Madrid and the Castilian Cities

Spain's grand capital paired with four walled Castilian cities — Roman aqueducts, medieval mystics and Renaissance universities — each an easy rail day trip.

• Stop: Madrid
• Stop: Segovia
• Stop: Ávila
• Stop: Salamanca
• Stop: Toledo

• Sol, Letras and Lavapiés: Containing the symbolic centre of the city, an important shopping and social meeting area; the writers' quarter with a high concentration of bars, pubs, restaurants and hotels; and the multicultural quarter with a large population with African, Asian or Latin American roots, world music bars, alternative theatres and art galleries.
• La Latina and Austrias: Madrid's "old town": a typically Mediterranean quarter, characterised by narrow lanes and colourful buildings from the 18th century, its history going back to the Moorish era. This is the place to go for tapas, stylish bars full of bohemian young people and Madrid's biggest flea market. The palace quarter is dominated by the royal residence and representative buildings from the Golden Age of the Spanish Empire.
• Retiro and Paseo del Arte: East of the city centre. Parque del Buen Retiro is a huge urban park, one of the green lungs of Madrid, dating back to the imperial age. The Paseo del Arte—or "museum triangle"– is where Madrid's most famous museums and art collections are found, a must-go for all those who want to see the works of El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Picasso and Dalí.
• Malasaña and Chueca: The city's hip and alternative area. You can enjoy a café, a dinner, a book or just some drink, and shop for vintage fashion, artisan craftwork and young designers' stuff in Malasaña, the northern part of the city centre. At night, a few rock and pop music clubs open their doors. The nearby Conde Duque neighbourhood shares a similar audience and is full of cafés and restaurants. The Conde Duque Cultural Centre usually hosts shows, concerts and exhibitions. Chueca is known as the gay district with a very strong personality: new design, trendy shops, cool cafes, pop and electronic music.
• Salamanca: Madrid's fanciest (and most expensive) neighbourhood. Plenty of high-end boutiques of all international luxury brands, unique shops with impossible prices and department stores.
• Chamberí and Castellana: Chamberí is a middle-class residential neighbourhood north of the city centre with few tourist points of interest, but may be a reasonable choice for affordable lodging and dining close to the locals' everyday life. Paseo de la Castellana is Madrid's most prominent northbound arterial road, lined by company domiciles and office buildings. Admirers of modern architecture will find the tallest and most characteristic high-rise buildings along this avenue.
• Source: Wikivoyage, https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Madrid?oldid=5337760 (CC BY-SA 4.0)