Conde Duque

This is a small neighbourhood of Madrid, which many guides forget or include within others, full of fashion shops, bars, old taverns, museums, sunny squares with typical Madrid terraces to have a drink: the Conde Duque neighbourhoud.

First of all, if you want a first introduction to Madrid neighbourhoods, I recommend you read this and look at the interactive map to understand where Madrid neighbourhoods are located. Search “Conde Duque” to find the neighbourhood.

This is how I would describe in a few words Conde Duque (see all short descriptions for all neighbourhoods of Madrid in my post on how to choose the neighbourhood made for you)

– Traditional / Authentic,

– Trendy / Fashion

– Central, but still quiet.

Conde Duque is the poshest part of Malasaña (see post on Malasaña neighbourhood), with traditional taverns, expensive art galleries and vintage shops, lounge bars. It’s as if it was the older brother of hippy Malasaña, with less party all over the streets.

Conde Duque starts just north of Plaza de España ( see interactive map of Madrid for more details), around the Conde Duque Streeet, and is most of the time included within the Malasaña neighbourhood. However, it is much quieter, and not as posh as Alonso Martinez for instance.

For rentals, Conde Duque is more or less as expensive than the very center of Madrid: the square meter is 15-16 € / m2 to rent, 4000 – 5000 € the m2 to purchase a property (for more information on the cost of living, see my post)

We recommend living in “Conde Duque” if you …

– want to be right next to the very center of Madrid, but in a quiet neighbourhood,
– live in an authentic neighbourhood, but with trendy shops and bars at the same time.

Many expats coming to Madrid who want to be in the center, in a quality quiet neighbourhood, very well connected, but not too posh nor alterntive, go to live to Conde Duque.

When flathunting in the Conde Duque neighbourhood…

Do check you know where you will do your grocery shopping, since it’s a bit hard to find a good grocery store in this very centrical neighbourhood. Apart from that, do complete the classic checks I explained in the “10 flathunting tips” post.

The new ABC Museum, right in Conde Duque, opened in 2011

We recommend these places to understand the neighborhood

You will find hereunder a list (with links for more information) of places I love in Conde Duque:

– El Jardín Secreto, a exquisitely decorated bar and tea room to have a snack, a meal or a drink. Perfect for dates for instance, for its romantic and very original decoration.

– El Centro Cultural Conde Duque, which has just been entirely refurbished, and hosts artistic events of all kinds all year long. The building itself is impressive, and it’s a place where you can enjoy art without following all the crowds going to el Prado for instance.

– Plaza Guardia de Corps, a great square to have a drink with friends, so much a secret even google does not find it, so here’s the link I created to find it with google street view

If you need help to move to Madrid zen, do not hesitate to send us an email !

Yours madridly,
Pierre Waters

Posted on 1 November, 2016 by Admin in ,