Going shopping at El Rastro flea market and recharging batteries with a scrumptious cocido (chickpea-based stew) or just a few tapas and a refreshing beer are among the many things you can do in Madrid. Cocido madrileno is a traditional dish from the capital of Spain. It’s made with chickpeas, vegetables, meat, bacon and chorizo.

The Santiago Bernabeu and the Vicente Calderon football stadiums are two must-visit places for football fans, while flamenco enthusiasts have an array of traditional tablaos (clubs) to choose from. Finally, Barrio de Chueca is worth mentioning too, as it’s great to go for tapas or window shopping. The trendiest shops are found in this neighbourhood.

MADRID BY NIGHT – Known as a trendsetter, Barrio de Malasana/ Triball saw the birth of the earliest movida musicians and bands back in the Spanish transition era in the 1980s, when this countercultural movement came to life. Rock, punk and indie pop provide the music for the many 1980s-style venues in Malasana. In the streets of this district, you’ll travel back in time to the years of the revolutionary break from Spain’s musical past. You’ll also listen to international music that originated later.

Clubs like TupperWare, Penta or La Via Lactea, on Calle de La Palma and Calle Velarde, and the Madrid Me Mata museum-bar are all frequented by a heterogeneous group of patrons, mostly young but also people who feel nostalgia for the old days of the movida, or artists and bands like Radio Futura, Los Secretos, Alaska and many others. The terraces of the cafes around Plaza del Dos de Mayo can get quite busy too. Playing dance, house and the latest commercial music, the nightclubs and pubs in Barrio de Salamanca have a uniquely glamorous style that sets this area apart from the rest of Madrid’s nightlife spots.

People of all ages can choose from a wide array of places to go out at night, which stand along the main shopping thoroughfares in the area, such as Serrano, Goya, Ortega y Gasset or Juan Bravo. Establishments catering to the middle-aged are interspersed with select cocktail bars attracting a more mature clientele. Located right in the Golden Mile shopping district, the Serrano 41 nightclub is one of the most popular in Madrid and a true icon of Salamanca’s nightlife, boasting three different areas—the terrace, the chill-out space and the dance floor on the ground level, where you can move to the beat of funky, pop and house music after 11pm. Another of the many favourites in Barrio de Salamanca is The Office disco-bar (also known as Vanitas Vanitatis) in Calle Velazquez, with its fine decor and open-air lounge.