Anyone who wants to learn Spanish in Spain should consider studying in Madrid. Why in this city and not in any other? We will explain you all the advantages that Madrid offers to locals and tourists. Let’s find out the 6 main reasons to study in Madrid. 👇👇
After reading this post, you will have no doubt that Madrid is the best place to learn Spanish. 😉
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1. Well connected to the rest of the country
The first and foremost reason to study Spanish in Madrid is that it’s the centre of Spain and is the capital. From Madrid it is very easy to get to practically any part of Spain by train, plane or bus. There are 5 bus stations (‘estación de autocares’) in Madrid: Avenida de América, Méndez Álvaro, Moncloa, Plaza Elíptica and Príncipe Pío. Depending on the place you want to visit, you can choose one bus station or another. Buses are the best option for visiting small towns and villages.
You can get anywhere faster and further by train. High-speed AVE trains leave from Atocha Station at speeds of up to 310 km/h, and the price is very affordable. For example, from Madrid to Valencia there are daily trains that cost only 9 euros. In no more than two hours you will be bathing on the beach after your Spanish classes in Madrid. You can go anywhere by train: from Galicia or Barcelona, to Valencia or even Portugal! 😱
Adolfo Suárez Airport is the number one airport in terms of passenger volume in Spain and the fifth in Europe. More than 758 aircraft depart daily from here to more than 170 destinations and are flown by 74 different airlines. Simply amazing! You can travel to destinations in Spain and all over the world without stopovers.
Can you imagine spending every weekend in a different city in Spain?
2. Quality of public transport
Public transport in Madrid is of high quality, not only because of the cleanliness of the facilities and the modernity of its stations, but also because of the vast metro network.
The Madrid metro, which connects the whole city, runs almost all day long: from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. the next day. It only closes 4 and a half hours a day. Also, if the metro is not available, you can take night buses to any area of Madrid.
If you don’t like underground transport, you can take Madrid’s buses. There are two free buses that connect Moncloa with Atocha Station (where the trains arrive)! In recent years, a large fleet of electric buses and some smaller vehicles have been introduced to reach Madrid’s older and more central neighbourhoods (with narrow streets). Not only that, some days it’s free to travel by bus, to encourage citizens to use public transport, rather than their cars. The price of public transport in Madrid is generally cheaper than in other European countries. We give you all the information you need about how to get around the city in this post.
3. Wide range of cultural and leisure activities
Madrid is the city that never sleeps. There are many bars, discos, restaurants, theatres, gastronomic markets, street markets… In this city you can find almost anything.
In Madrid you can enjoy the best and most famous shows. Many national and international musicians choose the capital to give their concerts. Sometimes Madrid is even the only stop on the tour of several big bands visiting Spain and many music festivals take place here in summer (MadCool Festival, DCode Festival, JazzMadrid and Madrid Río Babel, among others). There are circus shows, theatre, both commercial and auteur films, and flamenco shows with the most renowned artists.
In addition, there are activities for all budgets, from some as affordable as riding a boat in the Retiro Park or strolling through the Rastro flea market, to others as expensive as going shopping in the Salamanca neighbourhood or eating in a restaurant with three Michelin stars (Diverxo).
If you are more into sports, you can go hiking (Navacerrada and Cercedilla), try tree climbing (Amazonia), indoor or mountain climbing, as to do ski indoors when it’s warm in summer in Spain. ☀
If you like to party with your friends, you can go to Kapital, Sala Equis or Uñas Chung Lee until the early hours in the morning. What’s more, you can start the party at 6 p.m. at Suéltate el Pelo, continue at a disco in the city centre and, when the club closes (around 5 a.m.), you can continue partying at an ‘afterhour’.
In Madrid there are karaokes, go-kart tracks and cafés with New York rolls… Because almost every world’s trend comes to Madrid. 💓 However, if you are more traditional, you can also visit here various famous museums with some of the most important collections of paintings in our country, such as the Prado Museum or the Reina Sofia Museum (with some Dalí, Goya and Velázquez paintings).
4. Climate
Another great benefit of studying in Spain is the warm temperature for most of the year and the large number of daylight hours. Regardless of the season, it is almost always sunny. According to a recent study, Spain has around 300 sunny days a year and 2,500 hours of sunshine per year. For this reason, it is one of the sunniest countries in Europe, only surpassed by Turkey, Italy, Greece, France and Portugal.
In addition, it does not rain as often in Madrid as in other parts of the country such as the north (Galicia, Basque Country or Asturias), neither it is not as humid during the summer as in the coastal area (Valencia or Barcelona), so the heat is more bearable.
Of course, the very pleasant climate and the large amount of hours with sunlight in Spain have a very positive effect on the people living here. It is said that Spaniards are very cheerful and more welcoming than people from other places.
In winter we enjoy a few more hours of daylight than in other European countries and we can meet friends in the street at any time of day without being too cold for most of the year. Is this the reason why we are more joyful? Does the climate have an influence on you? 😉 Travel to Madrid and see for yourself!
5. Low crime rate
Compared to other places in the world, Madrid is a destination with a low crime rate. Did you know that? According to the latest Global Peace Index report (year 2022), published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, Spain occupies 29th place in the ranking of the safest countries in the world. Therefore, if you visit Madrid, you can feel safe. In our country it is not common for people to carry weapons, or riots or kidnappings to take place. On the contrary, Spanish and Madrilenian people have a reputation for being friendly. We like diversity, be it racial, cultural, religious, sexual or gender identity.
The only thing we would recommend you if you come to Madrid to learn Spanish is that you should watch out for pickpockets (purse snatchers). These are quite common, especially in crowded places such as Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor or the metro. It is advisable to always keep your valuables in sight and don’t leave them just anywhere. Also, if you keep the zip of your bag or backpack closed as a preventive measure, it will be much more difficult for someone else to steal from you.
6. Multiculturalism
The sixth and last reason to learn Spanish in Madrid is that here you will find people from all over the world. If you visit the city, you will notice how many different races, ethnicities and lifestyles you can see in its citizens.
There are people of absolutely any political and ideological tendency, people with extravagant outfits and others who are very posh. You’ll see people from groups such as the LGBT+ or from religions other than your own, whom it’s surely interesting to share a conversation with. Meeting people who are different from you will help you better understand how they live and think, and it may broaden your knowledge of the world around you.
In particular, there are several neighbourhoods in Madrid where this multiculturalism is most noticeable. For instance, Lavapiés is one of the areas where you can find more people from different cultures, and you can even taste their gastronomy! There are many bars: Chinese, Indian, Venezuelan, Pakistani… All very tasty and with flavours that you will love!
Furthermore, the Chueca neighbourhood, very close to Sol, is another area with a great diversity. This neighbourhood was chosen years ago by the LGBT+ community to celebrate their diversity in the Pride Festivities. Since then LGBT Pride has been celebrated there every summer. If you want to continue discovering Madrid’s neighbourhoods, read this other post.
Finally, if you like to meet different people from all over the world, our school is the place for you! We have students from all continents, sometimes even in the same classroom.😮 Check our courses, so that you can choose the best one for you and come to learn Spanish to Madrid!
Visit Spain, make friends and learn Spanish, what more could you ask for! 🫶
