(Please find below the fifth in a new series of Adventurous Appetites’ Bite-sized blogs, designed to provide information and opinions that may be useful for visitors to Madrid.)
Before we start, just a quick disclaimer to say I am not big into shopping (unless its food and drink!!!), but here is a quick guide on where to find things in Madrid if you are looking for a bit of “retail therapy”!!!
General shopping:
Gran Via is THE place to go with big wide pavements and LOADS of shops along its 1300m. Just be ready for LOTS of people as it is the most popular shopping street in Madrid with more than 10M visitors a year.
IT IS ALSO A GOOD PLACE TO GO ON A SUNDAY WHEN MANY SHOPS OUTSIDE THE CENTRE ARE CLOSED!
It has big shops of all the major brands such as H&M, Mango, Zara, Benetton, an enormous Primark; sporty brands: Adidas, New Balance, an official Real Madrid shop, an official Atletico Madrid shop, if you need to buy a football shirt; a few luxury jewellers like Swarovski and Sanz; a sprinkling of designer labels: Loewe, or Lacoste… AND MANY MANY MORE!
If your thing is spending a few hours spending, you should definitely have a wander along the Gran Via!
Designer Labels:
If you are looking for designer shopping, the best area to go is the barrio de Salamanca, particularly Calle Serrano and Calle Ortega y Gasset. Here you will find ALL the designer shops you could want from Gucci, Armani, Adolfo Dominguez, Salvatore Ferragamo to Cartier and Bulgari… Also explore some of the side streets like Calle Jorge Juan.
Boutique Shopping
The area around Malasaña and Chueca is full of more quirky, bohemian, boutiquey-type shops where you are more likely to find something unique. Check out Calle Fuencarral and Calle Espiritu Santo and explore the backstreets.
Shoe Shopping
Calle Augusto Figueroa is a street in the Chueca area which is almost ALL SHOES!!! It has everything from the traditional leather shoe shops to factory outlets and is a paradise for any shoe-shopper. BE AWARE MANY SHOPS MAY BE SHUT ON SUNDAY.
El Corte inglés
El Corte Inglés is THE enormous department store loved by the Spanish, forever!!!! If in doubt you will find it en “el Corte”... It has different departments in different buildings around Puerta de Sol in the centre centre and whole blocks in other areas of Madrid. Good quality, good selection, all in one place so very convenient, BUT quite expensive!!! Stocks a selection of brands from designer to more low-key. Their gourmet food section is a treasure trove too!
The Rastro (fleamarket)
The Rastro is an enormous fleamarket and a Madrid Sunday morning tradition! The streets of La Latina around Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores fill with market stalls displaying an enormous array of goods - second-hand books, clothing, antiques, nicknacks, artwork, pokemon cards, etc etc etc etc etc. It has a really bustling atmosphere and will be heaving with people, so be prepared to have a bit of patience and to go with the flow, and BE CAREFUL with pickpockets. Open from 9am to 3pm, I would recommend getting there around noon, spending an hour or an hour-and-a-half exploring and then join the crowds seeking lunch/a drink in the local bars -they don´t all fit in so groups of Spaniards gather outside sipping their beers! Really buzzy!!!
NB ONLY OPEN ON SUNDAYS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Typically Spanish!!
If you want something more exotic than a paella fridge magnet or a flamenco apron to take home, here are a few ideas:
Olive oil – Spain is the second biggest producer of olive oil in the world (after Greece) so some Extra Virgin Olive oil can something great to take home, either as a gift or for personal use.
La Chinata has great Olive oil and other products.
La Comunal is a shop specialising only in olive oil and is part of the Fundación Patrimonio Comunal Olivero. For people interested in serious Olive oil!!!
Alpargatas or Espadrilles – this ever popular eco-friendly shoe made from natural fibres and a rope sole are very popular summer-wear items in Spain.
Casa Hernánz is one of the most famous places to buy them and has been making them since 1845!
Fans – hand-made fans are something that were essential in Spain before the age of air-conditioning and are still used today whether as a fashion item or just to generate a slightly cooler movement of air on a stifling summer day. There is even a secret language of fan-flapping showing your interest, or not, in a possible suitor!
Casa de Diego in the Puerta del Sol has been selling fans (and other very Spanish items such as shawls, combs, parasols etc) since 1823. Don’t expect them to be cheap but they are very beautiful!
Turrón - this Spanish nougat from Alicante is the Christmas sweet par excellence and will be found in all Spanish homes at Christmas times. You will find loads of little shops dotted around the central area of Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. There are hard ones, soft ones, nutty ones, chocolatey ones, or if you can’t decide get a variety pack.
I like the Turrons Vicens in Calle Mayor 41, 28013 Madrid as they will give you a tasting session before you buy!
Spanish ham – what could be more Spanish than Iberian ham? You have different levels and qualities (do one of our tours to learn all about it!) You can buy ham and get it vacuum packed and it doesn’t even need to be refrigerated! We do however recommend keeping it in the fridge but take it out at least 2 hours before tucking in as it must be room temperature when you eat it!
Museo de Jamón – cheap and cheerful, if you get more than 300g they will vacuum pack it for you.
Joselito - Perhaps Spain’s most famous make of ham.
PLEASE NOTE: OFFICIALLY IT IS NOT PERMITTED TO TAKE HAM BACK TO THE US.
The opinions expressed in Adventurous Appetites’ bite-sized blogs are the subjective opinions of the author and are designed in all good faith to be helpful to the reader. The accuracy of any information shared cannot be guaranteed and neither the writer nor Adventurous Appetites Ltd accepts any responsibility for the veracity of such information, nor for any actions taken by the reader based on said information.
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