On the Eastern part of the city you find the classy Paseo des Arte, with its beautiful foliage and three enormous museums, The Prado, the Centro de Arte de Reina Sofia, and the Thyssen Bornemisza, all clumped together just a conveniently short walk from each other. Small, seedy museums create the perfect ambiance to showcase the exclusive restaurants and apartment buildings in this area. To the rear of the Prado is the luxurious length of the retiro gardens, all covered with ponds and fountains, glass pavilions and flower gardens full of roses, a beautifully shaded area to take some respite from the heat of the summer.



The exhilarating barrio of Santa Ana is located just west of the Paseo del Arte and is characterized by tiled tapas bars and eateries lining it's narrow, bending streets. Cervantes and Lope de Vega's influences were instrumental in fashioning the area into a progressive, cultural bastion. In years past the theatres and brothels were in competition for customers. Today the theatres are a fun place to be in the evening when the sun goes down. The crowds fight for seats and standing room in the terraces and areas encompassing the Plaza. During the calmer daylight hours, chic dogs out walking with their trendy professional owners amuse and delight the older neighbors who relax on the benches of the area.

This magnificent plaza is the centerpiece of old Madrid. Although the vast and impressive square is now filled with tourists examining plastic covered menus at cheap cafes it was once the place where the throngs would gather to witness royalty being crowned and heretics being burned. The twisted and bent lanes that curve away from the square and the oldest lanes in the city, a final distant echo of the past of this beautiful city. Lined on either side with churches, palaces, convents, and speciality shops that make traditional guitars or sharpen your knives, all seem completely impervious to the slow passage of time. The newly restored Opera House resides just east of here, along with the Palacio Real, which is a wonderful exemplification of extravagant beauty.

These regular working category neighborhoods are positioned indiscriminately underneath the Plaza Mayor. Renovation is clearly underway in this area, showing its own cutting edge brilliance, even though it overall appears poor and run down. People from South America and North Africa, as well as natives from Spain and young musicians that are in business for coffee shops and bars make a interesting combination Do not miss the popular Sunday morning flea market, El Rastro, and then a tapas crawl.

Gran Via is a reflection of the best of east meeting west including the modern shops and classic entertainment venues. The neighbourhoods that are located to Gran Via's north, both have split personalities, being sweet and old fashioned during the sunny days, and wild and crazy in the darkness of night; that is the duplicity of Chueca and Malasana. Hip and super trendy shops and bars, along with the famously endless nightlife, make these places among the coolest areas in Madrid.

In the northeast section of the city, Swanky Salamanca is comprised of broad avenues containing chic apartments and fine restaurants. The feeling of money oozes out of this place, from the ritzy designer shops of Calle Serrano, to seeing Ferraris outside of clubs that one will never be able to get into. The Paseo Castellano features rows of glossy towers which are an excellent attraction, especially to visitors with an interest in modern architecture, while nineteenth century mansions add to the upscale atmosphere of this location.