A plan that works for a group
Madrileños dine late and go out even later, which suits a group: there is no need to force the pace. Here is a two-day sequence, to adjust to your arrival time.
| When | Activity | Duration | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1, 5 pm | Guided tapas and wine, La Latina to Plaza Mayor | 3 h | Get going and have a light dinner |
| Day 1, 10 pm | Flamenco show in a tablao | 1 h | A shared moment before the night |
| Day 1, midnight | Guided pub crawl and club entry | 4 h | The high point of the evening |
| Day 2, noon | Late brunch, the Rastro market on Sunday | 2 h | Recover gently |
| Day 2, afternoon | Cooking class: paella or tapas | 4 h | An activity to do together, no drinking required |
| Day 2, evening | Dinner in La Latina or Malasaña | 2 h | The group's last meal |
The high point: pub crawl and a Madrid night
A guided pub crawl is the simplest choice for a group: a guide leads you from bar to bar, each stop includes a welcome shot or drink, and the night ends in a club with entry included. Basic offers run from €15 to €25 per person; extra drinks are on you. "Open bar" packages deserve a careful read: reviews mention organisation problems more often. Clubs only fill up after 2 am and the big ones may close as late as 5:30 am; the neighbourhoods are detailed in Madrid at night. If the group prefers a calmer pace, Chueca and Malasaña have cocktail bars and live music with no club needed, and LGBT Madrid lists the liveliest addresses.
Tapas, wine and cooking classes
A guided tapas and wine tour lasts about three hours, with around ten dishes and four drinks: expect €70 to €90 per person for a small group. The guide tapas and wine tours, which offer compares the options, and food tours and cooking classes covers the paella or tapas class at €85 per adult. To eat without a guide, La Latina is the tavern district; meal times are in meal times in Madrid.
Flamenco as a group
Flamenco is seen in a tablao, a venue with shows of about an hour. Prices run from €20 (Las Tablas, Plaza de España) to €40 with a drink (Tablao Flamenco 1911), and €95.90 at Corral de la Morería. Book for the whole group at once, as seats are sold by zone of the room. All tablaos and their times: flamenco shows in Madrid.
Rules to know
- Drinking in the street: banned except on terraces and at authorised festivals. Drinking in a square with bottles (botellón) is fined; the City of Madrid's page gives a minimum of €600 for an adult, to check before you go. Details in drinking alcohol in the street in Madrid.
- Costumes and noise: the city's civic-conduct bylaw allows fines for outfits judged indecent and for night-time disturbance in the street. Keep costumes tame outdoors and do not sing in squares at night.
- Drugs: the law applies to visitors; see cannabis and drugs in Madrid.
- Night scams: be wary of touts offering "free" drinks and inflated bills; see scams to avoid and safety at night.
- Getting back: the metro stops around 1:30 am; after that, taxi, ride-hailing or night bus, covered in taxi, ride-hailing or metro at night.
Budget per person
| Item | Range |
|---|---|
| Pub crawl and club entry | €15 to €25 |
| Tapas and wine tour | €70 to €90 |
| Flamenco show | €20 to €40 (up to €95.90) |
| Cooking class | €85 |
| Night taxi for four people | shared, night rate with €3.20 starting fee |
These amounts come from listings on the day of checking; the final price depends on the date and the number of people. For the whole stay, see the travel budget for Madrid. Book the pub crawl and the tablao at least a week ahead for a group of more than eight. For sleeping, where to stay in Madrid and hotel or apart-hotel compare the options for a group.
Going further
If the group likes football, the Bernabéu stadium and football matches in Madrid add one more activity. For the full stay, read a weekend in Madrid.
