Spanish schools in Madrid · Coastal locations

Madrid, as the capital city of Spain, offers a great range of cultural and social events. This is the main reason why many students of Spanish language decide to study Spanish in Madrid while learning the Spanish culture. In addition, by studing Spanish in Madrid one can meet other students of Spanish coming from many different cultures.

General Information. 3,300,000 inhabitants in its municipal area and over 6,000,000 in its greater metropolitan area. It is the capital of Spain and the capital of the Autonomous Community of Madrid. It is the third most densely populated city in the European Union. Here you will find the official residences of the Spanish royal family, the Palacio de la Zarzuela, and of the President of the Government, the Palacio de La Moncloa. Madrid began as a Hispanic-Moorish settlement that was later conquered by Alfonso VI of León and Castile in 1085. In 1561 it was the headquarters of the court of Philip II and since then has been, with some exceptions, the capital of the country. It is located on a 600 metre high plateau at the geographical heart of the Iberian Peninsula. The summers here are very hot and the winters are quite cold. Madrid's historical town centre was built during the Habsburg dynasty in the 16th and 17th centuries. The city has a very good infrastructure. It boasts a vibrant cultural life and ample opportunities for leisure activities. There are many renowned museums and art galleries such as the Prado Museum, which is one of the most famous in the world. Madrid is also the financial capital and a reference point for the country's business sector. It is a bustling, cosmopolitan city that is both open and welcoming, as well as a meeting point for people from all over Spain. Madrid has an outstanding choice of schools in which to study the Spanish language. There are 14 universities in the region, with over 250,000 students, although only five are public universities with their main site in the city itself: Universidad Complutense, Universidad Autónoma, Universidad Politécnica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and Spain's equivalent of the Open University, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED). Madrid is a very attractive place to study Spanish with many language schools offering a wide range of courses.

Surrounding Areas. Madrid is surrounded by UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Alcalá de Henares (24 kilometres), with its old university set within a historical precinct; Aranjuez (45 kilometres), with historical and prestigious palaces and gardens; Toledo (70 kilometres), with its great cultural heritage and one of the most well preserved old quarters in the country; Segovia (90 kilometres), another historical city with many important monuments; San Lorenzo de El Escorial (50 kilometres), with the famous monastery that bears the same name. There are also many well conserved old villages to be found in the Community of Madrid, all of which are all worth visiting: Chinchón, Manzanares, Guadarrama, Rascafría... Nearby you have the Sierra de Navacerrada, which has several ski resorts.

Main Sights. The Royal Palace (Palacio Real), considered to be the biggest in Western Europe; the Almudena Cathedral; Puerta de Alcalá, a huge gateway next to the beautiful Retiro Park (Parque de El Retiro); Plaza de Cibeles and the adjacent former Post Office building (Palacio de Comunicaciones), the Central Bank building (Banco de España) and the Palacio de Velazquez; Templo de Debod, an ancient temple that Egypt gave to Spain in 1968; the porticoed Plaza Mayor; Madrid de los Austrias, a historical neighbourhood built during the Age of the Hapsburgs; Puerta del Sol, the geographical centre of Spain's network of radial roads, as well as numerous palaces, churches, gateways, historical buildings and modern buildings that make up the city and its monuments. La Casa de Campo is the city's huge green area and here you will find the Amusement Park (Parque de Atracciones), the Zoo (Parque Zoológico) and the Cable Car (Teleférico); the Retiro Park, with many great walks, can be found in the city centre; the Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico); Faunia, an environmental park with different ecosystems; Safari Madrid; the Aquarium; the Madrid Science Park, Cosmocaixa; two Aquópolis water parks, one in San Fernando de Henares and the other in Villanueva de La Cañada; an ice rink (Dreams Palacio de Hielo); the Planetarium and the giant Imax Cinema in the Tierno Galván Park. Within easy reach of the city you can visit several shopping and entertainment complexes and theme parks: Warner Bros Park, Heron City and Xanadú.

