Madrid, Spain

Madrid is where I spent part of my Erasmus year working for a music company and teaching English. I spent 5 months there between February and July, which was prime time to witness the transition of mildly warm weather to the boiling hot summer, at which point we were frantically running around town trying to hunt down free swimming pools to cool down during the long summer days! It is a wonderfully cosmopolitan capital city and it felt very natural and easy to settle down in. I would say however that as a tourist who only has a limited amount of time to visit Spain, there are more interesting cities in Spain to sightsee in than Madrid. There are some beautiful parks, where I would say we spent an obscene amount of time in during our spare time, sipping on sangria and enjoying the odd picnic. There is also the Palacio Real, the Prado Museum, which is amazing if you are interested in admiring some good artwork, or if you are interested in having a real Spanish experience and watching a bull fight, the Plaza de Toros stadium is great. But I would say that you can exhaust the tourist sights quite quickly. Although if that is the case, do not fret as there are plenty of bars, clubs and restaurants to keep you occupied in Madrid. 

Palacio Real

Rowing in Retiro Park

Where to stay?
Hostel One Sol, Calle Carmen
Whereas the Hostel One in Barcelona was not a hostel I got a chance to stay in, this is a Hostel One that I did have the pleasure of staying in for a good 10 days before moving into my apartment in Madrid. It is right in the city centre, just a few steps away from Sol metro (in fact just 5 doors down from my old apartment!) It felt like I was living in a big share house with the cleanest kitchen I have ever seen in a hostel before! Unlike a lot of hostels where you feel obliged to vacate the minute you wake up because you don't want the cleaners to start  invading the rooms, or you would rather eat a cheap sandwich or kebab from down the road than cook your own meal, this hostel is homely, relaxed and inviting. Possibly one of my favourite of all time and great value for money as well.

Cats Hostel, Tirso de Molina
This is a much bigger hostel than Hostel One, which I found less intimate, but at the same time, it is a very sociable hostel with a great bar and it is also situated right in the city centre. This is a great hostel if you are looking to stop by Madrid for a few days, meet some new people and plan on being out and about enjoying the sights of Madrid.

Where to live?
If you are coming over to live in Madrid like I did, then this section should hopefully be helpful. I found http://www.loquo.com/ to be a useful website to find some share houses. Being a capital city you can expect rent prices to be fairly high, probably ranging from around 300 - 500 euros a month. I must pre-warn you to be alert when renting in Madrid as I did have a few deposit issues with my sketchy landlady, so just don't be afraid to ask a few more questions than necessary before making a decision.

There are some great areas to live in around the city centre and the great thing about Madrid is it seems like everything is so convenient. I found myself barely spending any money on transport as everything is walking distance when you are located in the city centre and there is nothing better than a nice stroll towards Retiro Park when the sun is out.

I lived in Sol personally, which is right in the heart of the city, but there are some other areas around there which are just as good or even better. Plaza Mayor or Plaza Santa Ana for example are just a few minutes down the road and have some great share houses. Perfect if you are there for an Erasmus year or Studying or working in Madrid for a while.

La Latina is also a perfect location where you are spoilt for choice when it comes to authentic tapas bars. Expect to see this area packed with people flooding out onto the streets enjoying a glass of wine and tapas on a Sunday afternoon. As well as Malasaña, which is great for shopping and restaurants and bars.

If you are a student and looking for more of a student-y area then Moncloa and Arguelles is where you want to be.

Where to eat?
Lateral
I have raved about this Tapas restaurant to all my friends and probably frequented it on a weekly basis when I was in Madrid. It is very affordable (average 10 - 15 euros), well presented and best of all the food is delicious. There are a few of these dotted around the centre as it is a chain restaurant.

El Tigre, Calle de los Infantos 

Well this is certainly not a place you want to come to if you are looking for a chilled out, classy night out. However, if you are wanting a real Spanish experience and are feeling a bit peckish then I would save my appetite and come here for a few drinks and a bite to eat. An extremely hectic tapas bar with massive portions. For every drink you buy, you get a huge plate of tapas. On occasions we used to subtly dispose of our food on other people's tables because there was just too much of it. Great place if  you are on a budget!

El Tigre

El Buscon and Alhambra, off Plaza Santa Ana

Both very authentic Spanish bars located next door to each other on a side street off Plaza Santa Ana. Me and my housemates probably spent an unhealthy amount of time in these bars as we lived around the corner. But honestly the food is great and be sure to gently remind the staff for some free ham tapas if you order a drink, which comes freshly carved from the huge leg of ham residing on the bar top.

