With prices on the rise and inflation showing no signs of slowing down, finding cheap plans in Madrid that maintain some exclusivity is one more turn of the screw for leisure.
That exclusivity is sometimes given by the history of the place, the cultural proposal or simply the general ignorance, and not so much the money it costs to be part of such activity. And in a city with nearly 4 million inhabitants, a plan that meets both requirements is neither common nor easy to find.
We present you the cheap plans that we like the most in Madrid, those that for a small price allow you to do something original and different.
Table Of Contents
- Climbing some of the best rooftops in Madrid
- Tasting a Michelin-starred menu for about 30 €
- Enjoy a Candlelight concerts
- Tasting a signature cocktail in a secret location
- Stroll through the luxurious rooms of a 19th century mansion house
- Drinking a specialty coffee with a special touch
- Experience a live organ concert at the National Auditorium
- Visit a free gourmet chocolate factory
- Wine and cheese tasting
- Go to the Doré for a film series
Climbing some of the best rooftops in Madrid
The rooftops, those rooftops with bars that fill the rooftops of Madrid, especially around Gran Vía the hotel is a good cheap plan, but with a luxurious view, every time the temperature rises in the capital. Sunsets with the best views of Madrid and the Casa de Campo in the background, accompanied by a drink and good conversation, rarely fail in an evening first appointment.
In case you don’t want to wait in line to go up to the RIU terrace, Irreverente, Ella Sky Bar or the Verde garden at Oroya are worthy alternatives.
📍 Various locations
Tasting a Michelin-starred menu for about 30 €
The michelin star restaurant the cheapest bus station in Madrid is located in Valdemoro and, even if you have to change trains to get there from the city center, it is well worth it. It is about Chiron an establishment founded in 2013 by the Muñoz brothers (and no, we are not referring to Estopa but to chef Iván and sommelier Raúl) that does not need to inflate its prices to increase its worth.
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays it offers an executive menu for only 34 euros that includes snacks, oil from Madrid, artisan bread, appetizer, starter, fish, meat, dessert and two glasses of wine. A luxury menu at a very affordable price.
💸 Executive menu from 34 €
📍CalleAlarcón, 27 (Valdemoro)
Enjoy a Candlelight concerts
Candlelight is the candlelight concert series which pays tribute to great artists in the history of music in a classic format. From great composers such as Mozart or Vivaldi to groups such as Queen, ABBA or Coldplay, as well as tributes to movie soundtracks, the best musicals or flamenco artists.
An approach to classical music in an intimate atmosphere and in places as magical as the Círculo de Bellas Artes or the Ateneo de Madrid suitable for all budgets. There are tickets for less than 15 euros!
💸 Tickets from €14. You can find the purchase links at the end of this article
📍Differentlocations all over Madrid
Tasting a signature cocktail in a secret location
Sometimes what we need is a stimulating experience that takes us out of the routine, but that doesn’t require a lot of advance notice speakeasy-typecocktail bars never cease to bloom. Some like Bad Company 1920 require a password to enter, but the mystery is solved by keeping an eye on their Instagram. In addition to the signature cocktails, the fun is the ambiance.
At Jack’s Library recreate a dimly lit bookstore for reading and Medium Club go beyond inspiration in a bygone era, and there are hypnosis and tarot sessions. Cocktails are not the cheapest, but if you count on everything that surrounds the spirit, it certainly falls into one of the cheap plans in Madrid, which do not feel like one.
📍 Various locations
Stroll through the luxurious rooms of a 19th century mansion house
Nothing makes you feel more luxurious than strolling through a late 19th century palace. And that’s exactly what you can do when you visit the Cerralbo Museum a mansion in the heart of the Argüelles which belonged to the XVII Marquis of Cerralbo, who gave it its name.
Among its various rooms we can find more than 50,000 works of art including sculptures, paintings, tapestries and furniture, all of them of different styles such as classicism, neo-baroque and rococo. A journey through the taste and aesthetics of the Spanish upper class of the time, with an entrance fee of only 3 euritos.
💸 Tickets at 3 €
📍 Calle de Ventura Rodríguez, 17
Drinking a specialty coffee with a special touch
Specialty coffee is usually expensive, but in Madrid, luckily, there are still places where you can enjoy a coffee with a different touch at an affordable price.
For example, at Plántate Café, one of the best cafeterias in the capital at Naji Specialty Coffee, you will find their beloved Spanish latte, with condensed milk and mocha, for 3.50 €; at Naji Specialty Coffee, you can try their already legendary Pistachio latte with a delicious touch of pistachio for 4.50 €; or at Bucólico Café you will have the opportunity to refresh yourself with their magnificent cold brew with orange and ginger(4.50 €).
💸 F rom €3,50
📍 Plántate Café (Calle Mesón de Paredes, 28), Naji Specialty Coffee (Calle Cardenal Cisneros, 39) and Bucólico Café (Calle Barbieri, 4)
Experience a live organ concert at the National Auditorium
This is probably one of the most incredible cheap plans you can do in Madrid. Bach Vermouth is an initiative of the National Auditorium that was born a few years ago with the intention of bringing symphonic music to the general public.
It usually takes place on the third Saturday of every month and on this date the organist performs in front of the auditorium’s impressive symphony hall to play some of Bach’s best known works but also other classical and contemporary compositions. An incomparable musical experience. Have you ever seen an organ concert? Surely not for 5 euros, as in this case!
💸 Tickets at 5 €
📍 Auditorio Nacional de Música, calle Príncipe de Vergara, 146
Visit a free gourmet chocolate factory
Kaicao is a small chocolateria located in the heart of Lavapiés which offers a unique journey through the elaboration of chocolate while you taste some of its star products, all of them without added sugars, as they are sweetened only with dates. The visit is free of charge, by reservation on Kaicao’s website the prices of their sustainable, healthy and delicious chocolates are quite affordable.
💸 F ree for half-hour visits upon reservation
📍 Calle de la Encomienda, 15
Wine and cheese tasting
The next step after knowing about tannins and aftertaste is to know how to pair them. Probably one of the culinary epitomes of European and Mediterráneo culture is to alternate food and drink, and to dedicate specific times to it, as in the aperitif. Knowing how to combine this appetizer well is an art, a degree of exquisiteness, which does not have to be expensive either. There are spaces –cheese dairies y wine bars specifically – such as La Carbonera – where to learn from both fields.
💸 Food and wine pairing tasting at La Carbonera: 35 per person
📍 Calle Bernardo López García, 11 (Conde Duque)
Go to the Doré for a film series
The Filmoteca Española and the Doré cinema coexist in the same modernist style building, so common in the 1920s, but difficult to find in today’s Madrid. The truth is that this institution is one of the most interesting cultural proposals and, at the same time, one of the most important lower cost plans of Madrid. Becoming a regular at the Filmoteca, with its film series, carefully selected billboard and colloquiums, is a way to ensure the necessary dose of cinematographic intellectuality, without having to spend a lot of money.
💸 10-session subscription: 20€
📍 Calle de Sta. Isabel, 3 (Lavapiés)
This article has been written by Miguel Sanchez y Elena French.