Culture. There are internationally famous museums such as the Prado Museum, one of the biggest art galleries in the world, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, one of the largest private art collections, and the Reina Sofía Museum, specializing in art of the 20th century and with Picasso's Guernica as its masterpiece. Madrid boasts a wide range of art galleries as well as the Caixa-Forum cultural centre. There are numerous theatres, auditoriums and concert halls, one of the most representative being the Royal Theatre (Teatro Real), which is the venue for Madrid's Opera Season. In the last few years, the Rock in Rio music festival has been held in Madrid in June and many of today's pop and rock artists have performed here. There is also a macro-festival called Festimad which takes place between April and May at various venues throughout the city. The cultural offer is a major attraction for the many students who decide to study Spanish in Madrid.

Shopping. There are lots of great shopping areas in Madrid. The most exclusive zone is the barrio de Salamanca and especially the two streets, Serrano and Ortega y Gasset, where you will find all of the most prestigious international brand names. The following shopping zones are also worth mentioning: Puerta del Sol, Nuevos Ministerios, Goya and Princesa. In these areas you will find a dense concentration of shops as well as department stores belonging to El Corte Inglés, the popular Spanish retail chain. There are numerous shopping centres within easy reach of the city, such as Plaza Norte, La Vaguada, Xanadú, Las Rozas Village, Moda Shopping, ABC Serrano... Every Sunday in the old quarter you can visit El Rastro, a huge flea market where people buy and sell antiques and curiosities.

Gastronomy. Like most big cities, Madrid has a vast range of traditional food products and many great places to eat. It has three restaurants that boast two Michelin stars and seven others that have been awarded one Michelin star. The people of Madrid have always loved the custom of going out for tapas (the small snacks that accompany drinks while hopping from bar to bar) and this explains why there are so many taverns, bars and beer houses in almost every area of the city. Some of the areas worth mentioning are: Madrid de los Austrias, Calle Huertas next to Plaza de Santa Ana and its environs, Cava Baja and the La Latina neighbourhood, the area in and around Plaza Mayor...They say that Madrid is the best fishing port in Spain because of the city's seafood restaurants, where you can enjoy fish and seafood of a very high quality. There are also many restaurants with long histories, such as Casa Lucio, El Mesón de Botín, El Landó... The typical dishes include: cocido madrileño (noodle broth, chick peas, vegetables and stewed meat), caracoles (snails), callos a la madrileña (a tripe dish), roast meats (lamb, kid and suckling pig) and garlic soup. Campo Real cheese, the designation of origin Madrid wines and aniseed liqueur from Chinchón are also typical.

Sports. Real Madrid, with its Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on the Paseo de la Castellana, and Atlético de Madrid are the eternal football rivals competing for the championship; two of the city's other football clubs, Getafe and Rayo Vallecano, have also played various seasons in the First Division of Spain. The most representative basketball teams in the city are Real Madrid and Estudiantes. The city has numerous facilities for playing and learning all kinds of sports and many areas where you can do aerobic exercises. There are ten golf courses in the area. There are also ski resorts in the mountains nearby (60 kilometres): Navacerrada, Valdesquí and La Pinilla.

Fiestas. The most popular fiesta in Madrid is San Isidro (15 May), held in honour of Madrid's patron saint. Here you can see numerous festivities, concerts, cultural events and the internationally famous bullfighting fair, with bullfights and other bull events that last the whole month.

Transport. Madrid has a good infrastructure for national and international transport: the new terminal at Barajas airport; the Atocha and Chamartín railway stations; excellent commuter and long-distance rail networks; the high-speed trains (AVE), which are expanding rapidly and now link Madrid with Barcelona, Seville, Málaga, Valladolid and very shortly with Valencia and the Basque Country. However, the best form of transport in the city is the Metro, which thanks to a recent programme of extensions has now become one of the most modern underground systems in Europe. It is easy to get from Madrid to other Spanish cities by train or by using the various coach services.

Nightlife. Students who decide to study Spanish in Madrid will discover a very active nightlife, thanks to the city's university atmosphere. Madrid's nightlife stretches across the city and can be found in its pubs, disco-bars, live music cafés and discotheques. The typical areas for starting out the evening are: Plaza de Santa Ana, La Latina, Lavapiés, Malasaña, Bilbao, Rios Rosas and Chueca (gay atmosphere). There are also cafés which are historically famous for their tertulias (debates), such as Café Gijón, Café Comercial, Café Universal, Café de Oriente.

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