Relocating to a new city is a big move. A new city, in a new country (when you don’t speak the language) is an even bigger move. Luckily, we’ve had a bit of practice at moving to new places. However, it still feels quite daunting when the day finally comes to pack up your things and get on that flight.
Moving from London to Madrid was exciting for us. I wanted to share our experience so that you can see how a big move overseas isn’t as scary as it might first seem. Anyone can relocate their lives to another country if that’s what they want.
Moving to Madrid
I think the key to moving to another country is a bit of planning (so that you don’t feel overwhelmed). A bit of research into your new home (so that you know what to expect). Plus a lot of courage (you made the decision to move for a reason, have faith in yourself and don’t look back).
We spent a lot of time on planning and researching our move to Madrid and that really helped things to go smoothly.
If you want to move to Spain and are wondering where to start and what you need to organise. Get our FREE Moving to Spain to do list, it covers everything you need to take care off from 12 months ahead to 1 week ahead.
We moved to Madrid in early 2017. It is an amazing city, we’ve really settled in here and fallen in love with Spain in general. To be honest we’ve been wowed by what Madrid has to offer. Beautiful architecture, bustling streets and plazas, delicious food and drink and vast green spaces.
The logistics of moving from London to Madrid was (pretty) stress free. We used a website called AnyVan.com and found Wheeler Logistics to bring over our tv, record player, vinyl collection and a big box of books. It was all delivered safe and sound to our new apartment a few days after moving in. Brad was in constant contact with them, discussing the final shipping price, tracking the shipment and planning the delivery day.
Finding an apartment in Madrid
Our new apartment is a little 1 bed on the edge of the La Latina barrio and just a 10-minute walk from Central Madrid. La Latina the oldest part of Madrid with cute narrow streets and small open plazas. One of the best places to get authentic tapas and have a nice local beer.
The landlord is nice and speaks good English so signing contracts etc was really easy. We found this property through Spotahome.com back in the UK. I wanted to have a place lined up in advance as I didn’t fancy the idea of trawling free ad sites when we arrived. Or spending all our time with estate agents viewing sub standard properties.
There were a few properties that we liked the look of on the website initially. Although, after submitting applications found that they were no longer available or the current tenants had renewed. It was a little disheartening but the Spotahome team were really helpful sending us new property suggestions and keeping us updated.
The best bit was that the Spotahome staff visit the property on your behalf and take a head-cam video of what it’s like inside. That way you know what to expect without actually going to view it yourself. Of course you pay a fee to them and the properties they list are a little more expensive then your average unfurnished city apartment. However, we found the communication and apartment quality to be worth it.
Settling into life in Madrid
After a lot of cleaning, furniture re-arranging and few trips to Ikea we felt pretty at home in our new little apartment. Now it’s time to start the fun stuff and get out exploring!
Geographically Madrid is right in the centre of Spain. Making it really easy to either fly, drive or catch a train to almost anywhere in the country from here. After writing my list of things to do in Madrid, I set straight to work writing a list of all the places in Spain I want to visit.
There so many great places to see in Spain. From the stunning Alhambra in Granada, the green hills of Caceres, to the crystal blue seas of the Balearic Islands. The variety of landscapes, culture and food in Spain is incredible and I cant wait to experience it all.
Follow our blog or join our mailing list if you would like to read more and travel with me across Spain. We have so much to find and explore and really want to share it all with you!
Update April 2018
We have signed another rental contract, extending our stay in Madrid to at least another year and to be honest are even talking about staying in the city for longer.
Things have gone really well here. We couldn’t be happier with the opportunities we’ve had to travel around Spain. Our exploration of the country has helped us to narrow down the area that we want to live in Spain permanently and over the next 3-4 years we hope to buy a house.
If you dream of moving to Spain and starting a life here take a look at my article – Practical tips for moving to Spain.
Or if you plan to visit Madrid then check out these helpful Seeking the Spanish Sun posts…
What you need to know before visiting Madrid
A Weekend in Madrid
What to eat in Madrid
If you are taking a holiday or vacation in Spain take a look at our travel information and guides…
Spain Guides
Or if you want more practical travel help and tips you might be interested in our advice articles…
Travel Advice
And don’t forget our FREE printable lists. They will help you get organised for moving to Spain or visiting on holiday. Just click on the link below and join our mailing list to receive your download via email…
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