Where to go out?
Areas
To be fair, it doesn't take long in Madrid to stumble across a few bars or restaurants around the city centre. But I would particularly recommend Malasaña if you are looking for an area with a few more quirky bars, a bit more alternative music and a few hole in the wall clubs. ñ

La Latina on a Sunday is somewhere I mentioned further up. It's a buzzing atmosphere with plenty of people on the streets enjoying tapas and wine. Alternatively there are also a lot of people sat in the square playing the guitar and generally enjoying a lazy Sunday.

La Latina

'Botellon' If  you haven't heard of this term before then you are in for a treat. It is essentially a term for 'drinking on the street'. It is a phenomenon which has developed in Spain amongst the youth culture. I think it is often frowned upon by police but it is still quite a common occurrence. There are some areas which are more popular than others to hang out, but I would just say choose wherever you want. Just plonk yourself down with a few cartons of cheap wine, some plastic cups and live the dream. We used to do it all the time just outside our front doorstep in the middle of Sol. There have been quite a few occasions where I would be with a few English friends of mine and we would just find it bizarre that we were just perched in the middle of a square on the floor in the city centre drinking cheap wine. I don't quite think it would be as warmly accepted if we bought a few smirnoff ices and plonked ourselves in the middle of the Kings Road in London. We'd probably be mistaken for being a well dressed homeless group and get a few coins thrown our way. Only in Spain really, but I guess that's why you should embrace it!


Bars
El Buscon and Alhambra
As I mentioned above, I spent a ridiculous amount of time in these bars, but they are great Spanish bars to enjoy a glass of wine or 2 and sample some free tapas. The prices are very decent and the staff are great.

Cien Montaditos
Who could forget Wednesdays at Cien Montaditos! There are a few of them dotted around town, the best one to go to is probably the one in Opera as it is the biggest and has a great outdoor area overlooking the Palacio Real. You basically buy these mini sandwiches, with over 100 fillings to choose from (thus the name), which are all 1 euro and you can get a pint of beer or sangria for 1 euro. Yes that is correct, just 1 euro all day and all night on a Wednesday! And like the typical students we are, we refused to go on any other days apart from Wednesday as we didn't want to spend a penny more on other days, even though a pint is in fact only 2 euros and the sandwiches about 1.50.

Cien Montaditos 

Chapandaz, Moncloa, Calle Fernando El Católico, 77
Although it is a little on the small side, this is a great student bar.  Nicknamed 'the cave bar', it is a great night out with friends and it's also great for sampling some interesting cocktails. The glasses are absolutely huge and there is a drink called 'Leche de Pantera' which gets served from the ceiling, literally.

Leche de Pantera 

The Luxurious option....

Queen Victoria Hotel, The Penthouse in Plaza Santa Ana
If you are looking to stay in a hotel in a central location or just simply want to enjoy a nice cocktail, this hotel is gorgeous. There is a chic bar on the ground floor, but the best option is definitely to venture up to the rooftop to enjoy the view and the outdoor lounge area. Even if you don't have much money for more than one cocktail , it is definitely worth scraping a few euros together and going for one.

The Penthouse

Hotel Oscar 

Again another rooftop hotel bar. More of a boutique hotel which looks like its worth staying in if you are looking to splash out on a bit more than a hostel. I have only really been here during the day as it is a nice place to come and chill out, enjoy the sun and breeze, whilst lounging by the pool with a bloody mary. 

Clubs
Joy
Ah the joyous Joy club. This is a place to come if you are craving a bit of commercial music, fancy a bit of a boogie and probably where you will see a lot of familiar faces on a Thursday night if you are an Erasmus student, as it hosts the Erasmus student nights. I wouldn't say put it on your priority list of places to go to, but definitely a fun night out if you are with a group of friends.

Kapital
Now this is more of a club I would recommend if you are visiting Madrid and want to experience a big club night in Madrid. This club boasts an eclectic mix of music and is spread out over 7 floors. However, unlike the tragic Oceana clubs dotted around the UK, where finding a person in the club is like looking for a needle in a haystack, this club layout is surprisingly friend-hunt-friendly.

Sala Heineken, Calle Princesa
If you are however looking for more of an intimate club feel with some great DJs and a bit of an alternative mix of music, then this is the place for you. Really chilled out venue with some good music and great place to dance the night away.

When I say dance the night away, Madrid is honestly one of the best cities to party in til the early hours as barely anyone steps out the house before midnight, so you can expect the clubs to open until 6am!

Wish list.....
There aren't that many places in Madrid city centre I haven't been to that I haven't already been. I do however wish that I had taken a few more day trips to a few places just outside of Madrid, such as Segovia, Avila and El Escorial.