Tips
Everything we’d tell a friend before they come to Madrid.
Getting to the flat
Depending on how you’re arriving, and how to find the door.
By plane From Barajas airport
There's a flat rate of €33 from anywhere in the centre (inside the M-30) to any of the four terminals, 24 hours a day. Get in at the official taxi rank at the terminal — don't accept offers from people inside the airport. About 20-30 min to the flat.
They work well at the airport: request the car as you leave the terminal and follow the app to the pickup area. Usually €25-35 to the centre depending on demand — sometimes cheaper than the taxi, sometimes not: compare before booking.
Take line 8 (pink) to Nuevos Ministerios (under 20 min), then change to line 10 heading south to Tribunal — 7 min walk from home, no further changes. The single ticket from the airport carries a supplement (~€3), around €5 in total.
Runs 24 hours a day, flat fare of €5 (cash or card on board). By day it starts from Atocha, at night (11:30 pm-6 am) from Plaza de Cibeles, also stopping at O'Donnell. Get off at Cibeles and continue by metro or a short taxi ride home.
By train From Atocha or Chamartín
Head into the Atocha Renfe metro station (line 1, right by the AVE terminal) and take line 1 towards Pinar de Chamartín to Tribunal, direct, about 10-15 min. By taxi it's roughly €10-15 and 15 min.
The station has its own metro stop: line 10 runs direct to Tribunal, about 11 min, no changes (line 1 also works, a bit slower). By taxi, roughly €15-20 and 15-20 min.
If you arrive by AVE or long-distance train, your ticket includes the Combinado Cercanías for free (valid 4 hours before and after your journey) — handy if you'd rather connect via a local Cercanías train than the metro.
By car What we’d do ourselves
Malasaña sits inside the Distrito Centro Low Emission Zone: non-residents need to justify entry, and the simplest way is to drive straight into a car park and keep the ticket. The three closest to home —Luna·Tudescos, Garaje Pizarro and Garaje Luna, 2-4 min walk— are linked with Maps in the Parking section further down this guide.
Our recommendation: leave the car at the Ciudad Universitaria park-and-ride (free if you validate a public transport ticket used during your stay, minimum 5 hours). From there, line 6 one stop to Moncloa, change to line 3 towards Callao or Santo Domingo, then about a 10 min walk home.
Practical stuff near the flat
Nearest supermarket, pharmacy and parking
Tips about Madrid
Things nobody tells you, that you’ll be glad to know
Transport
From the flat you can walk to most of the city centre: nothing is more than 20-25 minutes on foot.
If you take the metro, a 10-trip Multi card can be shared between two people without any issue.
General service from 6:00 am to 1:30 am, with trains every 2-5 min at peak times (line 6 currently closes earlier than usual, at 11 pm Sunday to Thursday, for engineering works — a free replacement bus runs until 1:30 am).
There are docking stations all over the city. You'll need to register in the app first with a payment card (takes under 5 minutes); the pay-as-you-go plan is cheap — €0.50 for the first 30 minutes.
Food and drink
Madrid's tap water is excellent and asking for a glass of it in restaurants is completely normal: no need to pay for bottled.
On weekday lunchtimes, almost everywhere offers a set menu: two courses + a drink for much less than à la carte. Make the most of it.
If you're not used to Spanish hours, this will catch you out: lunch here is at 2–3 pm and dinner starts from 9 pm. Before those hours, many kitchens are closed.
If you're not used to it: tipping isn't obligatory here — leave it only if you enjoyed it, and rounding up or leaving €1–2 is plenty.
Other tips
The Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen all have daily free-entry time slots. Arrive 30 min before it opens to skip the queue.
Rastro market in the morning, vermouth at midday, a stroll through the Retiro in the afternoon, and even some shopping: in the centre, plenty of shops open on Sundays too.