Where to get free Wifi everywhere in Madrid

How to survive in Madrid without a data phone plan

If you're a really cheap person like me, then you're going to find this useful.

Like I've said in my last posts, I've been living in Madrid for 2 years and during this whole time I haven't used or needed a Spanish phone number. That's right, I keep my American smartphone number always on airplane mode, and I live off of WiFi everywhere I go.

Asking for WiFi is a very typical international student/Erasmus thing to do, and maybe you're the kind of person who is shy to ask for it at every place you visit, but you have to just get used to it. At first you might find it difficult to adjust yourself to because you're used to having internet everywhere you go, but I've found that my quality of life (and pocket money savings) have improved significantly. I'll explain why.

First of all, here is where I manage to get WiFi everywhere:

Airport

Getting WiFi at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport is easy and you don't have to put an email or any personal information.

Fuente

This photo is from Terminal 4 of the airport, but the free WiFi network also exists in all four of the airport's terminals. In order to get the internet, the network page will ask you to open an ad and watch it, but that's it.

Home

Find a shared flat that has WiFi included (almost all of them do). If you're renting a studio or an unshared flat, then it usually doesn't come with a WiFi router and you have to get your own. Make sure you ask the landlord about these details.

Work

Most work places will have a WiFi network which you should be able to connect to. Last year I was able to connect to the middle school and the English academy where I was working at.

University

If you're studying at a university and have a student account, then you can easily register your student email and password under the WiFi network Eduroam. This is a university WiFi network that exists in nearly all universities in Europe and is expanding world wide. Eduroam is a system that allows students, faculty, and staff to use their username and password login credentials from their home institution to connect to other participating institutions. This is great because it just connects automatically, and you don't need a guest account. So far this wireless network is available in 71 territories around the world. It was also available at the Université de Picardie Jules Verne, which is where I did my "erasmus" in Amiens, France.

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This is a map of eduroam availability around the world. Not bad!

The Eduroam network saved me not just while living in Madrid, but also when I travelled to other cities and countries in Europe, and I was able to connect at any nearby university.

Malls (centros comerciales)

Nearly every mall has free WiFi, and many stores in the malls have their own WiFi networks as well. My personal favourite is the Movistar store at Principe Pio, because it connects automatically without needing to enter an email or any kind of information. Tres Aguas in Alcorcón also has a wifi network which reconnects automatically after the first time that you connect. The "centro comercial Xanadu" is another example.

Restaurants

Almost every restaurant or that you go to will have a WiFi network which you can ask the password to. Some common examples include VIPS, Gino's, Rodilla. You can log into their networks with your Facebook account. Sometimes they ask for a like. If you're desperate for WiFi, give them a like.

McDonalds

Probably my all time favourite place to get free wifi is at McDonalds.

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No password or email is needed. Unlike other restaurants I feel like I can walk in to use their WiFi and not feel awkward because there's always a lot of people and nobody notices or cares if you come in without buying anything. Their bathrooms are also really clean too, but sometimes (depending on which McDonald's you go to) the bathroom requires a code from your ticket. You can just wait for someone to enter or leave the bathroom if you want to go in without the code.

Public transport

The blue EMT busses are the way to go.

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These busses have a free network that connects automatically. Unfortunately the green busses and metro do not have WiFi, but it is OK for me because sometimes we have to be forced to disconnect from our electronics. These are good moments for reading books and/or self reflection. Later on I'll explain more about these things you can do when you don't have WiFi.

Also, the long distance busses such as Alsa that travel to different cities in Spain usually have wifi on board, but it many times is a very weak connection. Sometimes it doesn't work.

Chamartín

The Chamartín bus/metro/renfe station has a free WiFi network which, after you log in once, will reconnect automatically every time you go back.

What do you do when you're out and really need internet but don't have it?

Plan ahead; if you're going to a new place and don't know the directions, you can load the address in your map before leaving your house and your location spot will still work with the satellite. There's also something called asking people for directions, which can be very helpful (and there's your opportunity to practice your speaking skills! ).

If you're worried about being stranded with no wifi and you will absolutely need to call someone because of an emergency, but at the same time you're still a really cheap person, then I have a cheap solution for you. If you have a cheap old cell phone (like a Nokia or something), the cheapest plan you can get is probably with Lycamobile; you pay 5€ for a certain amount of talk minutes and number of texts for one month.

The best strategy with this limited plan is this: you call the number you want, and hang up before they answer. That way the person will call you back and you don't waste any of your minutes. Also, even if your minutes run out before the end of the month, people can still call you. Besides Lyca, other cheaper phone plans include Lebara and Yoigo.

Why I like not having internet all the time

It gives me time to read books in the metro and write these blogs.

It forces me to focus in the moment when I go out with people. I hate when friends meet up and they're always staring at their phones.

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People like this should just stay home and not bother going out because they're not going to interact with real, live people anyway. Having internet in my phone is a temptation that I prefer not to have when I am out with friends. It has helped me to engage more in face-to-face conversation and not worry about if I am receiving messages from other people.

It's sad that in this day in age we must be "forced" to not constantly use our phones by deliberately not paying for an internet plan, but I guess that's what we've come to. With the development of faster technology, people have come to be more impatient and superficial, and the small pleasures and beauty in life are becoming unknown to those who keep their noses down, buried in their phones.

My recommendation

Don't buy a data plan; use WiFi only when you need it. The rest of the time when you're out and without internet, look around you, observe people, nature, buildings, and read books, or write in a journal. You will notice that your quality of life will improve, and you'll be a much happier person.

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