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The arcaded Plaza Mayor in Madrid on a clear day, with the painted Casa de la Panadería, the equestrian statue at its centre and a tall street lamp.

Where to stay in Madrid

Photo: Matt Joseph, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Madrid

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About Madrid

Madrid's old centre is Distrito Centro, a stricter traffic zone with its own list of car parks. The districts around it trade a metro ride for street parking and quieter nights.

Spain. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas (MAD), about 15 km by road from Terminal 1 and about 20 km from Terminal 4 to the Puerta del Sol. A taxi to anywhere inside the M-30 is a fixed EUR 33 with no supplements. Source
Tourist tax
None found in force. On 21 July 2026 the city's tourism councillor told the council plenary that Madrid will not create one. Press report; no official statement was read. Source
Tourist flats
Comunidad de Madrid Decreto 79/2014, as amended in 2026: a registered tourist flat has an official plaque at its door, a 24-hour phone, an evacuation plan and complaint forms. Utilities, linen and cleaning are included in the price. Source
Plan RESIDE
Inside the historic centre, a perimeter that reaches Cuatro Caminos, Manuel Becerra and Legazpi, scattered tourist flats in residential buildings are banned, even on the ground floor. The city counted 1,293 licensed flats in August 2025. Source
National registration number
The national registration procedure was largely annulled in May 2026, regional registers still apply, and whether a national number must still appear on a listing is unsettled as of September 2026. In Madrid the regional register is the Registro de Empresas Turísticas. Source
ID at check-in
Real Decreto 933/2021: anyone providing lodging records each guest's identity data and sends it to the Interior Ministry. Source
Low-emission zone
The whole city: a car with no environmental label may not drive on any urban street, fine EUR 200. Foreign cars follow the same rule. The M-40 and the roads from it to the airport are outside the zone. Source
Distrito Centro car parks
The city lists 56 public car parks inside Distrito Centro that are authorised to arrange access for their users' cars, among them Plaza de Santa Ana, Plaza de las Cortes and EMT Plaza Mayor. Source
Street parking
SER: blue bays 4 hours for anyone, green bays 2 hours for visitors, then an hour away from the same barrio. Paid Monday to Friday 09:00 to 21:00 and Saturday 09:00 to 15:00. Source
Monthly stays
The Madrid decree sets no maximum stay for a tourist flat and prices stays by day, week or month. A seasonal lease under article 3.2 of the lease law carries a deposit of two months' rent. Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Madrid

Plaza de Santa Ana in the Barrio de las Letras, with the bronze statue of Federico García Lorca, café terraces and the white Reina Victoria hotel.
Photo: Enric, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sol and Las Letras

The Puerta del Sol, the Plaza Mayor and, in the Barrio de las Letras, the Plaza de Santa Ana on foot. It suits first visits and short stays, and it stays loud late into the night.

Airport (T4) by road
about 20 km
Puerta del Sol
under 1 km

Car and parking

Inside Distrito Centro, where unauthorised entry is fined EUR 200. The city lists car parks here that arrange access for their users' cars: Plaza de Santa Ana, with a 2 m height limit, Plaza de las Cortes and EMT Plaza Mayor among them.

Plaza del Dos de Mayo in Malasaña, a tree-shaded square with a brick arch at its centre and ochre houses around it.
Photographed in 2021. Photo: Vsieger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Malasaña and Chueca

Bars, independent shops and small squares north of the Gran Vía. It suits nightlife and a younger crowd; light sleepers do better a street away from the squares.

Airport (T4) by road
about 16 km
Puerta del Sol
under 1 km

Car and parking

Inside Distrito Centro. The listed car parks that arrange access include EMT Pedro Zerolo and Mercado San Antón in the Justicia barrio, and eleven in the Universidad barrio.

Calle de Goya in the Salamanca district, a wide avenue lined with trees and apartment blocks, with parked cars and a 30 km/h marking on the road.
Photographed in 2017. Photo: Asqueladd, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Salamanca

A grid of wide streets and apartment blocks around the Serrano and Goya shops. It suits shoppers, families and longer stays with quieter nights.

Airport (T4) by road
about 16 km
Puerta del Sol
about 2 km

Car and parking

Outside Distrito Centro, inside the citywide ban on cars with no label. Where the SER applies, blue bays allow 4 hours and green bays 2 hours for visitors; the city's address lookup shows which streets are regulated.

Plaza de Olavide in Chamberí, a round square with trees, benches and a fountain, ringed by residential buildings under a blue sky.
Photo: Jotaemec, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chamberí

A residential district of squares, markets and local bars north of the centre. It suits longer stays and visitors on a second or third trip.

Airport (T4) by road
about 16 km
Puerta del Sol
about 2 km

Car and parking

Outside Distrito Centro. Where the SER applies, blue bays allow 4 hours and green bays 2 hours for visitors, paid Monday to Friday 09:00 to 21:00 and Saturday 09:00 to 15:00.

Barajas and Campo de las Naciones

Hotels near the airport terminals and the trade fair grounds. It suits early flights and late arrivals, less so sightseeing.

Airport (T4) by road
about 9 km
Puerta del Sol
about 10 km

Car and parking

The M-40 and the roads that reach the airport from it, the M-11 to M-14 and the R-2, are outside the low-emission zone; the ban on cars with no label applies on the city's streets. Local street parking rules were not verified.

Guides

Questions

Does Madrid have a tourist tax?

None was found in force, at city or regional level. On 21 July 2026 the city's tourism councillor told the council plenary that Madrid will not create one. That comes from press reports; no official statement was read.

Can a rental car drive into the centre of Madrid?

Cars with no environmental label may not drive on any street in the city, and the fine is EUR 200. Distrito Centro is a stricter zone where unauthorised entry costs the same; the city lists 56 public car parks there that are authorised to arrange access for their users' cars.

Which Madrid area is best for a first visit?

Sol and Las Letras put the Puerta del Sol, the Plaza Mayor and the Plaza de Santa Ana on foot. With a car, use a listed car park such as Plaza de Santa Ana or Plaza de las Cortes.

How can a guest recognise a registered tourist flat in Madrid?

The regional decree requires an official plaque at the entrance door, a 24-hour contact phone, an evacuation plan on the door and official complaint forms. In the historic centre, Plan RESIDE no longer allows scattered tourist flats in residential buildings.