Malasaña & Conde Duque, Madrid

Location
Malasaña is the area enclosed by San Bernardo to the west, Gran Vía to the south, calle Fuencarral to the east and Calle de Carranza to the north. Cross Calle San Bernardo and you enter the area of Conde Duque with the same northern and southern boundaries but ending at Plaza de España/ Calle de la Princesa.
Metro stops in this area: Tribunal, Bilbao, San Bernardo, Noviciado, Gran Vía, Callao, Santo Domingo, Plaza de España, Ventura Rodriguez

In a Nutshell
Two important revolutions took place in Malasaña: the first was an uprising against Napoleonic occupation in 1808. The second came almost 200 years later: La Movida, in the 1980s. Thus evolved Malasaña's counterculture status and rock personality. Malasaña's eastern border, Calle Fuencarral, holds Madrid's hippest high end shops (think Diesel, Adidas, Hoss, etc.) and is constantly packed with lookers and onlookers. Head towards Plaza Dos de Mayo and you'll find streets packed with alternative bars, cafes, boutiques, restaurants. This character extends down calle Pez and across San Bernardo to the Conde Duque barracks - now a cultural center run by the city government - where nearby plazas set up outdoor cafes to cater to Madrid's hipster set.