Apart from tapas and sightseeing, Madrid is a great city to go shopping. In this post, I’ll write about some of the best shopping areas in Madrid. You’ll discover malls, some main streets and some outlets on the outskirts of the city.
I’ll divide all the information into three categories so you can find the place to go depending on the shopping you want to do and your budget.
Keep in mind that Madrid’s cost of living is lower than in most cities. So it might be a good idea to take advantage of this and do some shopping while you are here.
Some stores are cheaper than in the States, for example, Zara. I was shocked the first time I heard about how Zara is kind of a fancier brand in other countries.
I have created this map for you to check all the locations mentioned throughout this post.
Shopping Streets in Madrid
Calle Serrano
Serrano is where all the luxury brands are. Spaniards call it “La Milla de Oro”, which means the Golden Mile.
Gucci, Versace, Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Cartier are some of the stores in this area, and they all are within walking distance.
Serrano is a pretty long street. It goes from Retiro up to the Real Madrid Stadium. However, most of the stores are in the first mile starting at Retiro.
Calle Goya
This is my favorite street for shopping. It’s in the same neighborhood as Calle Serrano but with less expensive brands. Another reason for shopping in Goya is that it’s less crowded than other streets like Gran Vía.
Uniqlo, Zara, H&M, Massimo Dutti, Mango and Ikea City are some of the stores in this shopping area in Madrid.
If you want to get there by metro, any of the following stations will work: Serrano, Velázquez, Goya and Lista.
Calle Gran Vía
Gran Vía is the most iconic street in Madrid. It’s full of stores with beautiful architecture because they used to be theaters. You can tell when you walk in and see the high ceilings and open space. There are many gift shops where you can buy some souvenirs too.
On this shopping street, you’ll see Primark, Zara, H&M, Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Real Madrid Official Stores, as well as some restaurants along the way to take a break from all the shopping.
My least favorite thing about this street is that it’s usually packed. Sometimes shopping in Gran Vía is a pain due to the number of people that are out. Though, it’s a great street if you just want to hang out, see people and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city.
There are numerous buses that get to this area and the main metro stops are Callao and Gran Vía.
Calle Fuencarral
Fuencarral starts off at Gran Vía. Besides the regular Spanish stores, you’ll find some international ones like Brandy Melville, Birkenstocks, Foot Locker and Calvin Klein.
Fuencarral is narrow and gets pretty busy too. In my opinion, it’s a trendier version of Gran Vía.
Calle Orense
This shopping street in Madrid is close to the business area. You’ll find pretty much the same brands that are in Goya and Gran Vía.
It’s calmer than the city center. As a rule of thumb, the farther you get from the city center, the fewer people there’ll be in the stores.
If you want to get some work out gear, have a look at Decathlon. They cover most of the sports and the prices are competitive.
If you want to go shopping on this street, take line 6 and get off at Nuevos Ministerios.
Shopping Malls
Malls are a good alternative for rainy days, when walking from one store to another and getting soaking wet isn’t part of your plan. The only drawback is that some of them are farther from the city center.
Xanadú
This shopping mall is the biggest in the region. It’s a great place for shopping and doing some other recreational activities. They have the one and only indoor ski resort in Madrid.
You can get there either by car or by bus. The buses leave from Principe Pío.
Principe Pío
This mall is one of the few that are within a short metro ride from the center. Principe Pío has quite a few popular brands, as well as some restaurants and franchises where you can take a break and get something to eat.
There’s also a movie theater. Unfortunately, the movies aren’t in English. Check this article to see where you can watch movies in English in Madrid.
You can get to this mall taking the metro to Principe Pío.
Plaza Río 2
This mall is next to the park Madrid Río. That’s where it gets its name.
Some of the stores you’ll find inside are Zara, Levi’s, Guess, etc. They have a rooftop from where you can see the sunset while having dinner.
In order to get to this mall, you can take the metro to Legazpi and take a 10 minute walk across the park.
La Gavia
La Gavia is one of the biggest malls in Madrid. Try to go shopping here if you are moving into a new apartment and need some cheap furniture and basic stuff. I bought all of my cutlery, plates and glasses at Ikea.
Check the brands available at this mall. In my opinion, the best thing to do is to go there and explore the mall yourself.
La Gavia is on line 1 at Las Suertes.
Plenilunio
This mall in Madrid has some good stores too. The only problem is that you can’t access it by metro. If you want to go by public transportation, you can take a bus from Avenida de América.
Madrid Outlets
Finally, if you want to go shopping and get some deals, there are several outlets in Madrid. The only flaw is that they tend to be far away from the city, so you’ll either need a car or to take the bus.
Las Rozas Village
Las Rozas Village is a shopping outlet on the outskirts of Madrid. At this shopping center, you’ll find luxury brands at a discount. If you want to know more about the brands they have, check their webpage.
If you don’t have a car, the best way to get there is by bus. You can take buses 625, 628 and 629 from Moncloa. It takes about 30 minutes to get to this shopping center.
San Sebastián de los Reyes – The Style Outlet
This is one of the biggest shopping outlets in Madrid. It’s in San Sebastian de los Reyes, a city on the outskirts of Madrid. They have a good variety of brands that you can check on their page.
You can take line 10 to Hospital Infanta Sofía and then walk for 10 minutes. There are also buses that depart from Plaza Castilla, although, in my opinion, taking the metro is easier.
Extra: along the city, you’ll come across a few Corte Inglés stores. It’s a department store similar to Macy’s. I find their layout confusing, Sometimes it seems that it’s a maze instead of a store.
At Corte Inglés, you’ll find everything you might need in the same building, which is convenient. Because of this, the price you’ll pay will be higher than in most other stores.
I hope you discovered some good places to go shopping in Madrid. Do you have any other favorite place that I haven’t included in the list? Let me know in the comments.
