Chamberí, Madrid: the neighbourhood locals grew up in
Chamberí, Madrid: Plaza de Olavide, the bars of Calle Ponzano, covered markets and five metro lines. Scores for three addresses.
Contents 9 sections
What the district is like
Chamberí sits just north of the historic centre and is often called the most Madrid part of Madrid: brick buildings with iron balconies, covered markets, doormen, and bars where the waiter knows the regulars.
Its heart is Plaza de Olavide, a round square of terraces and swings. To the west runs Calle Ponzano, now famous for its bars; to the east are Santa Engracia and the edge of the Castellana.
On foot
The Chamberí neighbourhood is built for life without a car. There is a greengrocer, a bakery or a pharmacy on every corner, several markets, and plenty of schools, health centres and gyms.
The metro is dense: five lines cross the district, and Sol or the business district are a few stops away. Green space is the weak point. There is a garden on top of an old water reservoir and a few leafy squares, but a large park is a walk away.
What we measured
The three addresses are on three main streets: Fuencarral on the southern edge, Ponzano in the middle and Bravo Murillo on the western side.
| Address | Score | Groceries | Station or stop | School | Park | Noise and air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calle de Fuencarral, 121, Madrid | 90.5 | 2 min | 3 minBilbao | 3 min | 6 min | −2.1 |
| Calle Ponzano 30, Madrid | 92.3 | 2 min | 1 minAlonso Cano | 5 min | 3 min | −1.4 |
| Calle de Bravo Murillo, 20, Madrid | 85.2 | 3 min | 4 minQuevedo | 4 min | 5 min | −6.9 |
Map numbers match the table rows. Use the plus button to zoom in.
Almost every column looks good except the park. How each one enters the total is explained on How the score works.
Who it suits
- Families who want city life with school and market close by.
- Professionals working on the Castellana or in the centre.
- Newcomers looking for a real Madrid neighbourhood rather than a tourist one.
- People who do not plan to own a car.
The trade-offs
Rents are high and rising, and there are few parks. Buildings are old, often without a garage and sometimes without a lift. Treeless streets are hard going in summer.
The housing
Mostly late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century blocks of six or seven floors. Flats come in two kinds: exterior, facing the street, bright and noisy; and interior, facing a light well, quiet and dark.
What to check
With Chamberí apartments the first question is exterior or interior. Then ask about the lift and the heating, central or individual. Look for a bar terrace below: on Ponzano the night runs late.
Without a car
A car is surplus here. Access to the centre is restricted, parking is paid, and the metro goes everywhere.
Neighbours
Malasaña is to the south, younger and louder. Across the Castellana is Salamanca, dearer and more formal. To the north the district becomes Chamartín, with offices and big flats.