Madrid’s district, this month: Chamberí

You may notice that the Chamberí district of Madrid sounds like “Chambéry” – a Southeast city in France. It is believed that the district is named after the Napoleonic invasion in the 19th century. As a result of a military barracks situated near the current Plaza de Chamberi where Napoleonic soldiers called ‘Chambéry’, the current district is named after that.  

Atmosphere
Chamberí is a district that borders the city center to the Southwest and barrio Salamanca to the East. As most of the residents here are locals, the real spirit of Madrid threads its way to every corner. Chamberí is even described as “castizo”, which means a classic and traditional district in the city. Welcome to Chamberí if you need an authentic and calm area that has everything nearby. 
 
Chamberí Metro Station Museum
Chamberí Metro station is one old station that had been closed in the1960s and opened recently as a museum. If you wish to travel back in time, this is a must experience for you.  Once stepping down through one ancient stair, you can access the museum. All platform decoration from posters on the wall, box offices, guard cabin to other details remains the same condition as in 1919 when the first underground line running across the city opened to the public. 

The museum is accessed one-side only. If one is interested in, he can also watch a real metro passing by in front of, blocked with a solid glass wall. The fact of observing a high-speed metro full of people, lighting the whole dark area is unforgettable. One spot that is usually ignored by visitors is the documentary room that captures various documentary films about the history of metro and Madrid metro system. If you travel on a budget, do not miss this free attraction.
 
Nightlife in Plaza Olavide
When the sun goes down, the city becomes sparkling under the golden rose color of the sky. Nightlife in Chamberí is the moment to have several drinks and tapas in different pubs. Let’s walk around Plaza Olavide and have a caña or a Vermouth, one typical drink in Madrid in a random local bar with terrace. Order a Spanish omelet if you wish to taste traditional Spanish foods. Tapas is about sharing, so order as many types as you want. 

Tip: Before heading to Plaza Olavide for a night out, enjoy the sunset at Debod Temple – the ancient Egyptian that has one of the most shining views in the city.  

Shopping
The message to fashionistas, head to Fuencarral. There are uncountable shops located in valleys where you can find from boutiques to luxurious shops and some shops even own a long history of decades. Among those ones, NAC should be listed. It is one of the most fabulous boutiques that owns a large selection of unique and unusual pieces from both local and international designers.

Prado Museum

The Prado Museum was originally a place to display and store royal objects, after which the museum expanded and exhibited collections of paintings and sculptures. With 7,600 paintings and 1,000 sculptures, the Prado Museum is one of the world's leading art museums and is the national art gallery of Spain. Every year, it attracts about 2.7 million visitors. Situated in the splendid Villanueva building, Prado displays works by European masters such as Velázquez, Goya, El Greco and Bosch. The most famous of these is probably Velazquez's Les Meninas. Prado also boasts a large online database, which you can access for free here.

Transportation
There are 13 metro stations in this large district that can simply take you everywhere. There are few interchange metro station such as Bilbao (L1, L4), Cuatro Caminos (L1, L2, L6), Alonso Martinez (L4, L5, L10) or Gregorio Maranon (L7, L10). If you prefer, there are many bus lines that go around the city, on the boulevards and nearby streets. You can reach to the city center of Madrid in a few minutes with a metro of half an hour walking.  

Accommodation in Madrid 

Planning to visit Madrid soon? Book a night with Habitat Apartments. We are an award-winning apartment agency that offers hundreds of holiday apartments in Barcelona and Madrid.