The best parts of Madrid - and the worst

[richardksa]

What would be the best parts of Madrid to seek to live - and are there any that should be avoided?
Is it easy to rent and apartment and what are the legal necessities for residence?

[Marina]

Well it really depends in the money you are prepared pay and if you'd like to live in a residential area or in a very lively one.
I would suggest either the "Barrio the Salamanca" or "Retiro District" or if you want to live in the centre where is full of bars and cafes "La Latina" would be a great option.

Renting is not difficult, but the contracts are usually for one year minimum and its common to be asked for a "nomina" (the payment notification that companies give every month ). If you plan to stay less than a year you can still find apartments that are rented for weeks, months or the period that you wish but they tend to be pricy.

The legal needs depend if you are European resident, if you are it's more or less easy but if you aren't it could be more tricky.


Are you thinking of moving here???

[richardksa]

It is a very real possibility. I will be looking for somewhere to live by the middle of the year and I have fallen in love with Madrid during the many visits I make there. I am lucky enough to have a job where the place I live is immaterial, so long as it is near an airport. I now have the hang of the new terminal, but the first time is a bit daunting!!!! ???
Mind you, there is a lot of Spain I haven't seen yet. I automatically discount the costas. I have no wish to live with drunken brits. Am I unnecessarily predudiced? ;D

[Ben]

There are still parts of the costas with no drunk (or ancient) Brits! Parts of the Costa Brava are stunning... there's always the North if you are after hundreds of k's of Brit free coast.

[polostar]

Some of the places I would avoid would be lavapies and anything near sol. You might try looking at some of the surrounding afueras such as alcobendas, alcalá, or if you want one that has metro service, barajas. Barajas would be nice because it´s close to the airport and you're close to the city, but still far enough away so the prices would be lower and you don't have the big rush of downtown.

[richardksa]

Hi Polostar,

I don't know why I didn't think of Barajas myself, considering I actually have friends that live out that way! :-[ One of the reason I wouldnt want to live in the city centre is that I would need to own a car and finding somewere to park in Madrid looks like a nightmare. Barajas could well be the answer - but I keep my options open.

[Ben]

Parking in Madrid is a total nightmare. The only viable option is to rent (or even buy for the long term) a parking space in an underground garage. That costs around 100 to 120 euros a month but is well worth it.

[richardksa]

In case you haven't heard it, the "Mi Barrio" podcast from In Madrid podcasts was quite interesting. It featured La Latina, mentioned in an earlier post. I hope In Madrid wll make a series of these. That would answer my question nicely.

[Ben]

Yup, heard it, Rafe is a friend of mine. They do plan to make a series of these, absolutely. For those of you that don't know, you can pick up the In Madrid podcasts at: http://in-madrid.com/pod.html

[cascada]

When I am here I live in my piso in Moratalaz - its close the airport and very well connected ... Also as a foreigner it is appealing because it is the barrio madrileno with the least about of foreigners living in it (7% I believe is the figure) .. that was appealing to me becuase it is then by definition very Spanish - Sorry Ben but I too dislike the red cheeked drunken Brits of the costas :-) No offense to your fellow countryman :-)

[richardksa]

Moratalaz,

if you don't mind answering, what sort of rent could I expect to pay for a small flat in that area? And what is included? Local taxes, etc?

What would also be very important would be the question of internet access. Is it easy to get connected with broadband? Do you have to go through Telefonica?