Fun and entertainment Madrid

Located in the former coal bunkers of the La Carmela tavern and occupying the site of the former La Victoria convent (demolished in 1836), this is a legendary Madrid tablao. A mystical venue steeped in history, it offers top-quality shows by first-rate flamenco artists under the direction of maestro Juan Andrés Maya and Raquel Martos. And, to top it all off, the food is very well prepared. A reference address.

In general, a show of five dancers, accompanied by two guitarists and two singers. The tablao "cabaret" was inaugurated in 1956 and the greatest artists performed on this mythical stage. Considered as "the cathedral of flamenco art" in Spain, many personalities came to see the show, among them: Che, Marlon Brando, Gary Cooper, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso and maybe you... And you should not miss the house's speciality: a delicious Andalusian gazpacho.

Hellotickets is a central point where you can book tickets for all kinds of events (shows, guided tours, concerts, excursions, sports events...) by phone or online. It can be very useful during your trip. You can consult offers, descriptions, prices and conditions online, depending on the city you're visiting. If you prefer to shop directly, you'll also find details of all city outlets on the website.

This coffee was known for its tertulias and other literary meetings. The Tetería de la Abuela ("the grandmother's teapot") retains the atmosphere of the old cafés in Madrid, notifying the ancient cash register; You can even taste some Moroccan and Indian dishes.

Engagé bar on the left, the Quijote is one of the cheapest in the neighborhood. On the walls, announcements of demonstrations, concerts and other activities generally against Globalisation. For those who don't care, the atmosphere is excellent. At the bottom of the bar, hung on the wall, before the toilets, a map of the Chinese.

Located on the famous Plaza de Cubos, this cinema hall offers a wide range of Spanish, American, English and French films.

The programming, by the retrospective of directors of all origins, for low prices, allows to deepen its knowledge of the cinema in a wonderful way.

This beautiful theatre, located in the heart of Madrid, is unfortunately closed until further notice.

A classic in the Malasaña district, with a charming XIX style. Ideal to digest dinner, with coffee, tea or cocktail.

Located opposite Cafe Aguardiente, El Er Guismi is perfect for filling the. Walls painted in pink and attached photos, they serve "muelles", slices of toasted round bread in the oven, with tomatoes and accompanied by what they want (cheese, meat, honey, etc.).

When everything is closed in Malasaña, Only you still have the light behind the door. The fans of the 1960 s and 1970 s found their bar: The walls are filled with photos of Doors at the beginning of their career, by Janis Joplin, of Jimi Hendrix in Woodstock. A good address to take a last drink.

No one dares to sit on the bottom chair, as set in a decor of the 1970 s, offset with the rest of the bar. However, the Maximo still reserves a good atmosphere and is always meeting the world. And for info: It is perhaps the only bar in Madrid where you can drink pastis.

Old bottles of liqueur and other strange liquids above the bar and iron columns give all its stamp on the Back of. Excellent address for beer with an aperitif or a copa after dinner.

In the heart of the city centre, this disco attracts a young clientele around music house.

More accessible than other jazz clubs in the city, La Fídula has been working for 30 years and still attracts so many people. For example jazz, bossa, poetry readings, theatre plays, concerts of all kinds occur every day of the week. With two passages per night, not to bother! The drinks are overtaxed for shows, but nothing excessive. Located in a lively area, La Fídula is a good option to start the evening.

Since the documentary of the Spanish filmmaker Fernando Trueba on Cuban music with the same name as the bar, Calle 54 attracts artists, actors and musicians to listen to jazz, wander through Nova and Latin music. The greatest names of Cuban music, like Bebo Valdés, stopped at Calle 54, which also serves as a restaurant.

The reference discotheque for girls but where boys are welcome. Hip-hop atmosphere and house music. Relatively young clientele. Many light games.

The hot door door, for a cocktail at the beginning of the evening and prepare for the evening before going to other bars on the street. 

Not a gay really but very appreciated by gay and lesbian people in the neighborhood, this coffee is a good point of drop for a chat between friends, read the newspapers available, get into a part of bilalrd. Wooden chairs, large mirrors on the walls… we feel good. 

A café where you can relax and even unwind in comfortable armchairs, while filming the works of painters and photographers attached to the walls, since the establishment makes a beautiful part of the exhibition. A cosy atmosphere, both design and traditional. An excellent address for who arrives in Chueca before embarking on the Grand Dukes… Many people are in press, gay, lesbian, hetero, and tourists…

This is a great classic of the neighborhood that you should not hesitate to try. In the small calle reina, at the back of the famous Museo Chicote (legend has it that the two bars were once linked by a chimney), this cocktail bar is worth a look for its old-fashioned English club-like decor and the quality of its cocktail menu. Almost nothing has changed since the opening of the Cock bar in 1921 and the chic and select atmosphere is very popular (mainly among 40-50 year olds) for a good start to the Madrid night.

