yes, I moved here at the very end of 2005 and never looked back - although I visit "The Parental Units" once a year but am always anxious to return to Madrid. How can one NOT be happy when they're in the place they love - AND when they're able to work from home at their own pace?!

Hope you too can make the move. Here are some websites which might help:

American Women's Club: http://www.awcmadrid.com/
Kids in Madrid: http://www.kidsinmadrid.com/
Expat Women Living in Spain: http://www.expatwomen.com/countries/expat_women_living_in_spain.php

There's also a kind of American Club here in Madrid which "assists" Americans moving here but I can't find their website now. Don't put too much emphasis or dependence on these, however. Afterall, you'll be in Spain. Become Spain. Don't fight it and you'll be so much happier here. So many "Americans" come here and can't stand going 2 weeks without the taste of Taco Bell in their mouths. Those people won't make it.

Saludos, MadridMan

Just a comment about the schools... In Madrid, it's not the cleanliness of the neighborhood that determines the quality of the school, but the "dirección" and involvement of the parents. There are excellent, well-performing schools in humble neighborhoods and poorly performing private or public schools in wealthy neighborhoods. Some of the older neighborhoods actually have better schools, because the class sizes are more limited due to space (whereas newer schools tend to have bigger classrooms and cram more kids in per class).