Airlines Many
airlines have their
offices along the Gran
Vía or on c/Princesa,
its continuation
beyond the Plaza de
España. Addresses
include: British
Airways, c/Serrano 60
5° tel 913 054 212 or
912 054 317, Métro:
Serrano; Iberia, c/Velázquez
130 tel 915 878 156 or
902 400 500, Métro:
Serrano; KLM, Gran Vía
59 tel 912 478 100, Métro:
Santo Domingo; and TWA,
Plaza de Colón 2 tel
913 103 094, Métro:
Colón. Phone numbers
for other airlines:
Air Europa tel 913 936
732; Air France tel
913 300 440; Aer
Lingus tel 915 414
216; and Sabena tel
913 300 460. The
Iberojet counter at
the airport sells
discounted seats on
all scheduled flights,
if you're prepared to
queue up and take the
risk of not getting
on. Tickets for the
Puente Aéreo to
Barcelona are
available in terminal
two.
Banks and
exchange The main
Spanish banks are
concentrated on c/Alcalá
and Gran Vía. Opening
hours are normally
Mon-Fri 9am-2pm, but
they're also often
open on Sat 9am-1pm
from Oct to May.
International banks
include: Bank of
America, c/Capitán
Haya 1 tel 915 555
000, Métro: Santiago
Bernabéu; Barclays,
Plaza de Colón 1 tel
914 102 800, Métro:
Colón; Citibank,
c/José Ortega y
Gasset 29 tel 914 355
190, Métro: Núñez
de Balboa; and Lloyds,
c/Serrano 90 tel 915
767 000, Métro: Núñez
de Balboa. In addition
to the banks, branches
of El Corte Inglés
department store all
have exchange offices
with long hours and
highly competitive
rates; the most
central is on Puerta
del Sol. Aeropuerto de
Barajas has a 24-hr
currency exchange
office.
Bicycles Try
Bicicletas Chapinal,
c/Alcalá 242 tel 914
041 853 (Mon-Fri
10am-1.30pm &
4.30-8pm, Sat
10am-2pm; Métro: El
Carmen); Calmera, c/Atocha
98 tel 915 277 574
(Mon-Sat 9.30am-1.30pm
& 4.30-8pm; Métro:
Antón Martín); and
Karacol, c/Montera 32
tel 915 329 073
(Mon-Fri 10.30am-2pm
& 5.30-8pm, Sat
10.30am-2pm; Métro:
Gran Vía/Sol) and at
c/Tortosa 8, nr Atocha
tel 915 399 633; Métro:
Atocha.
Bullfights
Madrid's main Plaza de
Toros, the monumental
Las Ventas (c/Alcalá
237; Métro: Ventas),
hosts some of the
year's most
prestigious events,
especially during the
May San Isidro
festivities, though
the main season runs
from March to October.
Tickets are available
at the box office at
Ventas (tel 917 264
800 or 913 562 200, www.las-ventas.com
; March-Oct Thurs-Sun
10am-2pm & 5-8pm)
or at Localidades de
Galicia (see
"Ticket
agencies" below);
at the latter you pay
around fifty percent
more than the printed
prices, which are for
season tickets sold en
bloc. There is a
second bullring in the
suburb of Carabanchel
(Avda. Matilde Hernández;
tel 914 220 780; Métro:
Vista Alegre), about
4km to the southwest
of the centre.
Car rental
Major operators have
branches at the
airport and train
stations. Central
offices include: Atesa,
c/Infanta Mercedes 90
tel 915 711 931, Métro:
Estrecho; Avis, Gran Vía
60 tel 915 472 048,
reservations tel 902
135 531, Métro: Plaza
de España; Europcar,
c/San Leonardo 8 tel
917 211 222, Métro:
Plaza de España -
also an office in
Atocha station; and
Hertz, Atocha station
tel 914 681 318, Métro:
Atocha.
Easy-Rent-a-Car, c/Agustín
de Foxa 27, Parking
Centro Norte tel 0906
586 0586 (telephone
bookings available
from Britain only), Métro:
Chamartin; Rent Me,
Plaza de Herradores 6,
just off Plaza Mayor
tel 915 590 822, Métro:
Sol, is a good-value
local company.
Disabled access
Madrid is not
particularly well
geared up for the
disabled ( minusválidos
), although the
situation is gradually
improving. The
Organizacíon Nacional
de Ciegos de España
(ONCE) at c/de Prado
24 (tel 915 894 600 or
915 773 756) provides
the best specialist
advice.
Wheelchair-adapted
taxis can be ordered
from Radio Taxi (tel
915 478 200).
