Shopping in Madrid

Gran Via. That's all you need to know. Gran freaking Via. THE place for all things shopping!

On Day 1 we went to:

Ale-Hop: This store is a must-go to! It's filled with so many different knick knacks at a super cheap price. When we went, there were slippers, coffee mugs, blankets, journals, aprons, chargers and literally everything else you could think of. I left the store with a blanket for Daniel's family, a heating pad for myself and an apron! I ended up going back three more times during our shopping trip.

Primark: Okay, obviously you're going to go into Primark. No brainer. It's 4 floors of "Oh My God". I think we got all kinds of overwhelmed when we got there. There were SO many people and endless piles of clothing. We ended up with rolling carts that overflowed with sweaters, pajamas, and home goods. The downside to Primark (specifically the one on Gran Via), it is so vast and crowded that it's easy to get lost and confused! Another downside is there's a limit with how many things you can try on, which led to about 8 back and forth trips in the changing room. In the end, we left with items only from the 'home' section and a few pairs of underwear that were 3 for a euro so obviously we weren't going to pass that up!

On Day 2 of shopping on Gran Via we came much more prepared. After suffering from extreme heat and the inconvenience of schlepping our coats everywhere, we decided to go in basic clothes so we could run in and out of each store with ease! Today's shopping included:

Zara: If you've shopped in Zara Israel, you'll know that the difference between Zara Israel and Zara-anywhere-in-Europe is insane! I have never once in Israel found anything I liked, but in Zara on Gran Via I could have camped out! As for all the stores in Madrid, I have to mention the gorgeous lay out of each store. They are all so organized and tidied up. I think this is due to the awesome system they set up with getting people different sizes while trying on clothes. You tell them what you need and in seconds they have someone bringing it to you! I ended up getting myself a shirt, skirt and Daniel a sweater and pants.

H&M: H&M is built 'inside' Primark. It's two floors and also full of great options (way better than Israel's H&M). They have a full makeup, purses, and shoes section that is unheard of in Israel. I ended up loading up on sweaters, tops and workout shirts. But they also have a great bra and underwear section that shouldn't go unmentioned. Lucky for me I loaded up on all I need at Oysho (more on that later ;) ).Another thing that shouldn't go unmentioned is H&M's workout selection. I have learned that they have such good quality of workout clothes at a fraction of the price you would normally find at an Adidas or Nike.

ZAP Shoes: Zapatossss! If you're looking for new shoes at a very reasonable price, then ZAP shoes is for you! And luckily, they are on every corner. Neither of us left empty handed. I ended up getting over-the-knee grey boots and short black booties. They had hundreds of other options in all colors, sizes and styles. I'm not sure on how amazing the quality is, I'll update on that as some time goes by. But they are gorgeous and they were such great prices.

Mango Men: The Mango men shop we visited was pretty small, and I went in there with only one thing on my mind. Getting Daniel dark, navy blue, dress shoes. Luckily for me, I found them! They wrapped them up all nice and I was done with them in under 5 minutes.

Lush: Ever since visiting Lush in Rome, I knew that we had to go into Lush in Madrid. Last time I had bought their face mask (the ones you keep in the fridge), I was so satisfied with the product I wanted to get it again! Unfortunately, the expiration date on the masks in this branch were all for the following month. And since we don't have a Lush in Israel and I like to use masks only once a week, I knew it would be a waste for me. I ended up getting a face and body exfoliant scrub (that has an expiration date in 2020 and doesn't need to be refrigerated). I also got a sea salt hair spray while checking out. To be honest, I would have loved to of walked around more to hear more about the products they have, since the concept of organic products is so interesting, but there were so many people in this tiny store there was no chance we would stay in there longer than we needed to.

NYX Cosmetics: We've seen them, you've seen them, we've all seen the makeup instagrammers using NYX products. We went in and didn't leave until we had gotten enough products to completely redo our makeup cabinet! From NYX I got matte lipgloss, waterproof eyeliner, contour stick, highlighter palette, eyebrow pencil and both primer and finisher spray.

OYSHO: Goooooooodbye Victoria Secret and HELLO, Oysho! I knew the second I walked in that I would be walking out with new bras! Finally a store of gorgeous bras with a comfortable fit and awesome prices. I tried on 8 bras and all 8 fit perfectly and looked great. The biggest issue I had in this store was narrowing it down to my favorites! If you're like me, comfort is so important. My favorite bras end up being the ones I got a few years ago in the states from Target. Comfort always outlasts the cheaper and prettier ones. But I have a feeling Oysho won't be disappointing anytime soon!! ** a note here about Victoria Secret: in Spain, all their locations only have perfumes and panties but none hold any bras.

Springfield: Cute, small and to the point! This was one of the few stores we didn't feel overwhelmed in and had several cute options. We both ended up leaving with a sweater and a scarf!

Tanzania: This store has lingerie, underwear, bras and pajamas! Back when I shopped here in Rome, I got two silky dress pajamas that have lasted in great quality already for a year and knew that I couldn't leave Madrid without grabbing something from here. We ended up each picking out 5 pairs of panties in different colors :).

Calzedonia: The girl I work with back in Tel Aviv mentioned this store maybe 18 times before I went to Madrid and I knew I had to check it out. For those of you who don't know, Calzedonia is THE store for tights, leggings and socks. I was most intrigued by the tights so that's what I'll talk about. They have every type of tights you could ever want. Cheetah print, roses, stars, polka dots, shape formers, seamless and about 50 others. I ended up going with the seamless 15 DEN, roses and stars. Something has to be said about the quality of these tights. They seem impenetrable. The quality is by far better than I have ever tried before and SO recommended.

Pimkie: We passed by this store several times and decided to go in for a quick shop that ended up turning into a great spot! They have super cute fashion and are also super reasonable when it comes to prices. I ended up getting here a new beige coat (the only coat I liked this entire trip!) and a new belt.

The best part of shopping in Madrid is that all of it is happening in basically one place! Gran Via, like mentioned before. Without even trying, we ended up getting an Airbnb right on Gran Via! This allowed us to shop, drop off bags, shop, drop off bags and then shop some more!