Places

If you ask a local where they would live if money were no object, many wouldn't say the busy center. They’d say Salesas.While most tourists are fighting for space at the Royal Palace, I want to let you in on a little secret: The Church of Santa Bárbara. It’s located in the Justicia district, a place that feels like a mix of Paris and old-world Madrid.

But if you look toward the north of the city on a clear winter morning, you’ll see something that surprises most first-time visitors: snow-capped mountains.Yes, you can actually go skiing in Madrid. While we aren’t the Swiss Alps, the Sierra de Guadarrama offers a fantastic day trip for anyone who wants to swap the city pavement for mountain air.

Every time I walk past the corner of Calle Fernando VI and Calle Pelayo, I see people stop in their tracks. They look up, tilt their heads, and usually say the same thing: "I didn't know Madrid had buildings like this."Meet the Palacio de Longoria.

If you’ve ever walked down Calle Fuencarral, you’ve probably stopped for a second to stare at that massive, swirling stone entrance at number 78. It looks like a giant, carved wedding cake. That’s the Museo de Historia de Madrid, and since the restoration was completed late last year, it is looking absolutely spectacular.

If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of modern-day Madrid and step directly into a time machine, there is no better place than the Museo del Romanticismo. Located in the heart of the trendy Malasaña neighborhood, this museum is housed in a stunning 18th-century palace that once belonged to the Marquis of Matallana.

If you’re visiting Madrid and want to see where the locals actually shop, look no further than Calle Fuencarral. Stretching from the iconic Gran Vía all the way up to the Glorieta de Bilbao, this largely pedestrianized street is the heart of Madrid's urban fashion scene.But the real magic isn’t just on the main street—it’s in the colorful side alleys of Malasaña, where the best second-hand and vintage treasures in Spain are hidden.