Hi!
We're going to be in Madrid for the first week of December, and our plan is to rent an apartment. Any suggestions on a good area to stay in (or any to avoid), for two adults and a 3-year old?

Thanks!

Scott

With a three year old in tow , I would stick to the centre , most of which is perfectly safe to be in . Certain areas such as Lavapiés have had some bad press ( racial tensions ) , but most areas are fine . The 'Barrio' of Salamanca where I lived is very conservative , with good Metro links but not right in the middle of the city BUZZ areas . Chueca is the gay area and therefore the party area .. All areas around Chueca , Gran Vía , Sol will be noisy well into the early hours .Great fun unless you want to sleep . Some of the areas around Retiro Park are nice , even up towards Atocha .. Sort of medium busy .. Madrid's public transport system is vast and very efficient so you'll have no problem getting around . A nice quiet area to stay within easy reach of all the major areas is around the Prado Museum , though the Metro stations are a little spaced out . I stayed in Calle Cervantes many years ago , very near to the Congress building .. just a 15 minute walk to Sol ( max ) .. A very relaxed area within the central part of Madrid ( Also home to The Ritz hotel ) . The main Metro stations would be Atocha , Sevilla and Sol .

Thanks Steve - that's great! Very comprehensive and helpful info to aid in the apartment search!

Scott

stay in northern part of the city from Salamanca and cuatro caminos up towards plaza de Castilla, and Barrio del Pilar;etc. 3 yrs old kids dont fit in well in the center, and the metro will get you close to everything.

I, too, would recommend the Old City center, like around Opera, Puerta del Sol, even Gran Vía. I wouldn't go much further if you'll be pushing/carrying a small child with you everywhere. Plus, you may want someplace close by where you can take frequent breaks in your sight-seeing day.

Saludos, MadridMan

Thanks for the suggestions! We'd rather be in the middle of things rather than have to always use the metro, as long is it's not crazy noisy! And with a child, we don't get out a lot at night anyway, but we do enjoy city life.
We're currently in Barcelona, and loving it so far!

Scott

Old, downtown Madrid not really "crazy noisy". It's not like Times Square in New York City, that's for sure, but there is a lot of foot traffic along, say, the Gran Vía and the major arteries leading to/from the Puerta del Sol.

We'd love to hear of your experiences in Barcelona in the "Favorite Places" forum category if you'd like to offer them. Surely, it would help future travelers to one of Spain's most wonderful cities.

Saludos, MadridMan

I will post our experiences in Barcelona, as well as other parts of Spain. It's all amazing so far. Currently, we're in Granada.

Scott

I loved Granada although I only went the once and just stayed for 3 days with some Australian and English friends .
If you haven't heard it already then you should listen to Plácido Domingo ( born in Calle Ibiza - Madrid )singing the famous opera standard ' Granada ' . Very beautiful . I first heard it with a girl from Barcelona who was staying with me . She played the song and cried , such was the emotion of the words: "Granada,tu tierra está llena. De lindas mujeres,de sangre y del sol."

just listen to Granada by Ernesto Lecuona ::)
it has been sang by Placido Domingo ! amongst others.

very different than Barcelona,and for my taste better ::)