FREE! 2018/2019 EDITION Museums, restaurants, clubs, theatres, bars... MADRID STUDENT GUIDE! The insider’s guide to experiencing the city Secret city / Young designers / Best of the barrios / Top 10 artwork / Beautiful getaways / PLUS! 20 great things to do in the city / Where to taste ‘tortilla de patata’... Contents Plaza Mayor is popular with both locals and visitors, p18 Football is so much more than a game in this city, p69 Madrid has live music 365 days a year, p82 A classic Madrid dish, p96 Features Regulars 04. The best of the city 26. The best of the barrios 42. Shopping & Style From a calendar of unmissable events to A practical guide with key information 47. Get the max activities that won’t cost a thing, and more! about the city’s main neighbourhoods. out of Madrid 69. Things to Do 12. Madrid secrets 32. ABC MAD! 77. Cinema Little-known corners of the city, from parks A list of the most popular slang expressions and cafés to underground bunkers. and words to help you get the hang of them. 79. Theatre 82. Music TALK TO US! 18. 20 great things to do 36. Who’s who? 86. Clubs Our selection of what you need to do A brief introduction to some of the city’s facebook.com/ 87. LGTBI timeoutmadrid in Madrid at least once in your life. most famous names. 89. Art @TimeOutMAD 22. Garden city 40. Dating sites 92. Books @timeoutmadrid From waterfalls to peacocks, We pick the most romantic Madrid spots 94. Food & Drink the city’s most surprising green spaces. to take that special someone. 105. Escapes Time Out Madrid Student Guide 2018/19 2 3 Time Out Madrid Student Guide 2018/19 Here & now MORE INFO AT: timeout.com/madrid Welcome to Madrid WELCOME TO THE CITY where, in one way or another, everyone’s from somewhere else. Welcome to a city that greets all arrivals with open arms, where making friends is just a matter of having a night out, or heading down to buy bread each day from the local market. Welcome to the city of fresh air, city parks with ponds and statues you’ll find nowhere else, with cycle lanes that criss-cross the neighbourhoods, and outdoor terraces where you can enjoy a drink with friends in any season. Welcome to the good-weather city, where the sun shines almost 365 days a year and umbrellas live at the back of the wardrobe. Welcome to a city packed with art and culture from all over the country, with impressive museums and charming galleries, open-air music festivals and markets. Welcome to the city of delicious food such as squid baguettes and cocido stew. Welcome to Madrid, the city that embraces you. ■ Marta Bac MOYANO DANIEL THREE TOP TIPS Excellent ideas for expert city living Eat! Dance! Watch! The grill and fryer don’t stop for a moment at From the creators of Medias Puri, this new Madrid’s last porn cinema has been Melo’s, turning out huge sandwiches of lacón clandestine club has just landed in the city cleaned up to become trendy new culture and melted cheese, vast plates of small green and it’s going to cause a stir. Uñas Chung Lee hotspot Sala Equis. Enjoy film screenings Padrón peppers and XL croquettes. promises to revolutionise Madrid’s nightlife. and beers in a neon-lit space with swings. Ave María, 44. M: Lavapiés. Hilarión Eslava, 38. M: Moncloa. Duque de Alba, 4. M: Tirso de Molina. Time Out Madrid Student Guide 2018/19 4 5 Time Out Madrid Student Guide 2018/19 The best of MAD April May September Easter/ Festivals / Music Processions and national holidays Mutua Madrid Open / Sport Dcode 18 03 Spain’s only tennis Masters 1000 event One of Madrid’s biggest festivals The Night of Books */ Books 08 Evening events and bookshop discounts Surge Madrid */ Theatre MAD Architecture Week / Art 19 09 The big fringe Workshops, talks, guided visits and more! Rock ‘n’ Roll Madrid theatre festival / Sport 28 Marathon DocumentaMadrid Open House Madrid / Art 28 */ Cinema Calendar2018/2019 Unique buildings open Madrid’s best-known marathon Documentary film festival 29 and half marathon The events you shouldn’t miss their doors to the public San Isidro / Fiestivals (*Date to be confirmed) 15Feast day of Madrid’s patron saint October November June May JAZZMADRID* / Music Mira Madrid / Art International jazz festival with concerts / Dance Madrid Student Welcome Day / Social 01 Explore the city Welcome party for students in dozens of venues 01 / Sport Flamenco Madrid * 06 Champions League final Flamenco festival held at Fernán Gómez Theatre An important day for football lovers Tapapiés */ Food Madrid en Danza/ Dance 16 Tapas route around the Lavapiés neighbourhood Top national and international