Starting a family in a new country is HARD. Have you ever had that thought in the back of your mind that won’t leave no matter how much you try to dismiss it? Well, in our case, it was the possibility of moving to Madrid.

When choosing where to move after getting married, we basically based our decision on good weather, a big city, good business opportunities and the beach – but after a few years of living here, we couldn’t help but wonder “what if we had chosen some place else? Would we be happier?” As you can imagine, we had Madrid suburbs on our mind.

Ay first we went through a phase where we literally took every city into consideration; Berlin, Marbella, Canarias, Madrid, Vienna, and a couple of others were on our mind so instead of guessing, we decided to spend some time on each just to make a more educated decision.

Being from Costa Rica, we had never really experienced bad winters, so naturally, you can imagine that we immediately dismissed several options because of the weather. Of course all of these cities are stunning, but my sucker-for-cold body could barely manage the beginning of the winter season…. And for that and a couple more reasons, we ended up between Madrid and Barcelona. Although my husband had already lived a couple of years in the capital, I had to see the Madrid suburbs with “local” eyes instead of the “touristy” mood I had gone with before.

So a couple of weeks ago,  we literally booked a hotel for the next week and drove in our 2 passenger car (with Simba) for the 6 hours it took to get there. We thought it would be a fun road trip instead of taking the plane or train that makes Simba really nervous…. but it was a huge mistake! I’m telling you, 6 hours with a crazy dog on top of you may be fun the first hours….. then it gets exhausting.

When we finally arrived, we had a whole plan to get to know the residential sections. Living in the city is definitely beautiful but we got to the conclusion that if we were gonna leave Barcelona’s beach (and apartment in the city living) it was going to be for a bigger change, something more residential and a bigger house if possible.

The next couple of days we drove and walked around all of the neighborhoods on our “possibility” list, so if you are considering moving to Madrid suburbs, here’s a bit of a recap on what we noticed.

1. First of all, the city center. If you’re been to Madrid as a tourist, this is probably what you’ve seen of Madrid.

GORGEOUS streets, the Gran Via, Puerta de Alcala, El Retiro Park and most of the cities landmarks are here. Just like in Barcelona’s city center, most apartments are in building towers. You can find different styles depending on what area you are around, but mostly, a “piso” (as they call it here) is smaller and a bit more expensive than what you would find on the outskirts of town. Of course, you have everything “nearby” including the metro, buses, and even bike routes. If you are a student or are looking for a lifestyle with lots of activities, bars, restaurants and people nearby then the center is for you.

2. Barrio Salamanca. Although still in the center, this is in my opinion, one of the best areas if you are looking for apartment buildings.

If you’re looking for something to compare it to, you could definitely see similarities with New York because it’s surrounded by designer shops, cute building entries and luxurious buildings. If living here, you could definitely enjoy walking around it’s streets that are full of boutiques, bakeries, cafe and wine bars, as well as having the pro of being extremely close to the Retiro Park.

3. Pozuelo de Alarcon. About 10 kilometers from Madrid center (you would probably need a car if going to the center is in your daily commute), is one of the richest suburbs of Spain.

If you are looking for “American Styled” big houses (called villas here) then this is a great option. There are many expats living in this area as well as celebrities and football players, but you can expect much higher price homes here. According to ABC newspaper, This suburb is the place with the highest incomes in Spain so you can image how gorgeous it is. When we went to see a few homes in this area, they were no doubt one of the prettiest we had seen – but in our case, a bit too big for our 2 person family. If you want to check out the area, keep in mind that this is an extremely private neighborhood and security is high, so in order to enter you must either go with a realtor, or be invited by someone. This is the suburb where “La Finca” is situated (where most of Real Madrid’s player live) and most houses have 4-5 bedrooms, big yards and pools (a must for the boiling hot Madrid summers!) so if you have a big family, this is definitely a great option.

4. Las Rozas/ Majadahonda Both of these suburbs, although further than the rest, (about 20 km from the center) have a variety of living options.

Although still fancy and full of gorgeous parks, they offer apartments, semi-detached houses and villas for rent and sale as well. Las Rozas was one of my favorites and it’s the neighborhood that reminded me the most of a traditional American gated community. Inside the town, you can find its’ own banks, shops, grocery stores and restaurants. Also, they have gorgeous parks, sidewalks, a good amount of private schools inside, and you could tell the communities where well-organized. Las Rozas Village, one of the biggest outlets in Madrid is also around this area but if living here, a car would be extremely useful since the distances are further than the rest.

5. La Moraleja. Another gorgeous Madrid suburb. Many call this the “Beverly Hills” of Madrid and it’s only 13 kilometers from the center (and even closer to the airport).

If you are looking for luxury, great location, and an area with many private school options then this is a great option. Similar in price to Pozuelo, you can find great security, a sports club, high-end restaurants and beautiful villas.

Visiting all of these neighborhoods made me fall in love with Madrid a bit more. There was only one “but” in our case. Although the outskirts of Madrid are prettier than the outskirts of Barcelona (and the suburbs are gorgeous) changing our beach view life for a big house that we don’t yet need didn’t make much sense. For now, we have decided to keep on enjoying our tower apartment living but if we ever need a bigger house, one of the options I mentioned above will definitely be in the picture!

Hope this information helped some of you make a decision as well, and if there is any neighborhood I missed message me so that I can check it out 😉