Guide to Malasaña neighbourhood in Madrid

Are you going on vacation in Madrid? Enjoy it to visit Malasaña, one of the most emblematic districts of the Spanish capital.

Madrid, the Spanish capital, is a very vibrant and multicultural city. There are several neighbourhoods in Madrid each with their own identity. Among the most famous are Malasaña. It is a modern and bohemian district marked by a strong underground culture. Between vintage shops, alternative bars, bakeries and organic grocery stores, Malasaña is one of the favourite neighbourhoods of the Spanish. During your stay in Madrid, don't leave without visiting it.

To help you schedule your holiday, Wanderlix offers a comprehensive guide to this area. Follow the guide!

Malasaña in a few words

Before the 1980s, the Malasaña district had another name: barrio Maravillas with reference to the convent bearing the same name. He is renamed to pay tribute to Manuela Malasaña :

• It was a couturière who had become a hero in the uprising against Napoleonic troops. She was held in prison and was executed by French soldiers on 2 May 1808. Her only crime was to carry a weapon, which in reality was only a sewing she needed for her work.

At the end of the twentieth century, the neighbourhood became the heart of the Spanish social and cultural revolution, which is also called the Movida . Still today, it represents the symbol of alternative culture in Madrid. Thus, if you come to visit this neighborhood, you will find several traces of its history, notably on the Dos de Mayo square where Manuela Malasaña statue is located trying to push the French troops back.

What to see and what to do in Malasaña?

Historical monuments

It is one of the most cultural neighbourhoods in Madrid. Here you will find History Museum which represents the historical evolution of the city through an important collection of art.

There is also the Church of San Antonio de los Alemanes. This unique building features an exceptional interior and exterior architecture. Malasaña also welcomes the Conde Duque. It is a building dating from the 18th century where exhibitions are held regularly as well as film screenings.

The shopping streets

When you go to Malasaña, enjoy some shopping. This neighborhood is full of fries and other shops. Main street Calle Fuencarral offers well-known shops. And if you lose in the small streets of the neighborhood, you will find dozens of vintage shops.

Nightlife

In the evening, the nightlife of Malasaña is full. The neighborhood with a bar every 70 inhabitants, imagine the number of beetles! In short, you have an impressive amount of choice to go out in the evening.

The ideal is to start with Place Dos de Mayo where many Spaniards are celebrating in the summer. All around the square, there are bars in both alternative style, rock, punk, or indie-pop. Anyway, there's something for every taste!

Guided visits to Malasaña

One of the best ways to visit Malasaña is to enjoy the advice of a guide. Here are the various guided tours offered in this neighborhood.

Guided walking tour

Classical but indefinable, the walking tour is one of the best ways to visit Malasaña. A guide takes you to all the iconic places in the neighborhood and explains its history. You can discover anecdotes about the most famous inhabitants of Malasaña.

There are guided tours in French, English, and of course in Spanish.

Bike tour

For those who want to see everything from Malasaña without losing a second, the guided cycling tour is a good option. You were thus going to sport and cultural enrichment. The guide stops at the most interesting sites in order to tell you the stories of monuments or Madrilènes.

And reassure yourself! The neighborhood is relatively flat, the bike tour is perfectly suitable for less sportsmen. So you don’t need to be a professional cyclist to visit Malasaña by bicycle.

Visit of the tapas bars de Malasaña

A stay in Spain without a tapas tasting is almost inconceivable! This is one of the must-sees to do if you come to Madrid!

During your visit to Malasaña, enjoy a tour of tapas bars. A guide will take you to the best tapas bars in Malasaña. Guests can enjoy iberico jamon, bravas patatas, croquetas or fried calamar. The tapas always accompanied by a glass or two, it will also be an opportunity to taste the Madrid beer or the famous tinto de verano .

Visit to segway

You want to visit Malasaña in an original way? Try the segway! This new mode of ecological transport allows you to discover Malasaña at your own pace. With the segway, you can go to places inaccessible by bike while being as fast.

If this is your first time, the guide explains how it works before taking you to visit Malasaña and discover its secrets. Only the inhabitants of the neighborhood can drive in Malasaña. There is almost no car so you will be quiet to visit Malasaña in segway.

The best hotels in Malasaña

If you want to visit Malasaña and find out the details of this iconic neighborhood, the best option is to find a hotel. Among the best hotels in Malasaña, there is Dear Hotel Madrid . This is a boutique hotel with exceptional design. But above all, you will find a terrace with outdoor pool. You can refresh yourself in the summer when the heat invades the streets of Madrid. As a bonus, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Spanish capital.

Other choice hotel in Malasaña, Urso Hotel & Spa . This five-star hotel is located in the heart of the neighbourhood. You can visit Malasaña and the surrounding area in the day and relax in the spa in the evening.

And to finish the list of the best hotels in Malasaña, find the Petit Palace Triball . This hotel is particularly well placed as it is located right next to the Gran Via. This is the big street in Madrid where all the great shopping signs and many restaurants are located.

Where to eat in the Malasaña area?

Malasaña is full of restaurants and bars where you can taste Spanish dishes. Among the best restaurants in Malasaña, The Musa is a true reference. You will taste typical Spanish dishes.

If you want to taste original tapas, go to Ochenta grados . This restaurant offers a wide variety of tapas. The particularity of this restaurant is that all tapas are cooked at less than 80 degrees.

You can also go to San Ildefonso market which brings together the best of cuisine from all over the world. You will find Korean barbecues, arepas of Venezuela, or Mexican burritos.

How to go to Malasaña?

The metro is very well maintained and especially very effective. It is therefore very simple to return to Malasaña, and that, wherever you are.

• Tribunal is the main metro stop of Malasaña. Here you are in the heart of the neighborhood.
• ♪ lines 1 and 10 serve Tribunal.
• The other station in Malasaña is Noviciado which is served by the line 2.