Madrid, the city with the best sporting events: stadiums and fixtures in the capital

Madrid is one of Europe's sporting capitals. The big sporting events in Madrid revolve around football, with Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu and Atlético de Madrid's Metropolitano, but the city also offers top-flight basketball at the Palacio de los Deportes, tennis at the Caja Mágica with the Mutua Madrid Open, and mass-participation events such as the Maratón de Madrid or the San Silvestre Vallecana. On top of that, its stadiums often host international finals.

Santiago Bernabéu

Real Madrid's stadium stands right on the Paseo de la Castellana, in the Chamartín district, surrounded by hotels and offices. Since its refurbishment, with a retractable roof, it has also become a venue for concerts and other major events. On non-match days you can take the stadium tour, which includes the club museum. If you are staying in the area, see taxi in Chamartín for your airport transfers.

Metropolitano

Atlético de Madrid's stadium is in the east of the city, in the San Blas-Canillejas district, with good motorway connections and relatively close to Barajas Airport. It hosted the 2019 Champions League final.

Other grounds in the city and the metropolitan area

• Estadio de Vallecas: the home of Rayo Vallecano, squeezed in among the neighbourhood's buildings and with one of the most authentic atmospheres in Spanish football. More about the area in taxi in Vallecas.
• Coliseum: Getafe's stadium, to the south, in the town of Getafe.
• Butarque: Leganés's ground, also in the southern metropolitan area, in Leganés.

The division each club plays in can change from one season to the next, so check the fixture list before planning your trip.

The Madrid region's Palacio de los Deportes, next to Calle Goya, is the home of Real Madrid's basketball team and hosts international games, concerts and major shows. Its commercial name has changed several times, but people in Madrid still call it by that name.

The Caja Mágica, beside the Manzanares river, in the Usera district, is the venue of the Mutua Madrid Open, one of the big tennis tournaments on the calendar, played in spring on clay.

Other highlights:

• Maratón de Madrid: run in spring along the city's main avenues.
• San Silvestre Vallecana: the popular race on 31 December, with thousands of runners, many of them in fancy dress.
• Hipódromo de la Zarzuela: horse racing at a racecourse with remarkable architecture, to the north-west of the city.
• Vuelta a España cycling race: it traditionally ends with a stage through the streets of Madrid.

Many fans fly to Madrid just for a match or a tournament. To make the trip go smoothly:

1. Buy your ticket before your flight, or at least make sure there is availability: big matches sell out.
2. Choose accommodation with good links to the stadium: the Castellana for the Bernabéu; the east of the city or the area around the airport itself for the Metropolitano.
3. Do not take suitcases to the stadium: venues do not usually allow bulky luggage. Leave it at the hotel or in a left-luggage office.
4. Arrange your transfer from Barajas: with pickup at the terminal we take you from the plane to your hotel and, at the end of your trip, back to the airport.

On match day, traffic and road closures around the stadium make getting there by car difficult. We tell you how best to do it in advantages of taking a taxi to a sporting event.