Neighbourhood · Madrid

La Latina

La Latina’s narrow, winding streets mostly date back to the Middle Ages. Most of them lay outside the medieval walls, and housed the merchants who sold at the market. When it comes to food, esmadrid says, the neighbourhood “means one thing above all: tapas”.

Best for food-focused travellers · couples · anyone who wants the more local version of the city

Wrong for anyone who wants quiet Sundays.

From Where to Stay in Madrid 2026: A Neighbourhood-by-Neighbourhood Guide.

Where to stay in La Latina

All of Madrid

  • Citorah PickHotel · La Latina

    Posada del León de Oro

    Citorah says On Cava Baja itself, an inn since 1880, which makes it the third-oldest hotel in Madrid, by its own account. A stretch of the 12th-century Christian wall runs through the building.

Where to eat in La Latina

All of Madrid

  • Citorah PickRestaurant · La Latina

    Casa Lucio

    Citorah says Lucio Blázquez opened it in November 1974, in the old Mesón El Segoviano, where he had started work at the age of 12. esmadrid calls its huevos rotos legendary: on the menu they’re huevos estrellados, at €16.50.

    The catch Closes for the whole of August, and on the nights of 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January.

  • Citorah PickMarket · La Latina

    Rastro

    Citorah says The Rastro flea market runs every Sunday and public holiday, from 9:00 to 15:00, and those are the busiest days for eating out here.

Things to do in La Latina

All of Madrid

  • Citorah PickSight · La Latina

    Cava Baja

    Citorah says La Latina is the place to start. When it comes to food, esmadrid says, the neighbourhood “means one thing above all: tapas”. The bars line Cava Baja and Cava Alta, streets of old inns that esmadrid now calls “a tourist-packed area”.

  • Citorah PickSight · La Latina

    Cava Alta

    Citorah says La Latina is the place to start. When it comes to food, esmadrid says, the neighbourhood “means one thing above all: tapas”. The bars line Cava Baja and Cava Alta, streets of old inns that esmadrid now calls “a tourist-packed area”.

  • Citorah PickSight · La Latina

    Plaza de la Paja

    Citorah says Plaza de la Paja is its prettiest square.

Other neighbourhoods

All neighbourhoods

  • Neighbourhood · 9 places

    Sol / Centro

    Puerta del Sol is kilometre zero, the starting point for Spain’s major radial roads, marked by a stone slab in front of the Casa de Correos. The statue of a bear and a strawberry tree, the city’s symbol, stands here. It’s a transport hub too: Sol station is on metro lines 1, 2 and 3, and has its own Cercanías (local train) station.

    Best for short stays · early trains · anyone who wants the most central address

  • Neighbourhood · 6 places

    Las Letras

    Las Letras, the literary quarter, lies between Sol and the Paseo del Prado. Cervantes, Lope de Vega and Quevedo all had homes here, hence the name, and Calle Huertas is engraved with quotes from Spanish literature.

    Best for first-timers · couples · gallery-focused trips

  • Neighbourhood · 3 places

    Malasaña

    Malasaña is, in the words of esmadrid, the city’s tourism site, “the mecca of vintage looks and underground culture in Madrid”. Its nightlife centres on Plaza del Dos de Mayo. Its shops run along Calle Fuencarral, its eastern edge, where it meets Chueca.

    Best for travellers who treat nightlife as the main event · vintage shoppers

  • Neighbourhood · 3 places

    Chueca

    Chueca is just across Calle Fuencarral from Malasaña. esmadrid sums it up as “shops, culture, fine food, the latest trends and fun”, and calls it a favourite with the LGTBIQA+ community worldwide. It’s the centre of the Madrid LGTBIQA+ Pride festivities.

    Best for design-conscious travellers · food-focused trips · couples

  • Neighbourhood · 9 places

    Salamanca

    Salamanca was laid out in the second half of the 19th century on a regular grid, and was historically home to Spain’s financial and political elite. It’s Madrid’s luxury-shopping district, with designer boutiques on the Golden Mile.

    Best for couples on a luxury weekend · designer shoppers

  • Neighbourhood · 6 places

    Chamberí

    Chamberí is the residential district north of Malasaña. Calle Fuencarral carries on into it, and its stretch from Glorieta de Bilbao to Glorieta de Quevedo is the district’s busiest shopping street.

    Best for returning visitors · longer stays · remote workers

Plan the trip

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