<p>My husband and I will be spending a month in Madrid later this year. We want to rent an apartment and I’m looking for suggestions on neighborhoods.</p>
<p>Everything I’ve found online and in tourism books (including expat forums) talks about the areas surrounding the city center (for those who know – Salamanca, Chueca, maybe as far north as Chamartin). But I’ve seen apartments listed in other areas – south of Retiro Park, outside the M30, near the university, near Quinta de los Molinos park, near the Four Towers. </p>
<p>If there is anyone out there in the CC world who can give me a thumbnail sketch of other parts of Madrid, say, within 15-20 minutes using public transportation of downtown, I’d really appreciate it. We can do this using PMs since I’m sure most of you don’t need to know these details.</p>
<p>Download a metro map. Check the area between the center and the airport. A good start is along Arturio Soria. Salamanca will require a fat budget. You might also consider checking with hotels for a discounted rate for a longer stay, especially if outside the business period. For instance, August is a dead month in Madrid. </p>
<p>Expats sites are better than tourist books.</p>
<p>What a fun adventure! Try the folks on the Trip Advisor forum. Usually there are a few people on the forum who actually live in Madrid and they are full of opinions:p</p>
<p>xiggi: Thanks, but I’m looking for more specific info. I can look at a map but I need someone to tell me about the neighborhoods around the stations. And renting an apartment is considerably cheaper than a hotel, and it means I get more space and a kitchen to cook meals in.</p>
<p>Kajon: I love trip adviser, but I’ve looked pretty thoroughly through the forums and found people there tend to recommend the same inner neighborhoods that everyone else does. I’ll post this question there too, but thought I’d pick the brains here as well.</p>
<p>My daughter was in Madrid for a semester living in a home stay. I know all the students were in different areas and I could ask her; although what is desirable to a 21 year old may not be to a parent!! I know where she lived was in a very nice area within walking distance to the metro; of course at the moment I can not remember the name.</p>
<p>I asked my dad who maintained an office and an apartment in Madrid for four years. He said that, until he needed more than 2 bedrooms, it was cheaper to enter into an extended stay agreement with a local hotel than to rent apartments by the day, week, or month. He said that short term rentals are very different from long term rentals, and that the situation is different in Madrid than in the coastal resorts where short rentals to tourists are more frequent. </p>
<p>Perhaps, giving an idea of your budget might help. For the record, I was comparing hotels worth 100 to 200 Euros a night that can be had for 1/2 of that (especially in July and August) and apartments that rent for 600 to a 1,000 Euros a week. </p>
<p>We rented an apartment 2 years ago and were very happy with it and its location. The company was easy to work with and has many properties besides this one. Have fun!</p>