Shopping in Madrid

The best place for shopping in Madrid is to walk from the beginning of Gran Via (located at Cibeles Square) and ending up in Plaza España. The walk is about 2 kilometers. In between both places is Fuencarral Street, one of Madrid’s local favorite streets for shopping in Madrid. The meaning of Gran Via literally means Grand Avenue, it was considered the Broadway of Madrid. Not only is the Gran Via famous for some the best shopping in Madrid, but it is also home to theaters and cinemas. Today we are going to look at a brief history of Gran Vía, and why it as some of the best shopping in Madrid.  We recommend combining the experience with a Madrid tapas tour for some of the best tapas in Madrid.

The construction of Gran Via lasted several decades from beginning to end. The first stage took place in 1862 where over 300 houses and 50 streets were affected by it construction. The city of Madrid also went through several reforms that also affected this beautiful street in the last centurt. The reforms were finally finished in 1929. For locals, the Gran Vía is the place to spend a Saturday or a Sunday, starting off with a Mediterranean breakfast, shopping, a hearty Madrid tapas lunch, coffee at a side-stree café and off to a theater or to watch a film.

Today, you can find some of the best shopping in Madrid on the Gran Vía strip, there are three types of establishments in the Gran Vía area: restaurants (of all sorts), fashion shops (Zara, H&M, Benetton, Primar, locally owend etc…), theaters (Mama mía, Lion King etc…), and cinemas, although nowadays there are only a few cinemas left. Another interesting thing about this historical and beautiful area of Madrid is the fact that there are crowds of people passing by twenty-four-hours a day!

If you come to Madrid, join is in Gran Vía for some of the best shopping in Madrid and don’t forget to check some of the best Madrid tapas tours!