Before we even begin, I am going to add the disclaimer that I live in Madrid so never stay in hotels, so I cannot recommend specific hotels from personal experience. We receive NO commission for any suggestion below – they are places that have been mentioned or recommended by clients or friends who have been visiting Madrid and are designed to give you a starting point for your own investigations.
Stay Central!!
For me the choice of hotel is less important than the location. Personally, as long as I have a clean and comfy bed, a hot shower, nice people and a central location, I am happy because I am out on the street most of the time and I prefer to spend my budget on other things like food and drink!!!
Madrid is relatively small and has great and cheap public transport, but I would always recommend staying as centrally as possible unless of course you are just killing a few hours before a VERY early flight. And even if you are only passing through Madrid to catch a flight I would still recommend you take advantage of any time to see a bit of the city… and that means being in the city centre.
Once you get “downtown” you can walk nearly everywhere and simply strolling through the backstreets is often the best way to see the city.
The airport is not hugely far from the city centre anyway – around ½h by metro/train and a 45min taxi ride (with traffic, much less before 730h in the morning)…
Where to stay in Madrid?
The areas below are all very central and will enable you to visit the vast majority of sights and attractions on foot. I have put them in my personal order of preference.
Barrio de las Letras
This is the old literary quarter and is ideally situated for museums (Prado, Thyssen, Reina Sofia), full of bars and good places to eat and drink. An old neighbourhood with narrow streets, it can be a little bit noisy, particularly at the weekend, but if you are in search of a lively area with easy access to nearly everything, this is the area I would be looking at and would be the first place I would investigate.
Hotels in the area we have had people recommend:
Vincci Soho
Hotel Catalonia Atocha
Opera
Opera, as you can guess by its name, is the area around the Opera house and is very close to the Royal Palace. A nice area, slightly quieter, 5 mins walk from the Puerta del Sol (Madrid’s centre, centre point)
Accommodation in the area we have had people recommend:
Hotel Meninas
Palacio San Martin – tucked off the main drag on a slightly quieter little square but right in the centre of things.
My fríend Rosa and her sister have some tourist apartments which are low key but ideally located for exploring Madrid in the Opera area. I add a couple of links, but do message them as they are very helpful and have several different options:
Rosa Apartment
Irene Apartment
Plaza España
Not in the thick of things but again very near the Royal Palace and at the end of Gran Via (it is an uphill walk into the centre, but then again it’s downhill on the way home at the end of the night!) Bit quieter, big square, the site of some of Madrid’s first skyscrapers.
Possible lodging:
Hotel Riu – this is one of Madrid’s “hotels of the moment”. Opened in 2024, famous for it’s roof top bar (if you have a head for heights!)
Social Hub – Low key, basic, but comfortable accommodation with friendly staff and decent social area.
La Latina
This is one of THE areas for tapassing in Madrid so if you are looking for a bustling social area full of bars and little squares to sit out on and have a coffee/beer and people watch, this could well be the place for you. Do remember however that Madrid nightlife goes on till very late so it will likely still be fairly noisy at 3am!
Places to consider:
Posada del Leon
As this area is another historical hub of the city with older buildings where real Madrileños live, Airbnb properties are worth checking out.
Sol
You can’t get more central in Madrid as this is the city’s central square and the centre of the whole country! Bustling area with an easy walk to everywhere. Can be a bit noisy/crazy especially when there are demonstrations or public events going on…
Hotels clients have stayed in and recommended:
Hotel Europa
Hotel Regina
Gran Via
This is the best area to stay if you are catching a show or are in search of some retail therapy. Much more modern with tall modern buildings, it used to be known as the “Broadway” of Madrid but, while it still holds some big theatres, it is now a HUGE shopping street. Close to everything but has less “soul” and is a bit more of a concrete jungle!
Hotels where clients have stayed include:
Hotel Atlantico
Hotel Emperador
At the end of the day if you are just using it for sleeping, it really doesn’t matter which hotel it is but hopefully this has given you an idea of the best areas.
Areas bit further from the centre centre but still very accessible
Chamberi – more local neighbourhood. Good street to explore for tapassing in the area is Calle Ponzano
Salamanca – smarter, more residential area, home to the designer shops which can be found on Calle Serrano and Ortega and Gasset etc
Very Luxury Hotels!
These are all superbly situated in the thick of nearly everything:
The Palace Hotel
Four Seasons
Ritz
Other things to take into consideration
Hostales
PLEASE NOTE In Spain a “hostal” is NOT a youth hostal with dormitory accommodation, which is what springs to mind when you think of hostals in other countries. In Spain a hostal is just a more basic hotel (3* or below). Hotel prices have soared in the last 18 months in Madrid so if you are looking for cheaper options, do investigate the hostales.
Airbnb
Airbnb in Madrid is highly regulated in Madrid so any properties you find generally should be reliable.
Don’t do hotel breakfasts
As a general rule, I would avoid hotel breakfasts… They tend to be very expensive and nearly always the same, and there is nothing worse than stuffing yourself on a hotel breakfast because you have paid for it, and then missing out on all the great food at lunch time. Go and find a breakfast menu in a nearby café instead.
Don’t leap out of bed early
Madrid is very much a city of late nights and late mornings. Shops don’t open till 10am so there is no point of getting up early thinking you are going to see everything Madrid has to offer, because it won’t be open! To help you get orientated and to give you an idea of timings: Breakfast – any time between 8am and noon; Lunch – between 1pm (early) and 430pm (moving towards late); Dinner – after 9pm!!!!
Cars
Madrid city centre is NOT car friendly so if you are coming by car check with your hotel for parking options.
Running
If you cannot live without your morning/evening run, the Retiro park is a nice area to go jogging with a mixture of wide avenues and tree-lined paths.
Transport should you need it
Madrid is very walkable, so staying in any of these areas you are centrally located and should be able to get nearly everywhere on foot and where not, taxis are not expensive in Madrid or the metro works well. For more tips on getting around Madrid follow this link.