Madrid has a claim on being the latest city in Europe and it is not marketing. Restaurants take bookings at eleven. Clubs are half empty at one and full at three. There are churros counters open at six in the morning specifically because people want breakfast on the way home. If you arrive with a northern European sense of when an evening happens, you will eat alone in an empty room and go to bed just as the city gets going.
The stages of a Madrid night
Vermouth, from about one at lunchtime on Sundays, or seven on other days, at a counter with something small.
Tapas, from nine, standing, moving between three or four bars rather than sitting in one.
A proper drink, from eleven, in a cocktail bar or an old tiled tavern.
A rooftop, at sunset in the warm months, for one drink and a view.
A club, from one or two, not before.
Churros, at five or six in the morning, which is the traditional ending.
Where to go
Malasana, for independent bars, live music and the least polished crowd.
Chueca, for the city’s gay nightlife and several of its best cocktail bars.
La Latina, for tapas and an early evening that starts at seven.
Huertas, busy, young and very central, which is a recommendation and a warning.
Salamanca, expensive, well dressed and quieter.
Lavapies, for cheap drinks and a genuinely mixed neighbourhood scene.
Rooftops and views
Hotel terraces in the centre, most open to non guests, several requiring a booking.
Department store rooftops, which are the cheapest way to get the view.
Sunset rather than late night, because the view is the product.
One drink is the right quantity; the prices are the highest in the city.
The flatness of Madrid means a fifth floor is enough for a genuine panorama.
Practical notes
The metro closes at about half past one and reopens around six.
Night buses cover the gap, radiating from a central plaza.
Guest lists online cut club entry prices and are worth ten minutes.
Dress codes exist at the bigger clubs and are applied more strictly to men.
Drinks are strong and measures are generous compared with much of Europe.
Opportunist theft in busy bars and on the last metro is the real risk, not anything worse.
Where this fits in a Madrid trip
One late night is a Madrid experience; three in a row is a different holiday.
For choosing which district to be in and what each is like by day, our guide to Madrid’s neighbourhoods covers the map.
For the two districts where most of the good bars actually are, our guide to Malasana and Chueca covers the streets.
And for the earlier, cheaper and more traditional version of a night out, our La Latina tapas crawl covers the counters.
The short version
Shift everything two hours later than instinct tells you. Tapas from nine, a proper drink at eleven, a club at one and not before, churros at six if you last that long. Choose Malasana for independent bars, Chueca for cocktails, La Latina for an early evening. Take one rooftop drink at sunset rather than an evening. Sign up to a guest list before you go out, sleep one street back from the noise, and give up the following morning honestly rather than pretending.