Located in the famous Plaza del Dos de Mayo, Pepe Botella is one of the most famous cafés in the Malasaña district. Its benches and old photos hanging on the wall give it class and a unique intimate side, which is the reason for its success for several decades. The back of the room looks like a backroom with its red velvet decoration and is perfect for coming to work on your computer during the day while sipping a coffee or remaking the world in a cosy atmosphere where Madrilenians and tourists mix at aperitif time.

A little off the beaten tourist track, The Shaker is a hidden gem and another excellent cocktail bar in the Spanish capital. Of course, gin and tonic is at the top of the menu, but there are more than a hundred compositions proposed by a talented bartender. The glass service is highly original and the decor chic and designer. In short, the perfect setting for trying original cocktails.

Notice to amateurs! Here, we pass the doors of the first Gin Club of Spain. A rather trendy place, where you happily sink into pleasant club armchairs to test a menu that offers nearly forty varieties of gin, including the in-house creation "MojiGin". Let yourself be guided by the bartender! This is the same establishment as the Mercado de la Reina, where you can nibble at low prices between two glasses of gin. A good idea to start the evening in a chic and friendly atmosphere.

The Diurno is a large, cosy and very stylish café in a pleasant industrial style. It's as much a trendy spot for the second half of the evening as it is a video club and a restaurant! The atmosphere of this large room changes according to the visitors' wishes, but you always feel good and you can eat good Mediterranean cuisine (especially very good fish tartars) at low prices. Before drinking a delicious cocktail to start the night in a good atmosphere. Some good wines also on the menu.

Respect, intimacy and complicity are the precepts of this tablao, which welcomes you with a short flamenco demonstration on a stage on the first floor. You are then invited to enjoy a drink at the bar while listening to a fascinating conversation on the history of flamenco. Afterwards, you'll take the stairs to a vaulted cellar and an unadorned setting for an intimate show. There are no microphones or loudspeakers here, just the clear sound of instruments and voices to help you feel that deep feeling called " duende ".

This café/coworking space is run by Romain, a young French entrepreneur living in the Spanish capital. Expresso, cappuccino, latte, chocolate, tea, lemonade, pastries... Everything is served as much as you like and included in the price. With beautiful workspaces, it's a real pleasure to come and rub shoulders with the coworking community for a few hours. Meeting rooms are also available for hire. An excellent concept sure to please nomadic travelers.

We mention this cafe built at the end of the nineteenth century because it is mythical in Madrid, having been one of the great literary meeting places of the early twentieth century. Today, this historic place has lost some of its lustre, but the clientele is still there and it remains a popular meeting place for Madrid intellectuals who come to enjoy the terrace, like Ernest Hemingway did in his day. However, the service is sometimes a bit fast and the restaurant is not really worth the detour. For a drink only.

From the outset, this club makes you want to stop there! With a name like that (the Milky Way), how can you not melt? The club has been in existence since 1978 and has always attracted the same number of people, which explains why there is a bit of a wait every weekend when the club is packed. Difficult then to reach the billiard table and to make a game and especially obligation to play elbows to order its chupitos at the bar. A reference in Malasaña, which cultivates an atmosphere in the image of its neighbourhood: eclectic, rock, bobo, punk or techno... Not to be missed.

In the luxurious Fénix Gran Meliá hotel, home of the Beatles in the 1960s (!), there's a simply superb cocktail bar. Leaning against the long bar, on the terrace or in a big leather armchair with a James Bond feel, this address promises a delicious moment a little out of time. With a shirt and a nice pair of pants, you can enjoy a sophisticated cocktail menu, designed by a talented mixologist. A must in the capital's temple of luxury and art de vivre.

Under the fountain of Plaza Colón is the excellentFernán Gómez center with its four cultural spaces (Guirau hall, Jardiel Poncela hall, exhibition hall, multipurpose hall). In addition to the numerous exhibitions (ask around), there are also zarzuela shows, contemporary theater, concerts and conferences. The prices are very reasonable considering the quality of the shows offered by this cultural center.

Welcome to Barbara Ann Sol, a bar-restaurant celebrating music legends! From AC/DC to ABBA, Madonna to the Beatles, you'll vibrate to the sounds of hits past and present. Shades of red and neon lights create a real rock'n'roll atmosphere. The musicians pay tribute to the great artists, and all the customers join in and sing along. The international cuisine and cocktails, named after famous songs, are excellent. On Fridays and Saturdays, the bar is transformed into a discotheque.

You won't be able to miss this famous discotheque of Sol, so many drummers are present everywhere in the district. Ultra tourist, the Commo will be your business if you came to the Spanish capital to toast with young tourists, often passing through for a bachelor party or a football match. Nevertheless, it is a nice place to party. And you'll get a free chupito with your entrance (when it's paid for) most of the time, as the club is associated with the famous Espit Chupitos sign.

