Madrid is notable for its nightlife and night clubs. On weekends, Madrilenian youth are famous for dancing all night long, stopping only to go home, take a shower, shave (or not), and go to work. What is also popular is the practice of meeting in parks or streets with friends and drinking alcohol together (this is called 'botellón', from 'botella', bottle), but in recent years, drinking in the street is punished with a fine and now young madrileños drink together all around the city instead of in more well known places. Many places host bands (concerts in Madrid[22]). Nightlife and young cultural awakening flourished after the death of Franco, especially during the 80s while Madrid's mayor Enrique Tierno Galván was in office. This new movement was called la movida and it initially gathered around Plaza del Dos de Mayo (Malasaña area). Some of the most popular night destinations include the neighbourhoods of: Bilbao, Tribunal, Alonso Martinez or Moncloa, together with Puerta del Sol area (including Opera and Gran Via, both adjacent to the popular square) and Huertas (barrio de Las Letras), destinations which are also filled with tourists day and night. The gay district of Chueca has also become a hot spot in the Madrilenian night life, not only for gay people but also for straight people looking for fun in their crowded clubs and popular discos.
Everything you’ve heard about traffic jams in the small hours and office workers heading straight to work from the clubs is true; the madrileños’ reputation as party fiends is more than justified, despite municipal meddling and earlier closing times. El terraceo (terrace-hopping) is the preferred nightlife activity during the city’s warmer months.
For straightforward drinking, the perennial favourites are Viva Madrid (C/Manuel Fernández y González 7, 91 429 36 40) and Los Gabrieles (C/Echegaray 17, 91 429 62 61), with their fabulous floor-to-ceiling tiling (and wall-to-wall tourists), and the dusty old tabernas around Los Austrias, with aproned barmen and vermut pulled from silver taps. For a younger, funkier atmosphere, Malasaña has it all, from cineaste’s delight Pepe Botella (C/San Andrés 12, 91 522 43 09) to the Iberian Friends set that is La Ida (C/Colón 11, 91 522 91 07, closed 1wk Aug).
For bar-hopping until 2am or thereabouts, C/Huertas, the Plaza Santa Ana and the streets around are unbeatable. Close by, you’ll also find the monster seven-floor Kapital (C/Atocha 125, 91 420 2906, www.grupo-kapital.com, closed Mon-Wed), with every kind of music and a rooftop bar for gazing at the stars, and the sassy techno den the Room (C/Arlabán 7, 91 523 86 54, Fridays only). A stone’s throw away is the eclectic Lavapiés, popular with the bohemian crowd. For traditional flamenco performances, Casa Patas (C/Cañizares 10, Lavapiés, 91 369 04 96, www.casapatas.com, closed Sun) is a highly prized, if pricey, establishment. For glitzy monster discos, explore the triangle between Sol, Callao and Gran Via. Joy Eslava (C/Arenal 11, 91 366 37 33, www.joy-esclava.com) is the granddaddy of them all. Nearby is the stylish Cool (C/Isabel la Católica 6, 91 542 34 39, closed Mon-Wed), where the crowd and the decor wrestle for aesthetic supremacy.
Chueca is the centre of Madrid’s gay scene, but it’s also the place to be for the determinedly hip. Though its hub is the Plaza de Chueca, itself thronging with terrazas in summer, close by are mixed bars such as Stars Café (C/Marqués de Valdeiglesias 5, 91 522 2712, closed Sun & 2wks Aug) or Liquid (C/Barquillo 8, 91 532 7428, closed Mon).
Just when you thought it was all over, it’s time to head to ‘los afters’, Sunday morning clubs that refuse to keep the Sabbath holy. Now officially illegal, they still thrive, but open and close with gay abandon – keep an eye out for flyers or ask around to find them.
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