Most of Madrid’s popular place names map onto one official neighbourhood carrying a different name. Madrid de los Austrias is the exception, because it does not fit inside one. The area straddles Palacio, code 011, which at 147.0 hectares is the largest of the six in the Centro district, and Sol, code 016, which at 44.5 is the smallest. The two halves of a single name differ in size by more than three times.
Is Madrid de los Austrias a neighbourhood? No. It is an area in common use spread across 2 official neighbourhoods of the Centro district, Palacio (147.0 hectares) and Sol (44.5 hectares). It is not among the 131 neighbourhoods delimited in 1987. Both sit inside the Centro restricted traffic zone, where a B or C labelled car may enter only to park.
Madrid de los Austrias is the name given to the part of the old town built under the Habsburgs, and administratively it does not exist as a unit: it is a strip of two different neighbourhoods. That sets it apart from Malasaña, Chueca or Lavapiés, each of which corresponds to exactly one official neighbourhood.
What this means for a visitor staying here
Two halves of one name behave differently in practice, and it is worth knowing which one an address falls in.
Sol is the transport heart of the city and the smallest neighbourhood in the district, so an address there is dense, central and permanently busy. Palacio is more than three times larger and reaches westward towards the river, which means a Palacio address can be a fifteen-minute walk from the same landmarks. Both, though, sit inside the same restricted traffic zone, so anyone arriving by car needs a garage rather than a street space.
The two halves, by size
The asymmetry is the surprising part, because the name suggests a single uniform quarter.
| Neighbourhood | Code | Area | Rank in the district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cortes | 013 | 59.2 hectares | Fifth |
| Justicia | 014 | 73.9 hectares | Fourth |
| Universidad | 015 | 94.8 hectares | Third |
| Embajadores | 012 | 103.4 hectares | Second |
| Sol | 016 | 44.5 hectares | Smallest of six |
| Palacio | 011 | 147.0 hectares | Largest of six |
Palacio and Sol are simultaneously the ceiling and the floor of the district. The full pattern of official and popular names is in Madrid neighbourhoods, official and popular, and the names that do fit one neighbourhood each in which neighbourhood Malasaña really is and where La Latina actually is.
What the Centro regime brings with it
It is the strictest driving regime in the city and it applies identically to both halves.
The district is a special-protection low emission zone, so a car with a B or C label may enter only to park in a public car park, a private garage or a reserved bay, in Madrid’s low emission zones explained. On-street stays are capped at 4 hours in blue bays and 2 in green ones, in Madrid street parking rules.
What is inside, and when it opens
The area holds several monuments whose calendars do not match, which is where most itineraries go wrong.
The Royal Palace runs its own free-entry window with conditions attached, in Royal Palace of Madrid free entry, while the Descalzas Reales and La Encarnación can only be seen on a guided visit, in Descalzas Reales and La Encarnación tickets. Every institution setting its own calendar is the city’s general rule, in Madrid opening hours, who sets each one.
Frequently asked questions about Madrid de los Austrias
What does Madrid de los Austrias mean?
It refers to the part of the old town built under the Habsburg dynasty, whose Spanish name is Austrias. It is a descriptive name in common use rather than an administrative one, and it appears on no municipal map of the city.
Which neighbourhoods does it cover?
Two, both in the Centro district. Palacio, code 011, at 147.0 hectares, and Sol, code 016, at 44.5. They are the largest and smallest of the six neighbourhoods in the district, so the halves are very unevenly sized.
Why does the split across two neighbourhoods matter?
Because rules are written by administrative unit rather than by popular name. Both halves currently share the Centro district regime, but any future measure adopted at neighbourhood level would apply to one half and not the other.
Is this the best area to stay in Madrid?
It puts you within walking distance of most of the historic sights, but it is also inside the restricted traffic zone, which matters if you are arriving by car. Anyone driving needs a garage rather than a street space.
How big is the Centro district overall?
523 hectares across six neighbourhoods, being Palacio at 147.0, Embajadores at 103.4, Universidad at 94.8, Justicia at 73.9, Cortes at 59.2 and Sol at 44.5. It is the smallest of Madrid’s 21 districts.
It is the only name in the old town that needs two neighbourhood codes to write down in full.