Shopping
Shopping districts in Madrid are pretty defined. The biggest
range of stores are along Gran Vía and around Puerta del Sol, which
is where the department stores - such as El Corte Inglés -
have their main branches. For fashion ( moda ), the
smartest addresses are c/Serrano, c/Goya and c/Velázquez, north of
the Retiro, while more alternative designers are to be found in
Malasaña and Chueca (c/Almirante, especially). The antiques
trade is centred down towards the Rastro, on and around c/Ribera de
Curtidores, or in the Puerta de Toledo shopping centre (Métro:
Puerta de Toledo), while for general weirdness , it's hard
to beat the shops just off Plaza Mayor, where luminous saints rub
shoulders with surgical supports and fascist memorabilia. The
cheapest, trashiest souvenirs can be collected at the Todo a
Cien ("Everything at 100ptas") shops scattered all over the city.
If you want international or speciality shops, head for Madrid 2, a
huge hypermarket next to Métro: Barrio de Pilar or the upmarket ABC
Serrano at c/Serrano 61 and Paseo de la Castellana 34 (Métro: Nuñez
de Balboa).
Most areas of the city have their own mercados del
barrio - indoor markets , devoted mainly to food. Among
the best and most central are those in Plaza San Miguel (just west
of Plaza Mayor); La Cebada in Plaza de la Cebada (Métro: La
Latina); Antón Martín in c/Santa Isabel (Métro: Antón Martín);
behind the Gran Vía in Plaza de Mostenses (Métro: Plaza de España);
on c/Gravina in Chueca (Métro: Chueca); on c/Barceló in Malasaña
(Métro: Tribunal); and Maravillas in c/Bravo Murillo 122 (Métro:
Cuatro Caminos). The city's biggest market is, of course, El
Rastro - the flea market - which takes place on Sundays in La
Latina, south of Plaza Mayor. Other specialized markets include a
second-hand book market on the Cuesta de Moyano, at the
southwest corner of El Retiro.
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