My partner and I are moving to Madrid from Scotland at the start of August and we are a little unsure about where to rent an apartment. We are looking to rent a one bedroom apartment and we don’t want to spend more than E 750 per month. Is this viable? and if so what areas can anyone recomend. We have been looking on Idealista.com mostly and the areas that seem to stand out so far are Palacio and Embajadores? What are these areas like in terms of safety and social life etc?
One other thing I was quiet concerned about is our distinct lack of Spanish. Will this make finding an apartment very difficult? I have the basics but beyond that I am struggling. I apologise for the barrage of questions but any resposes would be greatly welcome.
I gone and done you the courtesy of adding a poll to your post here, along with the names of the top 12 districts (as informed by a friend). I haven’t spent TOO much time in Madrid but am going to have to say Chueca is my favourite for the moment. It’s also more reasonable price wise. Salamanca is supposed to be very nice but more pricey.
Hopefully someone else will chime in at this point…
I live in Arg?elles and I do like this district for being next to almost everything : Malasa?a, Gran V?a, Sol, Casa de Campo, and for the shops (traditionnal, fashion, etc) and there is tube stations and bus everywhere. BUT what I dislike it’s its noisy nightlife. I’m quite tired of 18-20 years old ICADE students shouting and destroying everything they can at 5am. They drive me crazy! (I know, I’m getting old!!)
I believe that most of the places (Malasa?a, Lavapies, Chueca, Alonso Martinez, etc) do have the same problem (botell?n & co.) so I vote for the Barrio Salamanca because as a “posh” area it’s quieter. And I do like the buildings and the streets with trees as Hermosilla.
I was just wondering the same thing Yossarian… by now you’re probably already there. What did you decide? Do you like where you’re at? I guess the answer about best neighborhood depends on what your lifestyle is like. Like the previous poster mentioned the neighborhood where she lives sounds great if you’re a 20-something. Maybe not so great if you have small children.
I am thinking a two week trip to the country, spending the vast majority of the time in Madrid is just I need to do at this point. I want a quiet neighborhood that’s also got everything I need nearby and is close to public transportation. Guess that’s not too much of a tall order is it?
Best place to live in Madrid is not in Madrid, is Valencia. I lived in Madrid for 2 years. I hated it. It is a wonderful place to visit. I moved to Valencia and it is great. All the cultural stuff, and they are finishing the fast train where you can get to Madrid in 90 minutes. The apartment cost in Valencia is droping drastically now with the America?s cup leaving.
Believe me you will regret Madrid. It is a fast city, you are all your time on public transport, you can?t turn around on the sidewalk with running into 3 people. It is hot as a furnace in the summer and cold as the artic in the winter.
Sorry I did not mean to report your posting. I hit the wrong button. Not unusual for me.
Anyway, where is Las Rozas? Is that where most embassy families choose to live and is it near the American school? We may move to Madrid and I would greatly appreciate any advice about living in Madrid. I wrote a message in the Living in Spain section but I haven’t received any replies yet so I thought I’d with this post.
Las Rozas is about 15/20 km to Madrid downtown. Most families choose to live there to get out of the noise and it is perfect for children. The American school is not in Las Rozas I think, but not that far from it either.
It is quite expensive but worth living there.
I am talking about the new districts of Las Rozas, not the old towncentre.
Do you any of you know Aravaca and La Moralejas. Those are the two choices I have due to the locations of the schools I’m interested in, American School of Madrid and International College of Spain.
International school of Spain is situated in La Moraleja. La Moraleja is considered as one of the best districts to live in(also one of the most expensive)
La moraleja is also the place where David Beckham used to live:-)
Sorry I did not mean to report your posting. I hit the wrong button. Not unusual for me.
Anyway, where is Las Rozas? Is that where most embassy families choose to live and is it near the American school? We may move to Madrid and I would greatly appreciate any advice about living in Madrid. I wrote a message in the Living in Spain section but I haven’t received any replies yet so I thought I’d with this post.
thanks,
Ingy
The American school is located in Aravaca, Madrid and is right next to the town of Pozuelo, which is quite nice. Where do you intend to live? I ask because traffic is A NIGHTMARE in Madrid, some kids spend the better part of a couple of hours getting to and from school on buses. It’s best to choose a school as close to your home as possible or conversely choose a home close to your favorite school AND work. I’m American and my wife is Spanish and we wound up sending our children to a French school. Go figure. When we lived in Madrid Capital, My youngest went to school in LaMoraleja, Liceo Europeo…I cant say enough about that school…fantastic. We looked at TONS of schools so if you need any info, give a holler.
I also suggest “colegio europeo de Madrid” in Las Rozas de Madrid. I went to one of the european schools in belgium(private schools of the european goverment” and they are great for education.
