What to see in the Salamanca district: museums, the Golden Mile and charming corners

There is much more to the Salamanca district than luxury shops. The essentials are the Museo Arqueológico Nacional (National Archaeological Museum), which shares a building with the National Library; the Museo Lázaro Galdiano, an exceptional art collection in a mansion on calle Serrano; the Fundación Juan March; the Milla de Oro (Golden Mile) of Serrano, Ortega y Gasset and Velázquez; the mercado de la Paz; and, for a breath of fresh air, the Quinta de la Fuente del Berro park. All of it laid out on a grid of straight streets and stately buildings that is very easy to explore on foot.

The district owes its name to José de Salamanca, the financier who drove the development of this part of Madrid's ensanche (city expansion) in the nineteenth century; his statue presides over the square named after him. From that period come the grid of wide streets and many of the façades with iron balconies, marble doorways and mouldings that give the district its elegant air today. Besides the historic neighbourhood, the Salamanca district includes areas such as Goya, Lista, Guindalera and Fuente del Berro.

National Archaeological Museum

One of Spain's great museums, with pieces covering the history of the peninsula from prehistory to the early modern period; among its most famous works is the Lady of Elche. Together with the National Library, it occupies the monumental building that looks onto the paseo de Recoletos and calle Serrano.

Lázaro Galdiano Museum

The collection assembled by José Lázaro Galdiano is displayed in the mansion where he lived, surrounded by a garden. Paintings, jewellery, ivories and art objects from many periods, with works by great Spanish masters, in an intimate setting that rarely gets crowded.

Fundación Juan March

On calle Castelló, it organises top-level art exhibitions, concerts and lectures. It is worth checking its programme before your visit.

The Golden Mile brings together Madrid's most exclusive fashion and jewellery brands around Serrano, Ortega y Gasset, Claudio Coello and Velázquez, alongside Spanish design shops. Even if you are not going to buy anything, strolling past the shop windows is part of the experience. If you are interested, in our guide to shopping in Madrid we compare this area with other shopping districts.

The mercado de la Paz, on calle Ayala, is one of the city's best-loved traditional markets, with stalls selling quality produce and counters for a drink. The surrounding streets are full of restaurants, classic tapas bars and elegant cafés.

The Quinta de la Fuente del Berro is a small historic park, with slopes, ponds and peacocks, little known even among many Madrid residents. In the east of the district you will also find the Las Ventas bullring, whose Neo-Mudéjar building is an architectural landmark of the city. And the Retiro park borders the district to the south: if you want to combine both walks, see what to see in the Retiro. On the other side of the Castellana, Chamberí offers a more traditional atmosphere.

The Metro lines with stations in the district (Serrano, Velázquez, Goya, Núñez de Balboa, Lista and Diego de León) connect it with the whole city. If you are flying into Madrid and staying here, a taxi is the most direct way to arrive with luggage: the district is inside the M-30, so the Inside M-30 fare applies, a fixed €33 to any terminal and on the way back too.

You can book it on the taxi from the Salamanca district to the airport page; if you are near the park, also on the taxi in Fuente del Berro page.