Madrid City Guide

0.- Madrid Apartments Google Map

1.- Madrid Zones Information

Madrid- Puerta del Sol
Madrid Opera-Austrias-Latina
Madrid Gran Via - Callao- Plaza España
Madrid Chueca - Gay District
Madrid Malasaña- Conde Duque- Bilbao
Madrid Huertas (Barrio de las Letras)
Madrid Latina - Rastro - Lavapies
Madrid Salamanca District, Ventas & Retiro Park
Madrid Arguelles- Moncloa-Chamberi
Madrid Castellana, Plaza de Castilla, Chamartin & Arturo Soria

2. Madrid Transport

3. Madrid Weather

4. Madrid Cultural Tips

5. Madrid Useful Links

0.- Madrid Apartments Google Map

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1.- Madrid Area Information

Madrid Puerta del Sol

The Puerta del Sol is the heart of the city. This plaza is officially the centre of the nation: a stone slab in the pavement outside the Casa de Correos on the south side marks kilometre zero, from where Spain's six national roads begin. Around Puerta del Sol, there are a large number of shops and interesting places to visit. An statue of a bear pawing a madroño bush lies on the north side; this is both the emblem of the city and a favourite meeting place. Immediately north of Sol, calle Preciados and calle del Carmen head towards the Gran Vía; both are pedestrianized and constitute the most popular shopping area in Madrid.

From Puerta del Sol, towards the east runs the Calle de Alcalá. Alcalá continues to the roundabout Plaza de Cibeles, with the statue of the goddess Cibeles on her chariot ridden by lions, a symbol of the city of Madrid. Here, is Alcalá's intersection with Madrid's grand north-south axis called Paseo de Recoletos & Paseo de la Castellana to the north and Paseo del Prado to the south.

Towards the west run calle Mayor and calle Arenal. Calle Mayor takes you to the Plaza Mayor and to the Plaza de la Villa -Madrid's City Hall-. The Plaza Mayor is to the left as you walk along Mayor. In and around the plaza, you'll also find lots of bars and restaurants where you can try traditional dishes. Calle del Arenal, is a pedestrians walkway that ends at Plaza de Isabel II, right in front of the Teatro Real (Madrid Opera House) -map with location-. Along the street, you'll find Calle de Bordadores on your left, and behind it, the Plazuela de San Ginés and the famous Chocolatería de San Ginés, open 'til the wee hours of the night for hot chocolate & churros, a Madrid tradition. Calle de Bordadores is called Calle de San Martín on the other side of Arenal. Head up San Martín and you'll arrive at a pretty plaza holding the 16th century Real Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, founded by Pricess Juana, daughter of emperor Charles V (Carlos I of Spain), who is buried there. The interior holds 17th century Belgian tapestries. Continue north from Descalzas and you'll hit Plaza de Callao & Gran Vía.

Links of interest

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Opera Austrias Madrid Area

The Teatro Real is Madrid's Opera House. Behind the Teatro Real is the elegant Plaza de Oriente, an esplanade which gives access to the Palacio Real, the Spanish Monarch's Royal Palace, Google location map.

The Royal Palace, -Palacio Real- (also known as Palacio de Oriente) is no longer used as the royal residence, but has been kept intact since it last functioned as home to the king Alfonso XIII in 1931. The palace is interesting in its own right, in particular its architecture and gardens: the Jardines del Moro and the Jardines de Sabattini. Inside the Palace there are excellent paintings and frescos by Velázquez, Tiépolo, Goya, Rubens, El Greco, Juan de Flandes and Caravaggio, among others.

Madrid Royal Palace - Palacio Real
calle Bailén - Plaza de Oriente
Metro: Plaza de España, Opera
Google location map
www: Patrimonio Nacional

Royal Theatre
Plaza de Oriente
Metro: Opera
Google location map
www: Teatro Real de Madrid

AUSTRIAS MADRID

The area known as Austria's Madrid, or the Madrid of the Hapsburg, after the Austrian royal dynasty who reigned in Spain until 1700 is the oldest section of the city, so it's packed with historical attractions. You'll feel the charm of old medieval-reinassance Madrid in the narrow quiet streets around Plaza de la Villa, plaza de la Paja and, of course, at the Plaza Mayor.


