Salamanca District

Updated on October 1, 2026

North-east of Retiro Park, the Salamanca district is Madrid's most elegant area and its main address for luxury shopping. It is named after the Marquis of Salamanca, José de Salamanca y Mayol, who launched the construction of this residential district in the 1860s as part of the city's extension (Ensanche). Its straight streets cross at right angles, lined with grand apartment buildings with balconies. The shopping heart, nicknamed the "Milla de Oro" (the "Golden Mile"), is centred on Calle Serrano and Calle José Ortega y Gasset. International fashion houses, jewellers, Spanish designers and high-street brands follow one another, with the Lázaro Galdiano Museum and the National Archaeological Museum close by.

Highlights

Calle Serrano

The district's main shopping street starts at Plaza de la Independencia, near the Puerta de Alcalá, and runs north. Spanish and international fashion shops, leather goods stores and jewellers line its wide pavements, especially between Calle Goya and Calle José Ortega y Gasset.

Calle José Ortega y Gasset

Between Serrano and the Paseo de la Castellana, this tree-lined street gathers the big luxury houses. It is the most exclusive stretch of the Golden Mile, where people come as much for the shop windows as for the architecture of the buildings.

Mercado de la Paz

Opened in 1882, this covered market with an iron frame is the district's traditional market, on Calle Ayala. Around sixty businesses sell fruit, meat, fish and cheese, and about ten bars and small restaurants serve food, including Casa Dani, known for its tortilla.

Two museums nearby

At the southern end of the district, the National Archaeological Museum, at Calle Serrano 13, displays the Lady of Elche among other treasures. To the north, the Lázaro Galdiano Museum, at Calle Serrano 122, shows the collections of a great collector, from Goya to Hieronymus Bosch, in a private mansion.

Infos pratiques

Tips

For a full walk, go down Calle Serrano from north to south, from the Lázaro Galdiano Museum to the Puerta de Alcalá, with a detour along Ortega y Gasset and Calle Goya. Mercado de la Paz opens Monday to Friday from 9am to 8pm and Saturday from 9am to 2:30pm; it is closed on Sunday. The streets parallel to Serrano, such as Claudio Coello and Lagasca, have smaller shops and restaurants.

How to get there

Calle de Serrano, 28001 Madrid: Metro Serrano (line 4), Velázquez (line 4), Goya (lines 2 and 4), Núñez de Balboa (lines 5 and 9), Rubén Darío (line 5)