The five story Zara on Princesa is my favorite. Zara home is on the top floor which is nice and convenient. Otherwise, you can easily hit any of the other 34 stores in Madrid just exiting any of the major metro stops about town. This insanely successful Spanish outfit is as ubiquitous here as Starbucks in the US.
It is an institution, and it'll keep you in dandy style every season for a pretty decent price. Though, in the past 7 years the quality has gone down and, predictably, the cost has gone up. But, it's an accepted fact. Any given late afternoon at this particular location you will find long check out lines on each floor. Forget shopping on Fridays and Saturdays, it is a madhouse. If you must, be prepared to spend at least 3 hours finding that snazzy smokin outfit that fits you, and checking out.
The low down: you will shop til you drop, you will be frustrated about the fit unless you are way on the thin side and are tallish (best fit if you are average height and weight are the Zara Collection or Zara Mujer lines), you will have fun buying some fairly nice, big designer, off the runway pret-a-porter knock-offs and.....you will have those "bitch stole my look" moments- more than once, if you reside in Madrid.
Oh, and, forget about customer service. These ladies are busy, busy, busy. Unlike the ones who man the handful of Zaras in LA who are bitchy, bitchy, bitchy. read more