Discovering Madrid's secrets: a tour of its lesser-known neighbourhoods

The lesser-known Madrid neighbourhoods most worth a visit are Chamberí, Tetuán, El Viso, Arganzuela, Usera, Carabanchel and Alameda de Osuna. None of them is on the classic circuit of Sol, the Plaza Mayor and the Paseo del Prado, but they all have something that makes them unique: a ghost metro station, the most popular municipal market in the north, an estate of rationalist houses, a former slaughterhouse turned cultural centre, the city's Chinatown, Madrid's oldest hermitage or a romantic garden a stone's throw from the airport.

They are residential neighbourhoods with a life of their own, where you eat well and prices tend to be more reasonable than in the centre. In return, it helps to know what you are going for, because the attractions are more spread out. This guide helps you choose.

Chamberí, the most traditional of the smart neighbourhoods

Chamberí is very close to the centre and yet few tourists set foot in it. It is a neighbourhood of early twentieth-century buildings, food markets and old-school bars. Its great curiosity is Andén 0, the former Chamberí metro station, closed to passengers decades ago and preserved as a museum with its original advertising tiles. Very close by are the Museo Sorolla, in the house and garden where the Valencian painter lived, and the Sala Canal de Isabel II, a former neo-Mudéjar water tower that hosts photography exhibitions. The Plaza de Olavide, surrounded by terraces, is the best place to take a break. We go into more detail in our guide to what to see in Chamberí.

Tetuán, market and melting pot

Tetuán owes its name to the troops who camped in the area on their return from the Hispano-Moroccan War in the nineteenth century. Today it is one of Madrid's most diverse neighbourhoods, with Latin American, Asian and African shops all along Calle Bravo Murillo. Its big attraction is the Mercado de Maravillas, one of the largest municipal markets in the city, where traditional stalls mix with produce from around the world. The contrast with the Castellana skyscrapers, a few streets away, sums up the city well. If you are staying in the area, our taxi in Tetuán page explains how to get to the airport.

El Viso, the poets' hill

Between the Castellana and Calle Serrano lies the Colonia de El Viso, an estate of rationalist-style detached houses from the thirties that looks as if it belongs in another country. On the same hill is the Residencia de Estudiantes, where García Lorca, Dalí and Buñuel coincided in their youth, and the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (natural history museum), a great visit if you are travelling with children.

Arganzuela, from slaughterhouse to cultural centre

For decades Arganzuela was an industrial and railway district, and it has managed to recycle that past. The former municipal slaughterhouse is now Matadero Madrid, with exhibitions, cinema and theatre; next to it is the Arganzuela greenhouse, a small botanical garden under an iron and glass structure. The old Delicias station houses the Museo del Ferrocarril (railway museum), with steam locomotives, and the Tierno Galván park is home to the Madrid Planetarium. All of this is linked by Madrid Río, the great riverside promenade along the Manzanares. More practical information on our taxi in Arganzuela page.

Usera, Madrid's Chinatown

Across the river, Usera is home to the city's largest Chinese community. Restaurants serving regional Chinese cuisine, Asian supermarkets and hairdressers with signs in Mandarin sit alongside traditional neighbourhood bars. It is the best place in Madrid to try authentic Chinese food, and during Chinese New Year the streets fill with activities. You will find a full guide to what to see in Usera on our blog.

Carabanchel, local history and artists' studios

Carabanchel is home to the Ermita de Santa María la Antigua, a small Mudéjar church considered the oldest surviving one in the city. On the banks of the Manzanares stretches the Pradera de San Isidro, the same meadow Goya painted, with its hermitage and its spring; every May it hosts the pilgrimage festival of Madrid's patron saint. In recent years, many of the neighbourhood's industrial buildings have become artists' studios that open their doors on specific days. Our radio taxi in Carabanchel page will help if you are staying there.

If you have a long layover or a hotel near the airport, you do not need to go into the centre to discover something special. In Alameda de Osuna, very close to the terminals, is the El Capricho park, a romantic garden created by the Duchess of Osuna between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with a hedge maze, small temples, ponds and a palace. It is one of the most beautiful gardens in Madrid and one of the least visited, because it opens on fewer days than other parks: check the opening calendar before you go.

A short distance away, the old town of Barajas survives, the village that gave the airport its name before being absorbed into the capital, with its arcaded main square and its church. It is a short, peaceful stroll, perfect for stretching your legs between two flights.

As they are spread across the whole city, these neighbourhoods cannot be linked up on foot. The most practical approach is to choose one or two per day and combine them by proximity: Chamberí with El Viso, Arganzuela with Usera, or Carabanchel with Madrid Río. The metro reaches all of them, and a taxi hailed in the street handles the more awkward hops.

To get there from the airport or back to it, bear in mind that not all of them are inside the M-30: Chamberí and Arganzuela are, but Usera, Carabanchel or Alameda de Osuna come under the fixed fare for their area. You can check the price for each one on our airport taxi fares page. And if what interests you is the creative Madrid of the centre, carry on with our selection of Madrid's most artistic neighbourhoods or with these five little-known places in the city.