How life differs in Madrid

By: Kayla Keats

So you’ve decided to study abroad in Madrid! That’s amazing and I know you’re going to have the best time. I know I certainly did. Here are a few things I think you’ll need to know about living and being a student in Spain, more specifically in Madrid. 

Spaniards eat much later than Americans. 

At home you’re probably used to eating dinner around 6:30 or 7:00 in the evening. In Spain, we don’t eat until 9 or 10 at night! This is mostly because lunch tends to be pretty late in the day, around 2 or 3. I usually get by with a piece of fruit or granola bar in between lunch and dinner so I don’t get too hungry

Everything is open late!

By far one of my favorite things about living in Madrid is that it’s commonplace for restaurants to be open until 12 or 1am! Clothing stores, tech shops, nail salons, and gyms are all open pretty late around 8 or 9. Most grocery stores stay open until 10 or 11 so if you’re cooking dinner and realize you forgot to buy a major ingredient (it’s happened to me) you can run to the store down the street at pretty much any time. Be aware that the metro does close around 1:30am but you can always take a bus. 

Work culture is vastly different.

In Spain, people work to live, not the other way around and the same goes for school. Students often treat their schoolwork like a 9-5 job and when they’re done for the day they’re DONE. Implications for us? That means that cafes around the city have crazy specific work times. Some cafes don’t allow computers at all while others only allow them for a specific (and short) time frame. They often don’t permit work on the weekends or national holidays since college students tend to set up for a while and take up a table they could use for business. It’s part of the culture, so try and adapt a little. I always get a head start on my homework in the library after school ends so I don’t have to worry about finding a café that will turn me away for having my laptop. 

Safety here is fantastic.

Of course, use your common sense, but Madrid for the most part is a very safe city. I have walked home from bars alone multiple times at night and never feel nervous like I do in the states. Of course, you can always uber and I’d recommend travelling in a group but there’s a huge police presence and cars patrol the streets regularly. 

Don’t be scared to explore!

It’s super comfortable to stay close to the popular tourist zones like Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor but some of the best food and most amazing people live on the perimeters of these areas.  Some of the best food I’ve tried in the city has been in the Salamanca neighborhood in the north and Lavapiés neighborhood in the south. It’s so easy (and cheap) to get from one place to another here that it would be such a shame to stay in one place. Go explore!

Have the most amazing time and take lots of videos to look back on!