This area also hosts the major Madrid festivals of San Isidro and Paloma festival where people dance in the traditional madrileño style called chotis.
A good place to start is Calle Mayor, which meets the southwest corner of Puerta del Sol. Calle Mayor is one of Madrid's oldest streets, but instead of continuing all the way down, first duck into any of the Plaza Mayor's many entrances on the southern side of the street.

Links of interest

ACCOMODATION

• Apartments in Opera- Austrias-Plaza Mayor
  • Apartment Opera Palacio . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Opera Santa Clara. GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Opera Arenal. GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Opera Santo Domingo. GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Gran Via Plaza España 1 . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Gran Via Plaza de España 2 . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Plaza Mayor Cava Baja . GOOGLE MAP

ART & CULTURE

• Teatro Real (Madrid Opera House)
• Royal Palace
• Royal Academy of Fine Arts
• Circulo de Bellas Artes
• Casino de Madrid
• Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales

ENTERTAINMENT

• Teatro Real - Opera house
• Teatro Calderón - Haagen Dazs
• El Sol - rock indie music concerts
• Café de Chinitas - famous flamenco show and restaurant
• Teatro La Latina
• Corral de la Morería - Flameco
• Las Carboneras - Stylish tablao flamenco

RESTAURANTS & TAPAS

• Casa Labra: famous cod croquetas and fried fish
• Casa Lhardy: In Madrid since 1839.
• La Gloria de Montera: good cheap menu in cool place
• La Bola. Since 1870 they serve one of the best cocidos in Madrid Calamari "bocatas" bars around Plaza Mayor
• Buscador de restaurantes del ayuntamiento
• Buscador de restaurantes de El Mundo
• Mercado de San Miguel
• Casa Lucio, Madrid's most famous and typical restaurant
• El sobrino de Botín: Reputedly the oldest restaurant in the world
• Las cuevas de Luis Candelas: At Cava de San Miguel
• Casa Paco at Puerta Cerrada
• Madrid Eating out section

GOOGLE MAPS

• Puerta del Sol
• Plaza de Opera
• Austrias area: Plaza Mayor
• La Latina area: Plaza de la Cebada

• Sol (L1, L2 and L3) / Opera (L2, L5 and R)
• AUSTRIAS: Sol, Opera (L2)
• LA LATINA: La Latina (L5)

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Gran Vía - Callao - Plaza de España

Gran Via divides the city in districts: on its northside are Malasaña -to the west- and Chueca further east. Gran Vía ends to the west in Plaza de España and to the east at the intersection with Calle de Alcalá. Permanently crowded with shoppers and sightseers, the street is appropriately named -the great lane- with splendidly quirky Art Nouveau and Art Deco facades fronting its banks, offices and apartments, and huge posters on the cinemas. Callao square holds a high concentration of movie theaters.

From Callao, two pedestrian streets lead directly to Puerta del Sol: calle Preciados, with El Corte Inglés & FNAC department stores, and calle del Carmen. At the end of Carmen you'll find the city's most popular meeting place, "el Oso y el Madroño" (the Bear & the strawberry tree), at Puerta del Sol.
The Gran Via ends in an open area, Plaza España, created in the 1920s to air the old city and constructed on land occupied by low houses, small gardens and billeting.

Links of interest

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Chueca

Chueca is a small but lively neighbourhood squeezed between Paseo de Recoletos to the east and Calle de Fuencarral to the west. Its epicenter is Plaza de Chueca.
Plaza de Chueca is the center of barrio activity. Cafes around the square set up tables when the weather is nice. It's the see and be seen of Gay Madrid.
Chueca is full of restaurants, any type of cuisine, of style, different budgets, -and with surprisingly affordable options. It's among the most lively and cosmopolitan neighbourhoods downtown, and remarkably, the gay center of Madrid and all of Spain.



Calle Fuencarral is a cool area for shopping , with the hippest shops and calle Augusto Figueroa for top brands ocassion shoes. In the calles Almirante and Prim, one can find some of Madrid's most chic fashion and shoe shops.
All the district is peppered with lots of bars and clubs, both for gay and non gay night life.

