Area to stay in in Madrid
 

We are going to spend 5 days in Madrid in late September. We will be arriving by train from Barcelona and hope to stay in an apartment style accommodation. What is the best area to stay in in Madrid that is close to museums and art galleries and other amenities or close to transit stop that will take is directly to these? We'd like something a little quieter for sleeping but being close to things really is the priority

Public transit in Madrid is excellent...no problem there. Somewhere
between the museums and Plaza Mayor is popular with most tourists.

Take a look at Spain Select for apts.

I like Salamanca district. This is the posh area of Madrid. Lots of chic cafes filled with the "beautiful people."

I saw men here so gorgeous I got dizzy.

Thin

I always stay in elegant Salamanca ( been to Madrid eight times),
but many first time visitors might prefer to be closer to Prado and !/ or Plaza Mayor.

My Madrid friend calls Salamanca " barrio de lujo"

We stayed in an apartment on Calle Santa Maria last December for one week. We loved the location. It was very close to the museums and Atocha train station but the street itself was nice and quiet.

We walked pretty much everywhere and only used transit a few times.

Take a look at Maribel's Guide to Madrid. She has a description of Madrid's neighborhoods that you should find useful.

Last trip we stayed in Chueca. It is an area that has changed greatly and has many young people. We have stayed in different areas, the only one I do not like is near Sol or Plaza Mayor. But then again I do not like to stay near tourist epicenters.

Salamanca is a nice upscale basically residential area.

We also avoid anything directly on the Gran Via or other major streets.

We stayed in an apartment near Plaza Santa Ana in March and enjoyed the area, although in truth, we spent little time in our immediate neighborhood because we were so much on the go. The apartment was very conveniently located.

Here's the apartment: https://www.vrbo.com/691767
The owner has five or so apartments in the same building. We were very pleased with it, especially for the price.

"Salamanca is a nice upscale basically residential area. "

Salamanca is full of galleries, good restaurants and best shops in town,
but I would not recommend it for a first time visitor because it is
not in the " middle of the action".
Sol and nearby streets are not my favourite .
Santa Ana is very lively and often crowded.

You might wish to look at hotels or apt. and then get more input.

We have stayed near Santa Ana twice, I found the restaurants on the plaza lacking.

Salamanca is an upscale, vibrant neighborhood, with some of the best restaurants in the city, and of course the best high-end shopping. It also has the best market, La Paz.

Despite what some think, staying around Plaza Santa Ana is as close to being perfect for the first time visitor to Madrid. There is a lot to see and do within a 20-minute walk.

Strongly agree with Robert: "Despite what some think, staying around Plaza Santa Ana is as close to being perfect for the first time visitor to Madrid. There is a lot to see and do within a 20-minute walk."

I know most the central districts in Madrid, and
we always stay in this area (Barrio de las letras/Literary quarter). Close to all the museums, here are some of the best flamenco venues in the world, the two finest jazz cafés in town and many fine tapas bars and restaurants. http://www.spain.info/en/lugares-int...as_letras.html

World class flamenco in Cardamomo just off Plaza Santa Ana: https://cardamomo.com/en/

Café Central, top of the shelf both national and international jazz artists live every night, changing program every week. Have ended many Madrid nights here. 40 meters from Plaza Santa Ana: http://www.cafecentralmadrid.com/

And we always have dinner in Casa Alberto from 1827, also just off Plaza Santa Ana. Traditional Madrid food with a modern twist, an excellent tapas bar in front, popular with both locals and tourists alike, and one "sun" in the Guía Repsol, the Spaniah equivalent to the Michelin guide. Expect some 30-40€/person: https://www.guiarepsol.com/es/gastro...-casa-alberto/

My favourite tapas bar in Madrid, Casa Revuleta, is 200 meters from Plaza Santa Ana: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...ta-Madrid.html

And here's a guide to some other fine tapas bars close to Plaza Santa Ana: https://tapastalk.wordpress.com/tapas-bars/

Yes, Plaza Santa Anna is a GREAT place to stay in Madrid!!! So charasmatic and a great location....

For some cities, like Rome, I have agonized on where to stay because we wanted to be outside tourist central. For whatever reason, I stressed less about it for Madrid, perhaps because I chanced upon our apartment choice rather early in my research and didn't feel like searching further or because we weren't traveling there in high season (we were there in March). In any event, I'm glad that I didn't stress about it and that we opted for a central location to the major sites. We didn't lack for good places to eat (One night we met a friend we met during our trip for a self-directed historic taberna tapas crawl that was quite fun). I'd stay in that same area again when we return to Madrid. We just liked how lively it was.

I'm glad you asked this. I will be in Madrid for 3 days and I have a friend who referred me to the Gran Via area but from looking at pictures, it looks a little too much like the Champs Elysee area in Paris and I'm looking for something more like the Saint Germain area of Paris or the El Born area of Barcelona. I realize they won't be exactly the same, but that's the best comparison I could come up with off the top of my head :) Is the Plaza Santa Ana area more along those lines?

Santa Ana may be closer to El Born than SG

Okay, thanks, that's kinda the vibe I was getting when looking at pictures :)

Good point from danon. I use to stay in El Born in Barcelona and around Santa Ana in Madrid, and the vibe is absolutely comparable.

This short intro gives you a fine idea about the Santa Ana area/Barrio de las letras: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap2uFK0qDLQ

Near Santa Ana is the Hotel Persal. It is a good utilitarian choice. Clean, safe, no frills.

<Near Santa Ana is the Hotel Persal. It is a good utilitarian choice>

I try to find a room in Persal every time in Madrid, but it's very popular, so have had to stay in close by hotels a few times. Basic hotel standard, (private bath, AC, wifi, TV, safe, 24 desk, breakfast etc.) excellent no frills place as IMDonehere says. And the best location. https://www.booking.com/hotel/es/per...rid.en-gb.html
http://www.hostalpersal.com/