Student Travel Guide to Madrid

The Ultimate Travel Guide to Madrid for students and backpackers

• Introduction to Madrid
• Things to do in Madrid
• Nightlife in Madrid
• Hostels in Madrid and accommodation
• Getting to Madrid
• Madrid Travel Guide Book
• Car Hire in Madrid
• Student Travel Insurance

Introduction to Madrid

Madrid is the largest city in Spain and the centre of its economic and business world. This lively city is also home to a wide range of beautiful architecture and cultural history. Much of the decorative architecture was created by Joseph Bonaparte at the beginning of the 19th century. He concentrated on reinvigorating the Puerta del Sol and vicinity. Madrid also boasts the C/Alcala, which is considered as one of the grandest streets in Europe. A little south of this you will find the Puerta del Sol region, which is home to the world famous bear and strawberry tree statue. Weighing 20 tons, the statue has become Madrid’s enduring emblem.

Around the centre of this busy city lies a large area of green open space. A variety of buildings and designs can be found in this area, contributing to the cities uniqueness and appeal to the traveller. One of the most popular tourist destinations is the Casa de Campo. Its enormous artificial lake ensures a peaceful atmosphere, while its banks offer impressive panoramic views of the city.

Madrid is also home to the most successful European club on the continent, Real Madrid. They play their home matches at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, which holds 80,000 supporters. It is one of the 4 cities in Europe that contain two UEFA 5-star stadia, Athletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderon stadium also meeting the criteria. As well as football, Madrid is also home to 2 top class basketball teams.

Things to do in Madrid

Activities in Madrid:

1. Waterpark and Aquapark
2. Real Madrid match
3. Tour of the Bernabeu, home of Real Madrid
4. Paintball
5. Outdoor Karting
6. Disco or Karaeoke (for U16's)
7. Museo del Prado (World’s most important collection of art)
8. Real Jardin Botanico (Contains 30,000 different varieties of plants)
9. El Rastro (street market)
10. Palacio Real castle

Student Nightlife in Madrid

Madrid’s most popular nightlife spot is Plaza Mayor. It is full of tapas bars and drinking caves and many locals start there bar crawls here. Many students can be found in the districts of Arguelles and Moncloa. This is because drinks are generally cheaper, there are fast food restaurants and ale houses.

The city has late dining times and the well-known Cafe de Oriente is worth visiting. It is situated in the tourist area of the Plaza de Isabel II and contains many smaller restaurants and cafes. Some of Madrid’s nightlife is for Spanish-speaking locals so be careful which club you decide to go in! Clubs can have a fairly expensive entry fee, although many of them stay

Accommodation and Hostels in Madrid

Hostels in Madrid

There are dozens of hostels and student guest houses in Madrid so to book your Madrid accommodation or a hostel in Madrid use our HostelBooker by clicking the banner below. If you want a group booking for a hostel in Madrid then you can use our group booking facility.

Getting to Madrid

Getting to Madrid is easy, there are quite a few flights to Madrid from the UK everyday. Visit www.whichbudget.com to find out which airport near you flys to Madrid airport then book direct with the airline.

Madrid Guide Book - Lonely Planet Travel Guide to Madrid

If you're looking for a travel guide book to Madrid that is aimed at students and backpackers then the Lonely Planet Guide to Madrid is exactly what you need. Click on the banner below to buy a copy and make the most of your trip to Madrid.

Car Hire in Madrid

If you're a student or a backpacker looking to hire a car in Madrid then book in advance and save yourself plenty of £££'s when you hire a car with Hertz car rental in Madrid. Click below for great prices on Madrid Car Hire and earn Nectar Points at the same time!

Student Travel Insurance

If you're backpacking round Europe or you're on a student tour to Madrid then you can't afford to be without student travel insurance. Visit our insurance partners at Endsleigh Insurance for more information and a student travel insurance or backpacker travel insurance quote.