Madrid Shopping

With a marked sense of style and a penchant for quality, Spanish fashion, footwear, and food have made waves around the world. It only makes sense to have some fun on a shopping spree and acquire Spanish things at the source - in the Spanish capital.

Our top pick for shopping in Madrid is San Miguel market, the city's premier foodie destination. The wrought iron exterior is historic, but the interior is thoroughly modern and fun. At San Miguel market you can acquire prized Spanish wines and cheeses, sample different tapas combinations, and stock up on things like Spanish saffron.

Our second shopping suggestion is to head to Madrid's Salamanca neighborhood (Barrio de Salamanca). There you'll find haute couture outlets, posh shops, and exclusive places to nosh when you get start to get hungry.

But for oodles of style and spunk, we recommend our third pick, the Mercado Fuencarral on hip pedestrian Fuencarral Street. This "alternative" mall (their motto is "Cool or Die") is three floors of clothes and accessories you'd have trouble finding anywhere else: think rack after rack of mod, goth, punk, military, retro, and hipster goods.

Located on the Castellana boulevard in a cool brick building that used to be newspaper offices, ABC Serrano is a mall full of mostly Spanish, upscale shops. Worth a look if you didn't find what you wanted in Salamanca.