History Museum of Madrid,
calle Fuencarral 78
Metro: Tribunal.
Google location map

• Apartments in Gran Vía and Chueca area
  • Apartment Gran Via Chueca 1 . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Gran Via Chueca 2. GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Chueca Victor Hugo . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Chueca Barcelo. GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Chueca Tribunal . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Chueca Velarde. GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Gran Via Fuencarral 1 . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Gran Via Fuencarral 2 . GOOGLE MAP

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Malasaña & Conde Duque

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.
The center of Malasaña is the Plaza del Dos de Mayo. This is a vibrant neighbourhood full of bars and cafés crowded at weekends with all sorts of people. A lot of its streets have been renovated, making it a much more attractive quarter. The renovation seems to be attracting a growing number of good, reasonably priced restaurants and interesting shops. The charming squares of San Ildefonso or plaza de Juan Pujol are barrio feeling places with nice cafés and shops around.


Malasaña is one of the classic areas for partying the night away.

Across San Bernardo the Conde Duque area is a quiet part of the district. Nearby plazas set up outdoor cafes to cater to Madrid's hipster arty set.

Centro cultural Cuartel del Conde Duque,
calle Conde Duque s/n
Metro: Noviciado, San Bernardo.
Google location map Conde Duque is a cultural space that holds exhibitions, concerts, reading in room, conferences, audiovisual projections, etc.

BILBAO

The Glorieta de Bilbao is the intersection of the streets Sagasta, Luchana, Fuencarral and Carranza. Bilbao, in the same way as Alonso Martinez and Colón it marks the limits of the "center" of Madrid. Taking the street Fuencarral southwards you enter Malasaña district. It is an area with good shops, bars and places to eat. The café Comercial, right at the Glorieta, is one of the classic cafés of Madrid: non reformed since 1953, it was the place for literary gatherings in the post Spanish War period.

• Apartments in Malasaña - Conde Duque area
  • Apartment Divino. GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Bilbao Chamberi 1. GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Tesoro . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Attic Chamberi Deluxe . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Chamberi Quevedo . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Conde Duque 1 . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Conde Duque 2 . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Gran Via San Bernardo . GOOGLE MAP

GOOGLE MAPS

• Chueca area: Chueca Square
• Malasaña area: 2 de Mayo square

METRO IN THE AREA

• CHUECA: Chueca (L5)
• MALASAÑA: Tribunal (L1,L10) /Bilbao (L1, L4) /Noviciado (L2)

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Huertas Area: The "Barrio de las Letras"

Calle Huertas, only a 5 minutes walk from Sol, gives it's name to an old traditional neighbourhood with numerous bars and other little establishments serving tapas in the evenings. It is also known as "El Barrio de las Letras," literary Madrid.

Plaza de Santa Ana is the heart of the Huertas neighborhood.
The streets radiating off its core, Plaza de Santa Ana, are packed with tapas bars and disco-pubs, popular as much among Spaniards as with an international crowd.

It also one of the main centers for nightlife and has a number of restaurants. This area is located between Paseo del Prado and Calle Atocha.

Plaza de Santa Ana is a common meeting point in the area since many bars there have made seating available outdoors - the square itself is also quite attractive. Bars here are small and are a bit crowded, but they're usually good fun. There are a couple of places are quite famous for their jazz concerts in this area. The traditional wine and tapas stops are well worth a visit.

Calle del Prado leaves you out on Plaza de las Cortes, right across the street from Spain's Parliament, el Congreso de Diputados. Follow
Calle de San Jerónimo northwest and you hit Puerta del Sol; follow it southeast and arrive at Paseo del Prado & Plaza de Neptuno, where is the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum stands right on Plaza de Neptuno.

The eastern border of Huertas is Paseo del Prado, also known as Paseo de los Artes or "Boulevard of the Arts," which lies between the emblematic Plaza de Cibeles and Puerta de Atocha. The southern border is calle Atocha, which runs all the way from the train station to Plaza Mayor, and the northern border is Carrera de San Jerónimo, which ends at Puerta del Sol.

Links of interest

ACCOMODATION

RESTAURANTS & BARS

METRO IN THE AREA

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Lavapiés - Latina - Rastro

Lavapies is nowdays a multicultural, bohemian neighbourhood full of bars, galleries, ethnic restaurants and cafés.

Again at plaza Lavapies, head uphill and you'll pop back into Plaza de Tirso de Molina, where you can enjoy outdoor cafés and a flower market. This square belongs to no one neighborhood, rather it lies on the border of various neighborhoods: Lavapiés to the south, Sol to the north, Huertas to the east, and La Latina to the west.

