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Madrid is a world design center. You'll have no trouble finding traditional crafts, such as ceramics, woven baskets, guitars, and leather goods, as well as a wealth of contemporary art and fashion pieces. Small, family-run shops and boutiques generally close during lunch hours, on Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday.
Madrid has three main shopping areas. The first stretches from Callao to Puerta del Sol (Calle Preciados, Gran Vía on both sides of Callao, and the streets around the Puerta del Sol) and includes the major department stores (El Corte Inglés and the French music, book, and electronics chain FNAC) and popular brands such as H&M and Zara.
The second area, far more elegant and expensive, is in the eastern Salamanca district, bounded roughly by Serrano, Juan Bravo, Jorge Juan (and its mews), and Velázquez; the shops on Goya extend as far as Alcalá. The streets just off the Plaza de Colón, particularly Calle Serrano and Calle Ortega y Gasset, have the widest selection of designer goods—think Prada, Loewe, Armani, and Louis Vuitton—as well as other mainstream and popular local designers (Purificación García, Pedro del Hierro, Adolfo Domínguez, Roberto Verino). Calle Jorge Juan, Calle Lagasca, and Calle Claudio Coello hold the widest selection of smart boutiques from renowned Spanish designers such as Sybilla, DelPozo, and Dolores Promesas.
Finally, for hipper clothes, Chueca, Malasaña, and the streets around the Conde Duque cultural center are your best bets. Calle Fuencarral, between Gran Vía and Tribunal, has the most shops in this area with outposts from Diesel, Adidas, and Footlocker, but also local brands such as El Ganso, Adolfo Domínguez U (selling the Galician designer's younger collection), and Custo as well as some cosmetics stores (Madame B and M.A.C). Less mainstream and sometimes more exciting is the selection you can find on nearby Calles Hortaleza, Almirante, and Piamonte and around the Conde Duque cultural center.
Opened in 1904, this is the best of Madrid's many ceramics vendors. Despite the name, the finest wares sold here are from Manises, near Valencia, but the blue-and-yellow Talavera ceramics are also excellent. All pieces are hand-painted and bear traditional Spanish motifs that have been used for centuries.
There's no better shop in Madrid for top-quality Spanish artisan wares. The shelves in this tiny independently owned boutique off Plaza de la Paja are lined with everything from exquisite Andalusian pottery to hand-sewn blankets, antique esparto baskets, and leather soccer balls.
Owners Juanma and Rigas travel from village to village to source the stunning artisan ceramics, fabrics, glass, and more on display at this sunlight-filled boutique. Don't miss the Níjar ceramics with their cheery colorful splotches and the Caribbean-blue vases of hand-blown Mallorcan glass.
These are not your grandma's embroideries! Yolanda Andrés's thought-provoking "paintings with thread" interpret the centuries-old technique through a modern-day lens—with stunning results. Beyond the framed artwork (don't miss the technicolor "Artichoke" line), there are embroidered pillowcases, totes, and more.
You can watch the artisans at work at this inviting atelier-boutique hybrid situated steps from Plaza Mayor. Regardless of what catches your eye—a leather cardholder, handbag, or perhaps a hand-bound notebook—you'll be pleasantly surprised by the prices.
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