Neighbourhood guide

Malasaña

The Movida and vintage shops

Madrid

The vibe

Around Plaza del Dos de Mayo, Malasaña is Madrid’s young, alternative district: thrift shops, record stores, cafés, late-night bars and terraces. This is where the city’s party heart beats.

Good to know

San Ildefonso Market on Calle Fuencarral gathers food stalls over three floors with a terrace.

When to go

Saturday afternoon for the shops, then the evening.

Getting there

Metro to Tribunal (Lines 1 and 10) or Noviciado (Line 2).

The story

How the neighbourhood came to be

The district is named after Manuela Malasaña, a young seamstress killed during the uprising against Napoleon’s troops on 2 May 1808. In the 1980s it became the epicentre of the Movida, the cultural explosion that followed the end of the dictatorship.

Did you know?

1Plaza del Dos de Mayo keeps the arch of the artillery barracks defended in 1808.
2Filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar was one of the leading figures of the Movida.

Want to explore further?

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