There are a few places for flamenco in the area. Casa Patas (calle Cañizares) is more popular and touristic, but it is easy to get in and to understand the show.

From Plaza de Lavapiés you can veer back off towards El Rastro to the west.

El Rastro - Madrid´s flea market

This area is known primarily for the flea market (purportedly the world's largest) held on Sundays and bank holidays from about 10AM to 3PM. El Rastro lies within the triangle formed by the La Latina metro stop, Puerta de Toledo and Glorieta de Embajadores; being calle Ribera de Curtidores its central axis. Google map location.

Links of interest

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Arguelles-Moncloa-Chamberi

Argüelles/Moncloa Just to the northeast of Plaza España is Argüelles, a compact barrio of narrow, crisscrossing lanes sandwiched between promenade-like Pintor Rosales (which runs along the edge of the Parque del Oeste) and the shop-filled Calle Princesa, which leads up to Moncloa. The latter is home to the kitsch '50s Ministerio del Aire building and a huge university campus area bounded by the green recreational zones of Puerta de Hierro to the north and Cea Bermúdez and Bravo Murillo avenues to the east. Students haunt its cafes, tascas, and more recently, its wine bars.

METRO IN THE AREA

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Chamberi

Chamberí Though actually built in the late 19th century outside the old city walls, this formerly working-class zone is neither grungy nor gay like its southern neighbors but more low-keyed and upmarket. The focal point is the circular Plaza Olavide. This barrio offers an attractive selection of restaurants, bookshops, art galleries, and museums, such as the charming Museo Sorolla.

• Apartments in Chamberi area
  • Apartment Bilbao Chamberi l. GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Divino. GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Chamberi Quevedo . GOOGLE MAP
  • Apartment Castellana-Orense . GOOGLE MAP

METRO IN THE AREA

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Barrio de Salamanca

This neighbourhood, bounded by Paseo de la Castellana, Calle Alcalá, calle María de Molina and Francisco Silvela, is one of the few parts of the city with a well-defined urban structure. Blocks in the area are square and streets run parallel and perpendicular. It has a reputation for being the wealthy neighbourhood in central Madrid, and some of the most exclusive boutiques in town are located there. Its main streets are Serrano, Velázquez and Goya.

Retiro park

Madrid's many parks provide great places to escape the sightseeing for a few hours. The most central and most popular one is the Parque del Buen Retiro behind the Prado, a stunning mix of formal gardens and wilder spaces. You can jog, row a boat, picnic, have your fortune told and, above all, promenade –on Sunday afternoon half of Madrid turns out for the paseo-. Autumn is a specially attractive time of the year to visit the Retiro due to the great amount of trees of different species which display splendid colors for the enjoyment of the passer by. The nearby Jardines Botánicos, whose entrance faces the southern end of the Prado, are also delightful.

Madrid-Ventas zone

The main site to visit in this neightbourhood is the Las Ventas bullring:

Plaza de Toros Monumental de Las Ventas, Alcalá 237
Metro: Ventas

Links of interest

ACCOMODATION

ART & CULTURE

GOOGLE MAPS

METRO IN THE AREA

ART & CULTURE ENTERTAINMENT

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Castellana-Plaza Castilla - Chamartin

Castellana is the name given to the area round the avenue between Nuevos Ministerios and Plaza de Colón, on either side of the Paseo de la Castellana. This area is one of the main financial centers of the Spanish capital. Most important banks have their headquarters there. The offices of the European Union in Madrid and many important companies are located there too. In the area there are also some of the most prestigious hotels in town, embassies, big stores, luxurious appartment houses, boutiques...it is also walking distance from calle Serrano in Salamanca area.

Plaza de Castilla

Plaza de Castilla can be considered the main entrance to Madrid from the north. The square is dominated by the imposing, leaning Torres KIO on both sides of the avenue forming a sort of "door". That's why the square is called "Puerta de Europa", though for many Spaniards, the KIO towers are the synister setting for the "Day of the Devil" scary-freakish movie.

It is a major hub of transports, the bus station just below the Torres Kio is terminal to many lines which go to towns north of Madrid. Plaza de Castilla area reaches to calle General Perón (Plaza de Lima) and to the west up to Calle Bravo Murillo. It is a residential area where blocks of flats mix with high-standard hotels, hospitals and other resources. The most important commercial street is Calle Orense, though Calle Capitán Haya also has a good number of establishments.

