Erasmates, readers, friends!
One of our readers and users of Erasmate.com, Britt, was so kind to share the following information on Madrid with us:
As you know, Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3,3 million; the entire population of the metropolitan area is calculated to be nearly 6 million. Madrid is located on the river Manzanares in the centre of both the country and the Community of Madrid. As the capital of Spain, Madrid is also the political centre of the country.
According to the Monocle magazine Madrid is the 10th most liveable city in the world. While the city has a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets.
The best known landmarks of the city:
- The Royal Palace
- The Royal Theatre
- The Retiro Park
- The National Library
- The Prado Museum
- The Museum of National Arts, Reina Sofia
- The Thyssen Museum
Maybe you think that the city is very old-fashioned, but the culture aspects described before are very interesting. In one or two days you can visit many museums, most of them for free, where you can see various kinds of art. Madrid is also known by the highly developed architecture, with many different styles.
If you have finished your cultural trips in Madrid, you can start shopping. The city has several districts with their own shopping character. The most expensive one is the district of Salamanca, a luxurious area with exclusive boutiques. There you can find Gucci, Prada, Dior, Armani and so on. Also some small real Spanish boutiques are to be found in this area.
Another well-known area is Chueca, the gay-neighbourhood. Here you can find all types of shops, for him and her. This district is leaded by gays, but also for hetero people a cool area. The prices vary from very low to very high and especially shoes are easy to be found.
Gran Via may be the most famous street of Madrid. Here you can find many shops as well. It is an extremely busy area, with many cars and busses, but here you can find the most accessible shops like H&M, Mango and Zara. From this street you can walk down to Puerta del Sol, a famous square of Madrid with always lots of tourists. On the way to Puerta del Sol you can find many shops as well, which will take a lot of time to visit them all.
Madrid is notable for its nightlife and night clubs. The biggest one, el Kapital, has seven floors and every floor has its own music style. This one is very huge and always crowded. It is located in the city centre. Another big one is Pacha, a Spanish club for people who look for luxury. The entrance fee is high and you need to follow the dress code. If not, you cannot enter. Tourist chose very easily for el Kapital or Pacha. Another popular club is Joy Eslava, which is actually a theatre.
A lot of clubs are to be found in Madrid, but generally people prefer to go to bars. The district of Chueca, the gay neighbourhood, is also a popular place to have drinks for hetero people as well as gay people.
Having dinner in Madrid is affordable, compared to many other countries. For €25,- you can easily eat and drink a lot. Of course tapas are very Spanish, but most of the restaurants only offer them during the day. During the evening you can always order for example paella, meet and fish. Here some popular student restaurants:
- Wagaboo (6 restaurants, tasting menu for €23,90)
- Lateral (5 restaurants, 1 at e.g. Santa Ana Square)
- Bazaar (located in the district of Chueca, opens at 20h30)
- 100 Montaditos (>10 restaurants, Wednesday €-night)
We hope this information is helpful for all students going on Erasmus in Madrid.
If you feel like sharing information with other students on different Erasmus cities, feel free to contact us and send us your text!
Britt, thank you for this!
Marketing | Erasmate Team | 
November 30, 2010 5:51 pm | 
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