Barrio de Salamanca walking tour & neighborhood guide

A planned neighbourhood

The district is named after the Marquis of Salamanca, a banker and developer who began building it in the 1860s as part of Madrid's expansion beyond the old walls. Its straight streets are lined with buildings with iron balconies, glazed galleries and decorated façades, and many still have their original doorways and courtyards.

On its western edge, the Plaza de Colón and the National Archaeological Museum face the Castellana, and the Puerta de Alcalá and the Retiro are a short walk to the south.

Serrano, Goya and Ortega y Gasset

Calle de Serrano is Madrid's main luxury shopping street, with Spanish and international fashion houses, while Calle de Goya is busier and more everyday, and Calle de José Ortega y Gasset is known as the Golden Mile for its designer boutiques. Between them, quieter streets have galleries, bakeries and neighbourhood cafés, and the Lázaro Galdiano Museum holds a fine private art collection.