Madrid at a Glance

Education and Housing in Madrid

Many expats prefer residential areas outside of touristy downtown or central Madrid.

Living in Madrid is exciting and full of diversity. As the third most populous city in Europe, it is also a popular expat destination. InterNations provides you with plenty of information on living in Madrid, including advice on health and safety, education, and accommodation.

International Schools

Although the public school system in Spain is very good and free of charge for all children until the age of 16, many expats living in Madrid prefer to send their children to private international schools. Madrid has a wide range of international schools to offer its foreign nationals. The most popular and abundant are English-language schools, followed closely by education catering to the German and French communities.

A prominent American school is the American School of Madrid, located about 15 kilometers northwest of downtown Madrid in Aravaca. It provides an education to children between the ages of 3 and 18. A highly regarded British school for expats in Madrid is King’s College. Offering options for both day schoolchildren and boarders, King’s College has three campus locations in Madrid for the various age ranges (i.e. kindergarten, primary school, secondary education).

German schools are also a common sight, as Spain is a favored destination for German expats. A type of school that can thus be found in almost all larger Spanish cities is the Deutsche Schule. Located directly in the heart of downtown Madrid, it offers students the German Abitur (German high school diploma). The Lycée Français de Madrid offers French families the opportunity to send their children to a school based on the French education system. The lycée enables graduates to attend a university in France without further problems.

Madrid's Neighborhoods

Due to its size, Madrid is composed of many neighborhoods that all provide a different flair. Depending on preference, income, and proximity to work or school, Madrid’s neighborhoods have something to suit everyone’s taste. Almost every area contains numerous cafés, bars and small restaurants, where madrileños sit on the terraces late into the night. If you’ve been to Madrid or anywhere else in Spain, you will have noticed that this form of socializing is a firmly-entrenched part of Spanish culture.

Central and downtown Madrid, such as Sol, Opera and Las Cortes, is very crowded and noisy, with lots of tourists running about, as it is the location of many famous Madrid monuments. Salamanca is a trendy and wealthy neighborhood whose prices match its posh looks. It also contains the famous Parque del Retiro, which is a favorite weekend destinations for families and amateur athletes looking for a place to exercise.

Residential Areas for Expats

Nuevos Ministerios, Ríos Rosas and Chamartín are residential areas, with fewer cafés and more families. The International School of Madrid is also located in Chamartín, drawing in a lot of foreign families. Chueca has been claimed by the younger cosmopolitan crowd and is more of a hotspot for bars and clubs. In recent years, it has also emerged as the gay neighborhood of Madrid. La Latina is a traditional Madrid neighborhood with very old and beautiful architecture.

Moncloa and Argüelles are home to the largest university in Madrid, the Complutense. Not only students that live here, though: Elderly people also enjoy the escape it provides from the bustling city center, which is only a short metro ride away. The two parks in Complutense offer some shelter from the hectic life in a large metropolitan city.

This is only a small percentage of the many barrios in Madrid. It is best to go to Madrid before actually moving there to scope out which area best suits you and your lifestyle choices.