Nightlife in Madrid

Madrid never sleeps: it's a very active city, both during the day and at night.

Source

Bars:

To start the night, or just to go out to a bar, there are multiple options. In the city centre, the most well-known area is Malasaña: this is a really large area, close to Gran Vía, Tribunal and Sol, and pretty much anywhere else in the centre of Madrid. Here, you will find many different bars where you can buy juices, ice-creams, cocktails, etc. You can even go there for dinner, but right now we are going to focus more on nightlife.

Personally, I enjoy going to Tribunal the most, which is situated close to the Plaza Dos de Mayo. Pretty much any and every bar there is open until late, you just have to search for the one with the music that best suits your personal taste, be it rock, indie, or pop. My favourite bar is called Aleatorio (Calle Ruiz, 7). This bar is owned by Escandar Algeet, a young poet who was born in Palencia but now lives in the capital. It's a really small, but very charming bar, which not only serves beer with atmospheric background music, but also hosts book launches, poetry readings, and jam sessions, amongst other things.

Another popular choice is the 'Bajos de Argüelles'. As its name suggests, this area is located next to the metro station, Argüelles, and is home to many bars and nightclubs where you can spend the night dancing and can buy drinks at very affordable prices.

Source

Nightclubs:

Madrid has a wide variety of nightclubs where you can spend the whole night dancing. Within this group of clubs, you can choose one based on your personal preferences - be that the atmosphere, the music or the people.

The first nightclubs that spring to mind are:

• Kapital. Next to the Atocha metro station, situated right in the heart of the city, this 7 storey nightclub opens on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Depending on the floor, you can enjoy a real mix of music: pop, electronic, reggaeton, and even karaoke!
• Teatro Barceló. The old Pachá. It's situated next to Tribunal metro station, with the same days of opening as Kapital, and it has an undeniable reputation, offering more pop/chart music than anything else.
• Fabrik. This nightclub is known for the electronic music that it plays, which is some of the best on the national nightclub scene. Its main style is techno; however, depending on the day, they also have drumcode and hardstyle music, all with internationally-recognised artists. It's only open on Fridays and Saturdays. This club also organises parties with distinct music styles for different occasions (the University Party, for example). It is located in the south of Madrid, close to the stop 'Humanes' (Cercanías), and is easily accessible by bus. In my personal opinion, the best way to get there is by bus if you live more towards the city centre: Fabrik actually organises buses to take people to the club every 30 minutes from the Plaza de España, dropping you off right outside the door, and then later taking you back to the city centre at the end of the night. But, on the other hand, if you live in the outskirts and you would prefer to take the Cercanías, it's a 15 to 20 minute walk across a waste ground from the 'Humanes' stop. If you do this journey with friends, it can become pretty funny when you think about how truly strange it is. It's also worth mentioning that you can get there by car, as Fabrik has its own private parking lot next to the club, where you can meet everyone before going inside for the infamous "parkineo" (drinking from the boot of someone's car to avoid paying for expensive drinks).
• Rococó and La Nuit. These are two different nightclubs, but there are both situated very close to one another, as well as being close to the Nuevos Ministerios metro station. Both of these clubs actually have more days of opening than the others, and their low-cost entry fees attract many students there throughout the week. The music in both clubs is mainly reggaeton.
• Colonial. It's located close to the Principe Pío metro station, which explains why its clientèle is very affluent. It has chart music, reggaeton and pop classics that everyone knows and loves.

I hope that these recommendations have served you well. As I said before, these are the places that are, for me, the most interesting, but this is, by no means, an exhaustive list. The choices on offer are incredible, and one thing's for sure, nightlife in Madrid is safe.

Enjoy!