Embassies
Australia, Plaza
Descubridor Diego Ordás
3 tel 914 416 025, Métro:
Ríos Rosas; Britain,
c/Fernando el Santo 16
tel 913 192 630, Métro:
Alonso Martínez;
British Consulate c/Marqués
Ensenada 16 tel 913
085 300; Canada, c/Núñez
de Balboa 35 tel 914
314 300 or 914 233
250, Métro: Núñez
de Balboa; Ireland,
Paseo de la Castellana
46 tel 913 190 200, Métro:
Rubén Darío; New
Zealand, Plaza Lealtad
2 tel 915 230 226, Métro:
Sevilla; USA,
c/Serrano 75 tel 915
774 000, Métro: Rubén
Darío.
Emergencies
For an ambulance dial
112, 915 884 500 or
915 222 222 - or get a
taxi, which will be
quicker if no
paramedics are
necessary; 112 is also
the number for the
police.
Football The
big teams are Real
Madrid and their
rivals, Atlético
Madrid and Rayo
Vallecano. Tickets can
be bought in advance
(and usually on the
day) at the stadium
for most matches,
though derbies between
Real and Atlético, or
visits to either by
Barcelona, are always
sell-outs. Real
Madrid : Estadio
Santiago Bernabéu, c/Concha
Espina s/n (info tel
902 271 707, ticket
line tel 902 324 324;
Métro: Santiago
Bernabéu). Ticket
office Mon-Fri 6-9pm;
match days
11am-1.30pm. Tickets
from ?15 go on sale
three days before each
match. Atlético
Madrid : Estadio
Vicente Calderón,
Paseo de la Virgen del
Puerto 67 tel 913 664
707; Métro: Pirámides.
Ticket office Mon-Fri
5-8pm; two days before
each match also open
11am-2pm. Tickets from
?18. Rayo Vallecano
: Estadio de María
Teresa Rivero, Avda.
Payaso Fofó s/n tel
914 782 253; Métro:
Portazgo. Ticket
office Mon-Sat
5.30-8.30pm, and two
hours before each
match. Tickets from
?12. If you fancy a
Sunday afternoon game,
the English Five-a-side
League (EFL)
sometimes need players
if teams are short,
with games usually at
the Colegio del Niño
Jesús near the Retiro
(tel 918 444 525).
Hospitals
The most central
hospitals are: El Clínico,
Plaza de Cristo Rey
tel 913 303 747, Métro:
Moncloa; Hospital
Gregorio Marañon,
c/Dr Esquerdo 46 tel
915 868 000, Métro:
O'Donnell; and Ciudad
Sanitaria La Paz,
Paseo de la Castellana
261 tel 913 582 831, Métro:
Diego de León. First
aid stations are
scattered throughout
the city and open 24hr
a day: one of the most
central is at c/Navas
de Tolosa 10 tel 915
210 025, Métro:
Callao.
English-speaking
doctors are available
at the Anglo-American
Medical Unit, c/Conde
de Aranda 1 tel 914
351 823, Métro:
Retiro; Mon-Fri
9am-8pm, Sat 10am-3pm.
Internet access
Amiweb ,
c/Mayor 4, 4º,
Oficina 8 (Métro:
Sol) & Gran Vía
80 Piso 6 (Métro:
Plaza de España); Aroba
25 , Gran Vía 86
(Métro: Gran Vía); Café
Comercial ,
Glorieta de Bilbao 7 (
www.intervia.com/comercial
; Métro: Bilbao); Cybercafé
, c/Atocha 117 ( cybermad@mail.com
; Métro:
Atocha);Cybermad,
c/Laurel 6 (Métro:
Embajadores/Acacias); Easy
Everything , c/Montera
10-12 ( www.easyeverything.com/spain
; Métro: Sol; open 24
hrs); Vortex ,
c/Ave María 20, (Métro:
Lavapíes/Antón Martín);
Xnet Café ,
c/San Bernardo 81 (Métro:
San Bernardo). Prices
range from ?1.75-3.50
per hour, often with a
drink included.
Language schools
Madrid has numerous
language schools,
offering intensive
courses in Spanish
language (and
culture). One of the
most established is
International House,
c/Zurbano 8 tel 913
101 314, ih-madrid@mad.servicom.es
; Métro: Alonso Martínez.
Laundry
Central lavanderías
include: c/del Barco
26 (Métro: Gran Vía);
c/de Cervantes 1-3 (Métro:
Sol); c/Donoso Cortés
17 (Métro: Quevedo);
c/de Hermosilla 121 (Métro:
Goya); and c/de la
Palma 2 (Métro:
Tribunal).