Chamartín

Its difficult to make exact delineations, we could say that this area runs from North of the Bernabéu soccer stadium to the Chamartín train station. Again a residential area with blocks of flats and commerce to serve the residents. No real tourist interest, apart from the railway station of course.

Links of interest

METRO IN THE AREA

• In Cuatro Caminos: Cuatro Caminos (L1,L2,L6)/ Estrecho (L1)
• In Castellana: Cuzco /Santiago Bernabéu /Nuevos Ministerios /Gregorio Marañón /Rubén Darío
• In Nuevos Ministerios: Nuevos Ministerios (L10,L8,L6)


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Arturo Soria

The Arturo Soria street extends throughout 5.8 km in a residential area of the East of Madrid, with a direction almost the North-South. From particular form the section between the street of Alcala and the Pine of Chamartín benefits from a careful and harmonic city-planning exposition: Small blocks of buildings opened with buildings of only three or four plants, opened spaces, green zones, communal zones with gardens and swimming pools... Its elevation, is one of the highest zones of Madrid, the abundant vegetation and their leafy and old one hoisted guarantees low levels of contamination.


• Apartments in Arturo Soria - IFEMA
• Apartment Arturo Soria 1 . GOOGLE MAP
• Apartment Arturo Soria 2. GOOGLE MAP
• Apartment Ifema-Airport. GOOGLE MAP

• Arturo Soria : (L2)
• Ventas: (L2)

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2.- Madrid Transport

Madrid General Transport Information

1. ARRIVING & DEPARTING

2. FROM THE AIRPORT TO MADRID

3. GETTING AROUND WITHIN MADRID BY METRO

1. ARRIVING & DEPARTING

2. FROM THE AIRPORT TO MADRID

FROM THE AIRPORT TO MADRID:

Taxis from the airport to the center of Madrid cost around 30-35 euro. There is almost never a problem getting a taxi from the indicated ranks, and we would advise against accepting offers from taxi drivers inside the airport building as there are frequent reports of passengers being ripped-off. There is an airport supplement on the regular taxi fees for leaving from/going to the airport.

Most major car rental agencies are represented at the airport. 

The fastest and cheapest way to get to the airport is the METRO. Line 8 (the pink one) has two stops at the airport: one at terminal T2 for terminals T1, T2, and T3 (which are connected), and other for T4. Line 8 starts at Nuevos Ministerios. There it connects to lines 10 and 6 (the Circle). it also connects to line 4 at Mar de Cristal. It will take you about 25 minutes to make your way to the T4 from Nuevos Ministerios. Standard metro tickets have an extra charge of aprox. 1 euro for the journey to/ from Terminals T1, T2, T3 and T4, which you can pay on arrival at the station when coming from Madrid, but we reccomend to get the full ticket in the city.

BY TRAIN:
The railways in Spain are run by the state company RENFE
Trains are confortable and reasonably reliable.
Trains arriving from abroad and from the South, East, and West of Spain, including the high-speed AVE trains, arrive at the railway station of Atocha which has a metro station: Atocha Renfe. Trains to and from the north depart from Chamartín train station (metro: Chamartín). Some trains stop both at Chamartín and Atocha. page.

BY BUS:
Buses are generally the cheapest way to travel long distance in Spain.
The main bus station for international and long distance trips is the Estación Sur de autobuses, located South of the city center. There are other bus stations and a considerable number of bus operators.

BY ROAD:
You are going to need a good and UPDATED map to get into or out of Madrid.
Madrid has 7 main highways entering and leaving the city: the A-1 to A- 6 and the A-42. The A stands for Autovía (highway), and P stands for Pay (peaje - toll), therefore, the AP -6 is the toll highway 6, while A -6 is a non payment highway. Madrid has three major ring roads, the inner-one known as the M-30 circulates inside the urban centre, and therefore, it often has heavy traffic, the outer ones are the M-40, which stretches round the suburban Madrid and the M -50 which runs across what are still today fields. The radial roads R -which are toll paying roads- link the three ringways (M-30, M-40, M-50), in order to avoid taking the A roads, which are ussually more congested.

