Madrid Travel Information

Madrid is a large city that sprawls over a great area but the centre -where our language school is located- is surprisingly compact and easy to navigate. You can easily find your way around the centre by foot and the public transport system is excellent.

Money

Spain is part of the Euro region and you can find a very good conversion tool for your currency into Euros here. You'll find a bank machine almost on every corner of the street which makes it very easy to withdraw cash whenever you need to. Credit cards are widely accepted but mostly restricted to Visa and MasterCard.

Getting around

Madrid has an excellent public transport system. Metros run from 06:00 till 02:00. If you want to get around Madrid by public transport later than 02:00, then you should head to the Plaza Cibeles. From here depart all the night buses (called "búhos") that cover the whole of Madrid.

The most economic way of getting round is either buying a 10 journey pass or if you are for a longer time in the city, you can buy a monthly pass. These passes are valid on the metro, bus and trains. For more information, click here.

Climate

Madrid is very warm in Summer and generally fresh in winter with temperatures on some days below freezing in January and February. The low humidity makes the climate however very bearable.

Airport

The airport of Madrid is called "Barajas" and is located approximately 20km from the city centre. You can take the bus or train from the airport to the centre. A taxi will cost around € 30.00.

Electricity

Spain has a 220V network and you may need an adaptor if you come from the UK or a non European country.

Daily expenses

Madrid is not an expensive city compared to other destinations in Western Europe but the gap between Spain and other countries has narrowed over the years. The following overview provides a guideline for typical expenses excluding your accommodation cost:

Breakfast: croissant + coffee: € 3.00
Lunch: sandwich (bocadillo) + drink: € 4.50 or
Lunch: menú del día: € 10.00
Dinner: grocery shopping: € 6 or
Dinner: "cheap & cheerful" restaurant: € 20
Transportation cost per day: € 1.50 (based on purchasing a multi trip pass)
Glass of wine / beer: € 2.00

Once you include other costs such as telephone card, entrance tickets to museums / cinema etc. a minimum daily allowance of € 30 is the minimum to survive on [excluding accommodation].

Working and Visa

No visa is required for anyone holding a EU passport. If you are from the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland or Iceland you can stay up to 90 days without a visa.

If you want to stay longer or you are a citizen from another country, check with your local Spanish consulate or embassy. You can find a list at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign affairs at www.mae.es.

Holders of an EU passport can work in Spain without a work permit. All that is required is to apply for a registration number (N.I.E.) and a social security number which is an administrative formality. Non EU passport holders cannot work without a work permit.