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RELOCATION TO MADRID

LOCATION

Spain’s capital Madrid has a population of 5 million inhabitants and  is located at almost the exact geographical centre of the Iberian Peninsula. The city offers excellent communications either by air or fast train with a travel time to Seville, Málaga and Barcelona of approximately two and a half hour by train. The Madrid area is the most developed in Spain and the city is surrounded by some of the most important and emblematic cities in Spain including Toledo, Segovia and Avila.

CLIMATE

Madrid's climate is said to be one of the healthiest in Europe because of its privileged situation. Thanks to the mountains of Somosierra (to the north and north-east), Guadarrama (north-east) and Toledo (south and east) which surround this community, Madrid enjoys the pure mountain air from these Sierras, some of which, like Guadarrama, offer almost year-round winter sports centres.

The average annual temperature in the shade is 13ºC (55ºF). In the colder seasons, the minimum temperatures often fall below freezing point, although in the city itself it rarely snows. In the summer months the average temperature is 30ºC (86ºF) although this is made more bearable thanks to the relatively low humidity.

LANGUAGES

The people in Madrid speak ONLY Castellano which is the Spanish we all recognise and learn. There are NO complications from other Spanish languages which impinge on life around Alicante, Catalunya, Valencia and Mallorca. Schooling for your children is therefore made easier and everyone speaks the same language, with little parochial bias or interference. The accent is also easy to understand.

AIRPORTS

Madrid-Barajas Airport is the main international airport serving the Spanish capital. Located 12 km from the centre of the city and with the Metro subway service that links the city with the airport in approximately 15 minutes, Barajas serves as the gateway to the Iberian peninsula from the rest of Europe and the world and is a particularly key link between Europe and Latin America. In 2007, more than 52 million passengers used Barajas; it ranks as the world's 10th—and Europe's fourth—busiest airport and the largest one by terminal area in the world.

SCHOOLING

For families with children, all areas offer Spanish state schools and in some places, International schools or schools which offer a Spanish education with a strong accent on learning in English, teaching up to 50% of the curriculum in the English language. Schools also provide a good avenue for making new friends.

Madrid has a good mix of State and Private schools making choice easier. For example the Jesuits School, Nuestra Señora del Recuerdo, nearly bilingual, Britanico, Saint Patricks School, Colegio Aleman, Liceo Frances, just girls school like Mater Salvatoris or just boys school like Retamar.

HOSPITALS

As the capital of Spain some of the best hospitals and specialists are to be found in Madrid. There are too many to list here, ask an IRS officer for any particular facilities.  Amongst the most important, Ruber  International, La Luz (private), La Concepción, La Paz, Hospital Cemtro and San Rafael which is a specialist children’s hospital.

PROPERTY PRICES

The Madrid property market is changing considerably. Prices have more than doubled in the past five years but there has been a marked slow down and more reasonable prices can be found. From the centre to the outskirts, property styles and prices vary considerably. On the outskirts you can discover the exclusive urbanisations of La Moraleja, Puerta de Hierro and La Florida, while in the centre of the city you have the historical areas of Sol or the Plaza Mayor, the select and fashionable area of Serrano-Velázquez  or the trendy area of Alonso Martínez. In the Barrio de Salamanca in the Velazquez/Serrano area one can rent a two bedroom from 1,200 to 1,400 €. In La Moraleja, one can rent a house from 250€.  If you want to buy a one bedroom apartment in the Barrio de Salamanca  prices start from 250.000€ and for a house in the Soto de la Moraleja, prices start at 750.000€.

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WHY RELOCATE TO MADRID

Many people who plan to relocate to Madrid, are looking for the many good things they have heard about the city; a Spanish way of life; the comforts of a major yet relatively small city, a cosmopolitan and modern environment, museums, restaurants, good communications, shopping and Spanish friends. Madrid is a vibrant and thriving capital city where you can find all of this and more.

If you are retired, something rural on the outskirts, yet a short distance from town, might be suitable. As an example, one can live in one of the most emblematic cities of Spain, El Escorial and enjoy a truly quiet, village way of life, yet be just over half an hour from the centre of Madrid. There are also wonderful excursions and walks to enjoy all around Madrid in places such as La Pedriza, Gredos and Guadarrama to name but a few.

For families with school age children, the city offers the best national and international schools in Spain as well as Universities of international renown, where the young will be able to make friends and make use of the excellent facilities to practice all kinds of sports including golf, tennis, paddle tennis, skiing, horseback riding, etc. There are also excellent clubs which can be reached in no more than 15 minutes from the town centre. Madrid is officially bidding for the 2016 Summer Olympics and a lot of investment has already been made in creating new sports centers, theaters and hotels.

Madrid, as the largest city in Spain, offers many investment opportunities. Due to the slow down in the real estate market you could pick up a bargain on a new development or make a neat profit refurbishing a typical older property in the “historical” part of the city.

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