About Madrid
A great deal of information about Madrid and its region (history,
tourist sites, weather, transport, etc.) can be found at the Madrid council hall and
Madrid region websites
A few practical tips:
* As most probably you know, the time schedules in
Spain are shifted 1-2 hours with respect to most of Europe. At lunch
time restaurants start to serve at 13:30 the earliest, though most
people show up at 14:30. Nevertheless, some restaurants in the center
start offering early lunch and brunches (during weekends). The same
happen at dinner, being 20:30 the earliest starting time. This
translates into going to bed later that in other countries. They say
that we don't sleep very much...but it might just be that we are so
tired when we go to bed that we directly go to a deep-sleep regime!
* In Madrid you can choose between two eating
styles: through snacks/portions ("de tapas/raciones") or through
"formal" lunch/dinner ("de restaurante").
o De tapas:
Madrid is well-known for its many popular bars. Everytime you ask for a
beer, wine or soft drink don't expect too much as "a free tapa"
(a snack companion). In general, it's better to order first the drinks
and see what comes for free and then go for the "food orders". Ask then
for a portion ("ración") or half a portion ("media ración") of some of
the specialities of the place. Portion's prices depend on the place but
one can easily find them for around 7-10 euros each. A portion per
person should be enough. Some good places and not very touristic are:
-
La Venencia.
- La Mentridana
(in Spanish)
-
Argumosa street at Lavapies-Centro district.
-
El Pez gordo.
-
La Dolores.
Coffee places: From XIXtth century Madrid encloses a very rich
tradition in literary cafés. Some of them have survived and others have
been reopened after years of abandon.
- Circulo de
Bellas Artes (with outstanding terrace views over Madrid skyline)
- Café
Comercial
o "De
restaurante": At lunch weekday time many restaurants and bars offer a
menu of the day ("menu del día") consisting in a first and second
course, including bread, a drink and a desert or coffee to end up.
Prices between 12-15 euros are easily found. The above time warning
only applies to this eating style. Tapas and raciones are available
during larger time intervals.
* Our advice is to avoid restaurants in the Plaza Mayor itself since
they are quite overpriced with a low quality/price ratio.
Madrid and live music: Madrid is maybe the central point to get
all the different music styles. It is usually said that the best
flamenco is heard here since musicians reach glory or defeat over
Madrid stages "tablaos".
Cafe Central (jazz
music)
Cafe Populart (jazz music)
Cardamomo (flamenco music)
Corral de la Morería
(Traditional flamenco, around 40 euros)
SOME OTHER ADVICES
* As in any big European city, please, take care of your wallet,
electronic devices, personal laptop and belongings at any time. Non
violent pickpockets may operate in some crowded (airport, metro and
train stations) and touristic areas (puerta del Sol, plaza Mayor,
museum entrances, Huertas bars area).