companies Feria del Libro / Literature 20 PhotoEspaña* / Art 18 Madrid’s book fair invades the Retiro park The city’s most important Madrid Otra Mirada /Art 05 24 / Music Events to help discover the city’s heritage photography festival Tomavistas 19 Eclectic festival in a pretty park Mulafest* / Music 21 Annual festival of trends, tattoos and urban art Veranos de la Villa* 29 /Culture Open-air music, dance, January art and film events all summer long December August Cabalgata/ Parade / Festivals The Three Kings parade through Madrid Local festivals / Festivals Christmas 05 The San Cayetano, It’s time for holidays, 01 Fitur/ Turism July San Lorenzo and Verbena de 25 Huge international la Paloma festivals fill the streets lights and presents 23 with joy and local traditions San Silvestre Vallecana tourism fair / Sport Gastrofestival/ Food 31 Huge foodie fest with LGTBI Pride / Social The popular road race sees 26 Parade and cultural events out the year loads of activities 03 to celebrate diversity Mad Cool Festival / Music 11Madrid’s biggest music festival February March 7 Madrid Design/ Art Carnivall / Festivals Design festival 01 Dress up and take to the city’s streets 01 Ellas Crean / Festivals ARCO Madrid/ Art Exhibition supporting the talents of creative women 20 Contemporary art fair / Art JustMAD 25 Emerging art fair 6 Student Guide 2018/19 Time Out Madrid Time Out Madrid Student Guide 2018/19 Time Out Madrid Student Guide 2018/19 The best of MAD PASSION I CAME, FOR MARTA BAC FIGHT! DAVID FARRAN I SAW, MADRID Bike lanes or sharing the road? I STAYED We debate the best ways for cyclists to move round the city Celebrities who fell for the charms Bikes should go on the road, Dedicated lanes of our city like any another vehicle provide better Bicycles have been experiencing protection and safety a surge in popularity over the Now boasting more than last few years with more and 300km of cycle lanes, Madrid Jessica Escobar, 21. more Madrileños using them to is becoming a city more and James Rhodes get round the city. Whether it’s more open to getting around by Guatemala. for going to work or enjoying a bike every year. The restoration International The famous pianist weekend ride, bike lovers are of the bicycle as a means of using this sustainable and healthy transport forms part of the relations moved to Madrid in mode of transport every day. And plans to improve the quality of graduate 2017 and since then even though it’s possible that life and even the very idea of hasn’t missed more locals have been encouraged the city promoted by Madrid’s a chance to say how to take up pedalling by the institutions. A large part of its expansion of the city’s network of success is down to the dozens of much he loves dedicated cycle paths, there are kilometres of dedicated living here roads where a lack of space or the cycle lanes that have been, street layout makes it impossible and continue to be, created to add bike lanes. That’s why across the whole city, which Amy Jo Doherty the place for bicycles, like any allow cyclists to feel safe and other vehicle, is on the road. protected on their journeys. The sister of Pete Cycling on the street – in lanes What’s more, the city’s many Doherty, lead singer with special speed restrictions in hills are no longer an excuse not of The Libertines and place for traffic – allows you to get to adopt this environmentally anywhere in the city. It also saves friendly and healthy way of ex-boyfriend the authorities money, getting about, given that the ‘In Madrid you of Kate Moss, lives because rather than having to BiciMAD public rental service’s here to escape her create special bike lanes, bikes have small electric motors can discover what they just have to paint that help you get up the steeper brother’s fame the 30km/h speed limit on the slopes. There are also other makes you happy’ tarmac. In that way, it raises rental services that Oona Chaplin awareness that cyclists are road allow you to leave their bikes users just like any other, too. parked on any street. How did you end up living here? Charlie Chaplin’s In 2014 I went to a university in Boston and they chose me along with 30 other high-performing granddaughter – students to study abroad for a year. That six you’ll know her from months marked my life, not just because it What are the best and worst things ‘Game of Thrones’ – was the first time I had been in Europe, but about the city? is a big fan of the It’s not easy to get a good idea of what it’s like to also because those months in Madrid helped The Iberian ham is the best.