Expansive plazas, local and foreign crowds, street performers, colorful lights, window shopping, restaurant signs promising the best paella, ham, and churros con chocolate- this is downtown Madrid, a collection of plazas interconnected by a network of side streets. Some of these side streets are wide pedestrian shopping routes, and some are hidden, so it's possible to duck in and out of the bustle as desired. The iconic Puerta del Sol is the giant crossroads of the city and a must-see attraction at any time of the day. The nearby Plaza Mayor, completely enclosed by historic red buildings, is an ideal place to grab a bite to eat outside, amidst scores of tables and people out for a stroll. Plaza Isabel II (also known as “Opera”) is smaller and a good meeting spot, and the stately Plaza del Oriente is the front yard of the Royal Palace. Centro can be touristy (pickpockets are unfortuately not unheard-of here), crowded, and sometimes gimmicky, but it is also the place to experience classic Madrid.

Also known as Barrio de las Letras, Huertas was once home to prominent literary figures, Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega among them. The neighbourhood is committed to celebrating its rich heritage: Calle Huertas itself is inlaid with quotes from celebrated authors, street names pay homage to them, and second-hand bookshops pervade. Huertas receives a fair amount of spillover from the center — side streets around Plaza Santa Ana take on a foreign party atmosphere at night, and you always see young backpackers navigating the streets — but as you descend into the neighbourhood, everything becomes a little more cramped and slightly less refined, and takes on more of an underground feel. Live music is at the heart of Huertas: by night, its subdued bars are ideal for meeting friends, sipping cocktails, and chatting quietly while enjoying jazz or singer-songwriter performances.

Hip bars and galleries, independent theaters and music venues, young people with tattoos and funky hair, narrow winding streets — this is Malasaña. Near the center, Plaza Dos de Mayo is a gathering of friends outside bars, dog owners, artists under craft tents, and creative types with notebooks and sketchpads on the plaza’s benches. It may not be as neat and tidy as many other parts of the city, but this only adds to the Malasaña edge. Shops and bars here range from hippie-crunchy to upscale trendy, and on weekends, the streets are bustling around the clock as the nightlife progresses from dinner to bar to disco to late-night food. On the west side of the neighbourhood is the subdistrict called Conde Duque, named after a large pink fort in its center that has been converted into a cultural center for exhibitions and performances. Prettier yet just as edgy, this intimate corner of Malasaña is home to a young international community.

Multi-story residential buildings decorated with ornate balconies line the traditional, quiet, and pretty streets of Chamberí. Humble storefronts and neighbourhood taverns are scattered across the lower levels down every block, and here and there, there's a cluster of tables on the sidewalk. It isn't ever crowded, but people are always out, poking into the tiny bakeries, hardware stores, and tobacco shops, or ducking into a bright, unadorned cerveceria to have a coffee or beer by the bar, flip through the paper, and check the sports score. The round Plaza Olavide, where the fairly regular network of streets breaks form, is among the most green and lively spots. Restaurants line its circumference and sought-after outdoor tables fill the center of the plaza, where people relax to the sounds of kids playing and street musicians' tunes.