The capital of Spain is one of the few places in the world where you can get stuck in a traffic jam at 4 am. That’s why for many people it seems that “Madrilenos” never sleep. Usually they spend their time hanging out in small cafes and terraces, filling the streets around the Sunday flea market “Rastro” and revelling until dawn in one of the thousands of bars, pubs and discos.

It is typical in Spain to eat between 9 and 10 pm, and in Madrid it’s not peculiar to enter the restaurant after 11pm. Don`t be surprised if someone calls you at midnight asking about your plans for the evening. That’s how it works in Madrid. Usually evenings begin in tapas bars at about 10-11pm where you can try some typical Spanish snacks. The nightclubs open up usually at 1 am, but people head for these after the bars close up and party until 7am. At the end of the night it is habitual to stop over in one of the city`s many cafes and have a delicious cafe con churros.

The most popular before-party zones cater to all tastes, and surround the Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Santa Ana, where numerous tapas bars and pubs line the streets. Very popular, especially on Sunday morning, is also Cava Baja.

Filled with students, Moncloa becomes very crowded during the night. The area is preferred by rather young revellers because the prices mostly are most fitting to student budgets.

Like every big city Madrid has some fashion districts. In Castellana, Retiro and Salamanca you will find the most fancy bars and nightclubs where young Spanish yuppies called “pijos” hang out. Lately the very flamboyant area of Chueca, Madrid’s zone of gay bars, has come into fashion as a cool place to chill out at the weekends.

Filled with students, Moncloa becomes very crowded during the night. The area is preferred by rather young revellers because the prices mostly are most fitting to student budgets.

Like every big city Madrid has some fashion districts. In Castellana, Retiro and Salamanca you will find the most fancy bars and nightclubs where young Spanish yuppies called “pijos” hang out. Lately the very flamboyant area of Chueca, Madrid’s zone of gay bars, has come into fashion as a cool place to chill out at the weekends.

If you are not a fan of loud and crazy parties there are also a lot of different places where you can spend the night in a laid back manner. Apart from the quiet inner patios and courtyards of ‘la Latina’, you can find a variety of jazz, blues and rock bars in Huerta, a spot where there is also a rich offer of theater and cabaret shows, concerts and other cultural events.