At the End of the Day, Madrid Plays Hard

It seems that Madrid may not have gotten the message… Spain is known for a relaxed lifestyle, with traditional daily siestas, and an overall slower pace of life, right? Nope, not in Madrid, where siestas seem to be a dying art. The daily grind is very real, with many adopting more typical Western work hours… But one thing is for sure: when the work is done, Madrid plays hard!

Madrid Works Hard

During the day, Madrileños (folks from Madrid) do not play around.. Madrid has over three million residents, and on any given weekday, all of Europe’s third largest population seems to be on the move. With slick briefcase suitsters pounding concrete, tinted luxury sedans honking, and taxis swerving and slamming, there’s no doubt Spain’s economic and political center means business.

Although in our experience, the old adage is very true… Those that work the hardest, tend to play the hardest, trying to squeeze in as much fun as the day’s remaining hours allow.. Madrid is said to have more bars per capita than any other city in Europe, and this is where you’ll find the entire city’s population after dark.. The nightly agenda? Bar, after restaurant, after cafe, repeat. Lively crowds spill out into the streets after midnight, even on weeknights.

Madrid Plays Hard

We’re not sure Madrileños even go home for dinner, as even the shadiest looking establishments stay packed every night of the week. Even the dive bars pump out some pretty respectable food, and it’s all very cheap.. If you can avoid those ever-popular 12 euro Gin Tonics, order yourself a Caña (small beer) for one Euro, and get free food with it. You heard us right, this is the traditional Tapa. Usually a small bowl of olives or nuts, we happened across one bar that was doling out some pretty delicious pizza, salad, and macaroni, all gratis!

If you want to buck up, look for a place with the brightly-lit pintxos case, and eat until your heart’s content… Pintxos are an art form here: Baguette slices topped with Shrimp, Iberico Ham, Anchovies, Octopus, (you get the picture), are creatively combined with veggies and sauces, and all pinned together with a toothpick. Go crazy if you want.. They’ll set you back one or two Euros a piece. If you like what you taste, ask for the menu and get a full serving… And unless you’re at a really upscale joint, you won’t see many items for more than ten Euros…

But I Don’t Wanna Go Home!

It’s a weekend you say, you’re not ready to go home yet, you say? Well, from Thursday through Sunday, the city really never sleeps… Choose one of the numerous nightclubs and stay until 6am if you like.. We actually did just that one evening, and were totally blown away by the overwhelming production of it all. They really take their partying seriously here. Check out the video:

On the weekends the bars are already packed by 11am, keeping the party cycle going until late Sunday when the city finally sleeps. Back to work on Monday, and then… MORE TAPAS!