3. GETTING AROUND WITHIN MADRID BY METRO

Madrid's Metro network is one of the largest in the world. It is no doudt, the best and fastest way to get round the city. Besides, it is cheap, reasonably clean and efficient. Metro stations are indicated by the red, blue and white icon shown on this page on the left. The metro covers most of Greater Madrid, extending to areas far from the center, as for instance line 8 which goes to the airport.
Due to its extension there are several ticket areas, that is, you pay different fares in the different metro zones, and depending on whether you move from one to the other or not. apartments-madrids carries a full metro map to view, download or print. TICKETS:

• Single ticket MetroMadrid and ML1 : Valid for one journey in the MetroMadrid and ML1 area (zone A).

• Metrobús and ML1- 10 journey ticket: Valid for 10 journeys in MetroMadrid, ML1 or in Madrid urban buses. Best value for a few days visit.

• From/to the airport: tickets to terminals T1, T2, T3 and T4 have a supplementary charge which can be paid on arrival at the metro station or bought included in the valid ticket fare. Travellers who have a Tourist Pass or the AENA card needn't pay this extra charge

It is compulsory to validate your ticket for every journey. You just have to introduce it into the validating machines at the entrance gates in every metro station. If you have any problem go to the nearest ticket office.
You can buy metro and bus tickets in any metro station, either at the ticket machines or in the office, both in the hallway.

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3.- Madrid Weather

4.- Madrid Cultural and Business Tips

Socially, the Spanish are some of the most gregarious people in the world and they are always very hospitable. They are friendly, helpful people, with no real class divisions and usually enjoy speaking to travellers. The Spanish take great pleasure in entertaining and often invite guests to their home for a meal or to a restaurant. Late evening meals can begin as late as 22:00 and may well end after midnight. When visiting a Spanish home, it is normal to take a gift such as a bottle of wine or flowers.


Greeting Someone in Madrid - Madrid, Spain
A brief and friendly handshake is usually customary when meeting someone, or at the beginning or end of business meetings, together with the appropriate greeting. Generally business conduct is fairly formal and similar to that of other Europeans As only a small proportion of the Spanish are fluent in English, some spoken Spanish is often very welcome. Business cards are usually expected.


Madrid Dress Code - Madrid, Spain
Business dress in Madrid is fairly standard and formal appearances in business settings are very important. Both men and women wear suits, although for relaxed, social occasions, casual clothes are more appropriate. Some restaurants do have fairly strict dress codes, so bear this in mind when dining out.



Hours of Business in Madrid - Madrid, Spain
Most offices in Madrid open from 09:00 and many close for a couple of hours in the afternoon, although this varies per company. Banks in Madrid open on weekdays between 09:00 to 14:00, but in the summer, banks may close slightly earlier. On Saturday they open between 08:30 to 13:00 (except during summer). Government offices are usually open between 09:00 to 14:00.

Currency Exchange - Madrid, Spain
There are many opportunities to exchange currency and the places to obtain the best rates are banks. There are also foreign exchange outlets in the airports and even in some hotels and restaurants, although the rates are usually not as favourable. Withdrawing money at a cashpoint (ATM) is often the most convenient and economic way to obtain Euros and there are ATMs all over the city. Many are located inside banks and out of hours your can enter these buildings by swiping your debit / credit card next to the door.

Internet Access - Madrid, Spain
Public access to the Internet is easy to find, with terminals appearing in cyber cafés, shopping centres, hotels and hostels throughout the city centre.

Pharmacies - Madrid, Spain
A chemist or drugstore is known as a Farmacia and they can be identified by a large green or red cross sign outside. They tend to keep the same working hours as other shops and if closed, usually display a sign indicating the nearest pharmacy that is open. As well as selling prescription medicines, they also offer free advice about minor injuries or ailments and they will happily suggest non-prescription treatments.

Credit Cards - Madrid, Spain
Credit cards are widely accepted at establishments throughout Madrid and these include Visa, EuroCard, Access, MasterCard and American Express. In some stores, you may be asked to enter your PIN (Personal Identification Number) into a keypad for security purposes.

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5.- Madrid Useful Links

Here you will find useful information about Madrid: maps, transports, museums, restaurants, guides, spanish schools, etc. We are constantly updating this section to help you to find how to live a real spainsh life in Madrid.

Travel Related and other interesting Links

Spain, Europe and World travel, accommodation, tourism and other links and directories

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