The Fine Arts Center combines exhibition halls, a cinema and a theater. La Pecera is the large adjoining café, with a delightfully romantic setting. It is a highly recommended address for a short break during a long day of sightseeing. The address, which serves a few tapas, has a unique decoration with its large statue in the center, its large marble walls, its woodwork... In short, it is the ideal place to enjoy a hot chocolate, write postcards (or text messages) or to leaf through the newspaper.

Tostas and especially good music! That's what the people of Madrid are saying about this rock landmark of the 1970s and today, which proudly displays its vinyl collection next to the bottles behind the bar. This small kiosk is one of the best bars in Lavapiés to enjoy a beer while listening to music at its best; and something that has become increasingly rare, a small tapa always accompanies the beer. La Aguja ("The Needle") offers a very rich tostas menu; try the one with grilled aubergines and honey.

Be careful, from midnight on, it's hot, very hot here! On the El Son dance floor, bodies hug and shake to good Cuban music (almost all the time live) and nobody dances alone. Get ready to be invited (or to be invited) to salsa dancing! And, no excuses that hold up, even if you can't dance, just go for it. This is the best place in the capital to learn how to move. Even if the (very) good general level can cool down some beginners, it has to be said.

Together with the nearby Vía Lactea, El Tupper is a nightclub that is a must in the Malasaña district. The very kitsch interior cultivates an offbeat pop atmosphere, with its revamped 1970s TVs and plastic dolls on the bar for an original and friendly decoration! On the music side, a lot of soul, original indie sounds and above all indie rock'n'roll come out of the speakers, to the delight of the many regulars in Madrid. A good option for an overnight stop in Malasaña.

The Why Not? is a nice room, with a rather baroque and very impressive 19th century style ceiling and black and white pictures of big actresses hanging on the walls. This historic club of the gay community in Madrid fills up every night with a gay, but also (increasingly) straight clientele. Although you sometimes put your elbow in the eye of your neighbour, you have a good time. Music-wise, you mostly listen to the great hits of Spanish pop, then to house music as the night progresses.

The aptly named Fortuny is one of the most beautiful nightclubs in Salamanca. This very chic club, just like the neighborhood, is mostly frequented by the 30-50 year olds of Madrid's good society. You can have a drink or a meal at a table on the first floor and dance on a small dance floor in the basement. Above all, you can take advantage of the superb garden-terrace which offers a bucolic setting and an oasis of coolness when the heat arrives. Attention, it is better to be well dressed to be sure to enter. Jacket, pants and shoes are required.

It is the only theater that is located in the same place as a corral de comedias (an ancestor of the theater where spectators sat in balconies arranged around a central stage). Since 1565, artists have been performing in this place in the capital. The present hall was built in 1745. Many great writers, such as Lorca (whose statue is at the entrance of the theater), have presented their plays in this theater. Today, many Spanish plays and foreign classics are performed here.

The Honky Tonk is a mythical venue of the Madrid Movida, which is still very popular and where people listen to rock, blues and country music. The programming is varied, always of high quality, and the open scenes always full of surprises (successful). Even if it is a little far from the centre, the Honky Tonk is the promise of a good evening with friends in a legendary basement or leaning against one of the two bars for a homemade cocktail. Complete programming on the room's website or social networks

La Lupe de Huertas is a small night bar well known in the neighborhood. Here, tourists and (young) Madrilenians mingle to listen to commercial music, wiggle their hips more and more as the night progresses and above all drink shots! The prices are very attractive since they are degressive... An offer that can be interesting to taste a maximum of chupitos... Beware of difficult tomorrows! In addition, the house organizes many events and fancy dress parties. Go to the website.

El Juglar is a great place to have a drink, attend an early evening concert and then dance in the small and always crowded back room to the rhythm of the DJs who come to perform there from Wednesday onwards. It is quite simply one of the best and most popular "sala" of Lavapiés since its opening at the dawn of the 2000s. There is a lot of funk, ska and reggae in the purest style of the neighbourhood, and the programming is regularly opened to avant-garde ethnic music artists. We like it!

For more than three decades, this Malasaña classic has been hosting good and varied concerts every weekend, from reggae to soul, and especially indie rock. This obscure place, with its hipster decor of old Iron Maiden and Bad Religion posters,and its walls that inevitably smell of alcohol, is certainly the place to be for music-loving night owls in search of the neighbourhood's rock spirit. Pool lovers can also enjoy the table while sipping a beer.

Café Manuela, like many cafés in the area, was well known during the Movida. Witness of those crazy years, he keeps a "je-ne-sais-quoi" of that time. The ideal place to read a book peacefully or to have an aperitif. Sometimes debates, poetry days and even plays are organized. Jesus, the former bartender turned owner, serves delicious fruit juices, cañas, absinthe and tinto de verano. In short, a bistro the way we like it, well away from the tourist trails.