When night comes to Madrid

Spanish people have the fame of loving to party and having dinner pretty late, so basically having a strong night life.

Madrid is not different, and it includes quite an amount of people to fill up the bars and pubs during the weekends. The most common place to go is the centre, around Puerta del Sol, but depending on your taste in music and drink you might wanna know a little more about each ''hot spot''.

A couple of things you might want to remember:

- Drinking or smoking pot in the street is forbidden, and if you get caught you can be sued to pay up to a 500€ fine.

- Metro closes at 1:30/2:00 am, so don't forget to check your night bus or the way home.

- Spanish people are not the greatest at english, so here you go:

*Beer: cerveza

*Drink: bebida, copa.

*Shot: chupito.

*I'd like one more, please: póngame una más, por favor.

*How much is it? : ¿Cuánto cuesta?

*How do I get to...? : ¿Cómo llego a...?

*Love: amor.

But I'm pretty sure you will already know how to move around and meet people by then.

Having a beer.

Beer in Madrid tends to be pretty cheep in general, having low quality brands around 1, 50€ and up to better international brands. Finding a bar is fairly easy around anywhere, finding a nice terrace on the street, and enjoying some tapas or snacks served with it. Although, death of typical bars in spanish cities is happening at a fast pace nowadays, being conquered by multiple franchises. The best ones to go and not wasting a lot of money are:

- 100 Montaditos: it's a franchise that started as a bar that served little sandwiches, which are called ''Montaditos''. This type of food is common as well in many other places, but being very well known here you will have them for a very low price, as well as the beer, which doesn't overpass the 1, 50€ (Cruzcampo) for half a litre. They are found almost in every neighbourhood and they usually have a big space to sit, so it also works as a plan B.

*La sureña and La Pinta are very similar bars to this one.

- El Tigre: This is a much smaller set of bars, but their best characteristic is that with a beer (the biggest costs 5€) they bring you at least three plates with tapas of different kinds: jamón (ham), tortilla, cheese... all with bread. It's a drink and dinner all in one! If you go too late it might be difficult to find a place to sit, so don't forget that after 9 in the night it will get crowded. The most well known is at Hortaleza street, walking five minutes from the station Chueca (line 5, green), or from Gran Vía.

- Mas k copas: it is a bar with a more chick style, they are usually small but assures cheap beer and a place at a terrace. They also serve coctails and a variety of alcoholic drinks, as you can suppose. You can find one at Atocha square.

*Copas rotas is a very similar bar.

- Troika: it is a Russian restaurant that became quite famous in the past years. It is hiding at a small street that's born in Montera, well known because of it's "red street" characteristics. It works all day until 2 in the morning, but they are famous because of their russian beers with a shot of vodka on top. They are 75 cl bottles and a taste of the ''burning water'' served by the waiter for around 3 euros, plus a shot or a plate of russian food.

These are the most well known, usually crowded at weekend nights, for just chilling, but if you are looking for something more special, you should get to know some neighbourhoods that come to life when the sky is dark.

Party neighbourhoods and areas.

Huertas and Sol.

Huertas is one street at the ''Barrio de las letras'', next to Santa Ana square, and just 10 minutes away from Sol. All this area is filled with famous brand shops and bars, so it assures a fun place to hang out at anytime of the day. During the night, all pubs around open until 6 or 8 in the morning.

The music is usually commercial style: pop, reaggeton, techno... The price can be at the entrance, around 20€ the least, or luckily inside for a little less if you are a non-heavy drinker.

There are plenty of small pubs, cocktail bars and a karakoke place at the end of the street. You will also find small markets that open until late hours.

- How to get there: by metro or train at Sol station (lines 1, 2 and 3), or buses that run trhough Prado street. Night buses can be taken at Plaza de Cibeles, just 10 minutes away walking from Huertas.

Argüelles and Moncloa.

These neighbourhoods are very close to the University Area, a bit far from the main centre. But its importance comes mostly at night, when it opens the bar area at Gaztambide street and its surroundings. This particular street hosts two small squares where you will find bars and pubs that usually open until 3 or 6 in the morning.

It has a bigger variety of music styles, therefore you can find commercial music pubs next to heavy metal bars, and suddenly go to listening at 80's rock music right in the bar in front. Basically, the most famous thing about them is the big list of shots they serve for not more than 1€.

Also, if you are a lover of metal and rock music, this is the best place you can attend to have a great night or find out about upcoming concerts.

- How to get there: metro station Argüelles (lines 3, 4 and 6) or buses to Moncloa, Princesa, and Alberto Aguilera. The night bus is the N21, ending in Plaza de Cibeles.

Malasaña.

It is what I like to call "Madrid's villager side'', because all this area is quite old, with small streets and works as if it was a village inside a big city. At night comes the extreme opposite and hosts great places to have the best kind of fun, since there is a huge variety of places.

The name comes from the street Manuela Malasaña, but the hot spot is "2 de Mayo" square. While during the day it's not quite recommended to walk around this area, because of it's possible danger, during the night it gets easily crowded by groups of people. It is also a ''free spot'' to drink in the street, which as I said it's forbidden in Madrid. However, sometimes police comes around.

You will find a lot of different pubs: with old rock and pop music, commercial, rock and some kinds of metal,... All with the average prices for drinks inside, and some offers for beer or wine 'minis'. I'm sure you won't spend more than 10€ for a whole night.

It also has a small cafeteria that opens until 3:30 am with table games, where they serve beer and offers you to have a more chill kind of fun. It is also a one place where it is possible to talk without having to shout!

- How to get there: metro Tribunal (line 1 and 10), San Bernardo (lines 2 and 4), and Bilbao (line 1 and 4). You can also walk from Gran Vía through Fuencarral Street, which might take you good 15 minutes.

Well, I can just wish you to discover your favourite one, to explore the many places you can find during the long nights at Madrid, and enjoy them to the fullest!

Churros life style.

I just wanted to mention a very last thing: a common costume in many cities, but mostly in Madrid, which is the queen of Churros. I'm pretty sure you will have heard of them, these long horseshoe like flour made ''sweets'' that are a complete delicatessen to Madrid's citizens. For a better taste, you should eat them with chocolate or sugar, and it is usually a great... a great everything: dessert, breakfast, snack, sadness curator... But certainly their best moment is at first hour in the morning after a long party night (since this post is for those party animals), and you must go, if you get the chance, to San Ginés. This cafeteria opens very early in the morning and closes late at night since is one of the oldest and most well known places of Madrid's centrical area. It's located at Arenal Street, between Sol and Opera, right behind the church with this Saints name (where, by the way, they say there is a dissected crocodile that scared the heck out of the people of the time when it was settled there by a monk who had traveled as a misioner to far away lands).

The cafeteria is more a ''chocolatería'', and their specialty is churros with hot creamy chocolate, for just 4€. If you are far from here, you can also find nice breakfasts like this at ''Chocolaterías Valor'', or typical city cafes.

So now you know, if you spent too much hanging around the centre at night, at least give a great welcome to the morning!