Left luggage
If you want to leave
your bags there are consignas
at the Barajas
airport, the Estación
Sur, Auto-Res and
Continental Auto bus
stations; and lockers
at Atocha and Chamartín
train stations.
Pharmacies
Farmácias are
distinguished by a
green cross; each
district has a rota
with one staying open
through the night -
for details call 098
or check the notice on
the door of your
nearest pharmacy or
the listings
magazines. Madrid also
has quite a number of
traditional
herbalists, best known
of which is Maurice
Mességue, c/Goya 64 (Métro:
Goya; Mon-Fri 10am-2pm
& 5-8pm, Sat
10am-2pm).
Police If
you've had something
stolen call 900 100
333 (English spoken).
Post office
The main one is the
Palacio de
Comunicaciones in the
Plaza de las Cibeles
(Mon-Sat 8am-midnight,
Sun 8am-10pm for
stamps and telegrams;
Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat
9am-2pm for Lista
de Correos - poste
restante). Branch
offices, for example
on c/Cruz Verde on the
edge of Malasaña, are
open Mon-Sat 9am-2pm,
but the easiest places
to buy stamps are the estancos
, recognizable by
their brown and yellow
signs bearing the word
Tabacos .
Scooter hire
If you want to chance
the traffic, scooters
are delivered to and
collected from your
hotel by Alquiler de
Scooter (tel 902 102
020) at a charge of
around ?14 a day. Also
worth trying is
Motoalquiler at c/Conde
Duque 13 (tel 915 420
657; Métro: Noviciado).
Swimming pools
and aquaparks The
Piscina Canal Isabel
II, Avda. de Filipinas
54 (daily 10am-8.30pm;
Métro: Ríos Rosas),
is a large and
well-maintained
outdoor swimming pool,
and the best central
option. Alternatively,
try the open-air piscina
in the Casa de Campo
(daily 10am-8.30pm; Métro:
El Lago). Both these
pools have café-bars
attached. Also worth
trying are the pools
at Barrio del Pilar,
Avda. Monforte de
Lemos (Métro: Barrio
del Pilar/Begoña),
and La Elipa, Parque
de la Elipa,
c/O'Donnell s/n (Métro:
Estrella). There are
also a number of
aquaparks around
Madrid. The closest is
Aquamadrid 16km out on
the N2 Barcelona road
(Bus Continental Auto
#281, #282, #282, or
#385 from Avda. de América).
Note that the
"swimming
season" is from
May to September, so
outside these months,
most outdoor pools are
closed.
Telephones
International calls
can be made from any
phone box or from any locutorio
. The main telefónica
office at Gran Vía 30
(Métro: Gran Vía)
has ranks of phones
and is open until
midnight. Phone cards
cost ?6 or ?12 and can
be bought at post
offices or estancos
.
Ticket agencies
For theatre and
concert tickets try:
Tele-Entradas, a
telephone booking
service run by BBVA
tel 902 150 025, www.bbvaticket.com
; Caja de Cataluña
tel 915 383 333; Caja
de Madrid tel 902 488
488; Caixa Catalunya/Tele
Entrada tel 902 101
212; El Corte Inglés
tel 902 400 222, www.elcorteingles.es
; FNAC, c/Preciados 28
tel 915 956 100; Métro:
Callao; Madrid Rock,
Gran Vía 25 tel 915
210 239; Métro: Gran
Vía; and Servi-Caixa
tel 902 332 211.
Localidades Galicia,
Plaza del Carmen 1 tel
915 312 732 or 915
319131, www.eol.es/lgalicia.es
; Métro: Sol, sells
tickets for football
games, bullfights,
theatres and concerts.
Travel agencies
Víajes Zeppelin,
Plaza Santo Domingo 2
(tel 915 477 904; Métro:
Santo Domingo), are
English-speaking, very
efficient and offer
some excellent deals
on flights and
holidays. Nuevas
Fronteras, c/Luisa
Fernanda 2 (tel 915
423 990; Métro:
Ventura Rodríguez),
and in the Torre de
Madrid, Plaza de España
(tel 912 474 200) can
be good for flights,
or try Top Tours, c/Capitán
Haja 20 (tel 915 550
604; Métro: Cuzco).
For student and youth
travel try TIVE,
c/Fernando el Católico
88 (tel 915 430 208; Métro:
Moncloa). Many other
travel agents are
concentrated on and
around the Gran Vía
and c/Princesa.
Women's groups
The best places to
make contact are at
the Centro de La Mujer,
c/del Barquillo 44, 1º
(tel 913 193 689; Métro:
Chueca), and at
Madrid's feminist
bookshop, the Librería
de Mujeres, c/San
Cristóbal 17, just
east of Plaza Mayor (tel
915 217 043; Métro:
Sol).
