The Castellana neighborhood is actually a sub-neighborhoood of the larger neighborhood Salamanca. Castellana refers to the area north of Calle de Don Ramón de la Cruz and south of Calle de María de Molina. It lies to the east of the grand Paseo de Castellana and west of Principe de Vergara. It is some of the most expensive real estate in Madrid, and for a reason. Its beautiful 19th century buildings line narrow streets that are delightful to stroll through, especially in the spring when the trees are filled with beautiful yellow flowers. Residents of the neighborhood are from all over the world and it has the most elegant shops in Madrid.

The street Calle de José Ortega y Gasset is lined with the Madrid outposts of luxurious big brands such as Tiffany & Co, Dior, Cartier and Hermès. Further north, as you approach IE University, which has a globally ranked Top 10 MBA program, you start to see lots of reasonably priced restaurants focused on a young, international clientele. This is where the French boulangerie Maison Kayser chose to place its only Spanish branch.

As you walk through the Castellana neighborhood, you will see many embassies, the jewel being the Italian Embassy, whose building and gardens take up an entire city block (unlike the older parts of Madrid, Castellana is laid out in a grid system). The French Baroque building was designed by Joaquín Rojí, one of the best Spanish architects of the early XX century. If you can manage an invitation inside, it is well worth it. The Embassy houses many works of art temporarily on loan from various National Galleries and Italian Collections such as: La Galleria Nazionale di Roma, il Museo Nazionale di Roma, il Museo di Napoli, la Galleria di Capodimonte e la Galleria di Firenze.

The Castellana neighborhood is rounded out by smaller boutiques, bank branches that specialize in serving high net worth individuals, flower shops and the best wine store in Madrid: Lavinia. Reflecting the international population of Castellana, it has a good selection of international wines and Champagne.