The best nightlife areas in Madrid: where to go out to suit your style

The main nightlife areas in Madrid are Malasaña (indie, rock and an alternative crowd), Chueca (the LGBTI scene and very diverse), Huertas and Santa Ana (bars and pubs with lots of international visitors), the Sol-Ópera axis (big clubs), La Latina and Lavapiés (long tapas sessions and bars with character), Argüelles-Moncloa (a student crowd), Azca and avenida de Brasil (drinks and clubs in the north) and the Salamanca district (cocktail bars and more upmarket venues). Choosing well depends on your age, your music and your budget.

Malasaña

The neighbourhood of the Movida madrileña (Madrid's post-Franco countercultural scene) keeps its alternative spirit. Its streets, around the plaza del Dos de Mayo, are full of small bars, live music venues and rock and indie spots. A young, relaxed atmosphere, with lots of people out in the street. If you are staying there, see our taxi in Malasaña page for your airport transfers.

Chueca

The heart of Madrid's LGBTI scene, open to everyone. It is ideal for starting the night on a terrace in the plaza de Chueca and carrying on in its cocktail bars. During Pride it becomes the centre of the whole city's celebrations. More information on the area in taxi in Chueca.

Huertas, Santa Ana and Sol-Ópera

Between the Puerta del Sol and the Barrio de las Letras there is a huge concentration of pubs, beer halls and cocktail bars, very popular with international students and tourists. Close by are some of the city's best-known clubs, such as Joy Eslava, in a former theatre next to calle Arenal, or Teatro Kapital, with several floors on calle Atocha.

In La Latina the party starts early: tapas along the Cava Baja and the plaza de la Paja stretch on into drinks, and on Sundays, after the Rastro flea market, the neighbourhood enjoys its most famous aperitivo. Lavapiés has a multicultural, alternative atmosphere, with neighbourhood bars, live music and terraces on the square. Neither is an area of big clubs, but rather of bars with personality.

Argüelles and Moncloa are next to the Ciudad Universitaria (the university campus), so the atmosphere is very young, with cocktail bars and lower prices; Thursdays tend to be a big night. The area has its own taxi in Moncloa page.

Azca and avenida de Brasil, in Tetuán, next to the Paseo de la Castellana, are packed with clubs and cocktail bars for a slightly older crowd, with chart and Latin music.

The Salamanca district is the option for those looking for cocktail bars, restaurants that turn into clubs once dinner is over and venues with a dress code.

• Choose one area and stay there: crossing the city in the middle of the night wastes time. Malasaña and Chueca, or Huertas and Sol, combine well on foot.
• If you go out as a group, share the taxi back: the cost is split and nobody goes home alone. We explain how in saving money by sharing a taxi.
• For stag and hen parties and large groups arriving by plane, a 7-seater taxi takes you all together from the airport to your accommodation.
• Bear the hours in mind: the night starts late. Opening times, alternative plans and tips for getting home in the early hours are in our guide to Madrid by night.

And if your return flight leaves early, book your airport taxi before you go out. From any of these areas, all inside the M-30, the fixed price is €33 to any Barajas terminal, at any hour.