Príncipe Pío Mall is one of the most well-known in Madrid, and I am lucky enough to be situated just a couple of minutes away from it and can easily get there walking. It is mainly a place of leisure for people of all ages, although it's easy to appreciate that it's very popular amongst young people in particular.
If you live in Madrid, you must know that one of the most important things about this shopping mall is its location: it's not strange that you'll end up using it as a point of reference or a meeting point on many an occasion, as it's located in Moncloa district, which is where many exchange students live so that they are close to their university campuses.
The story behind the peculiar design of the Príncipe Pío shopping mall
The design of the Príncipe Pío shopping mall is really beautiful, and is located where the North Railway Station was previously built in 1861, which means that a large part of the structure is more than 150 years old, but even still, you can appreciate how well-conserved the construction is with its really elegant architectural details. This complex as a whole hasn't actually been around for too long, as it was 1993 before construction work started, due to the bankruptcy of the Compañía de Caminos del Hierro del Norte in Spain.
This station may now be a very busy area, but we must not also leave to one side the historic consequences that have been faced throughout the years; although almost nobody knows, the bankruptcy of the company and the civil war left the station very damaged and neglected. It's actually really fortunate that it could be saved and now has become a beautiful place, which no one would have previously thought to traverse through. Obviously, we cannot ignore its historic importance either, as it is rumoured that Heinrich Himmler (Nazi leader) was welcomed at this station during 1940.
The station is not only important for the shopping mall, but also because it forms part of the new Príncipe Pío transport interchange, which no long bears the name of North Station.
Príncipe Pío transport interchange
The transport interchange has two floors: on the ground floor, you will find buses from Madrid to smaller areas situated further out from the capital. It's normal for the people who live far from the city centre to use this mode of transport to get to work on a daily basis.
On the upper level, you will find a metro station that has two lines: the grey line (Line 6) and the blue line (Line 10), as well as the Príncipe Pío - Opera branch of the railroad, the connection to the Opera station is very long, so, for this reason, a metro carriage is put in service to facilitate this journey.
Spain has a widespread range of transport, and one of the fastest and most reliable is the Cercanías Renfe, which is a train company that provides links from far out places to the capital, and although it doesn't have as many lines as the metro, there are sufficient to transport people quickly to and from the city centre.
The shopping mall itself
Although the entrance to the shopping mall isn't found where the main entrance of North Station used to be, this side remains beautiful enough to adorn it with this title. In fact, if you are not from Madrid, at first you won't think that beyond that façade of an old train station there would be a shopping mall, well at least this was what happened to me.
(Night view of the shopping mall's external façade)
Once inside, it's really pretty to see how they connected the shopping mall together to continue keeping it look like an old train station: there are some very peculiar details, like the roof that keeps its triangular shape, as well as the typical pieces of green iron that form part of the roofs of almost all of the old-style train stations. Another very pretty detail is the big, elegant clock that is located close to the roof, and is a classic staple in train stations.
The complex has two floors of shops, one on the ground floor, and the other on floor 0. The shops are really varied in type because you can find really well-known clothing brands like Zara, Stradivarius, and H&M (to name a few), in addition to a small supermarket with all the basics (which is great if you live close by and have forgotten to go to the supermarket), and of course not forgetting beauty stores nor those with shoes, teas, decor, and school supplies.
If you are hungry, you must allow yourself to be swept away by the choice of food outlets that are spread over the two floors. Thanks to the wide variety on offer, you will find every type of food with prices to suit all budgets, as well as well-known fast food chains. For example, you will find things from McDonald's and Burger King to typical Mexican food, kebabs, hot dogs, buffets, and Chinese food, and many more.
If you only fancy grabbing a cup of coffee, you can buy one in the Starbucks that is located here, or, if you want some dessert, I really recommend that you go to llaollao, an outlet where they sell the tastiest ice-creams I have ever tried at excellent prices.
It's surprising to see, in a space of this size, that there is also a cinema here. Although I have not had the opportunity to go there yet, it appears to be very big, as it shows a wide variety of films. Of course, if you want to go to the cinema without it costing an arm and a leg, you can go on Wednesdays when you would only pay 5. 50€, rather than the usual price of 9. 80€.
Security at the complex
The security at the complex has actually been one of my favourite things. Once, I discovered that there were plain clothes officers working with the team of police officers at the complex, and, in fact, I have been able to see certain situations where some gypsies are walking around trying to steal from a distracted tourists, and the actions of the police officers have been quick to correctly identify them, thus preventing further theft, and this is something that I've found pretty incredible.
Parking
If you come by car, you won't have to worry about finding somewhere to park, as the complex has a car park that is open 24 hours a day.
How do you get there?
Well, getting there is really easy because the complex is also home to an important transport interchange.
To get there by metro, you must take Line 6 (grey line) or Line 10 (dark blue line) and alight in the station Príncipe Pío.
If you come by Renfe, take the train with final destination Príncipe Pío, which is usually the last stop, so that means that you cannot get lost.
If you come by bus, there are loads of possible routes that you can take to get here. You can take any of the following: 25, 31, 33, 39, 41, 45, 46, 49, 138, C2, N18, N19, and N20. (You see? There's not excuse not to go... )
What time does the complex open?
The complex has different opening hours depending on both the day of the week and the specific date, but the most common opening hours are the following:
Monday to Saturday, 10:00-22:00, and Sundays, 11:00-22:00.
What to do Madrid,
Madrid,
Spain
