Madrid · 19 Citorah Picks
In the order Citorah recommends them: the order the guides rank them, and never by commission. How Citorah is paid
Citorah PickClub
Best for a first big club night in Madrid
Citorah says Teatro Kapital is in an old theatre at Calle de Atocha 125, near Atocha station. The nearest metro is Estación del Arte, on Line 1. esmadrid calls it the largest club in the city, with room for nearly 2,000 people.
Wrong for Anyone under 18, anyone without ID, and anyone in dirty or worn clothes, swimwear or sportswear.
Citorah PickClub
Citorah says Fabrik is a large electronic-music club at Avenida de la Industria 82, in Humanes de Madrid, south of the city. It opened in 2003 and holds more than 4,000 people. esmadrid names Carl Cox, Sven Väth, Luciano, Villalobos and Marco Carola among the artists who have played there.
The catch It isn’t a nightly club.
Citorah PickClub
Best for If you came for the music rather than the spectacle
Citorah says Mondo Disko calls itself an electronic music club, open since 1999. It runs at Sala But, at Calle de Barceló 11, the same address as Teatro Barceló, by Tribunal metro and just across Calle Fuencarral from Malasaña.
Citorah PickClub · Salamanca
Citorah says Goya Social Club is a small house and techno club at Calle de Goya 43, in Salamanca, by Velázquez metro station (Line 4). esmadrid gives it a capacity of up to 200, and the club promises “an intimate, high-quality club experience”.
Citorah PickClub
Citorah says Independance Club is at Calle de Atocha 127, beside Kapital. It mixes concerts, tribute acts and themed nights: its site files its music under rock, pop, indie, K-pop, techno, heavy metal and the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s.
Citorah PickClub
Citorah says It opened as a café-theatre in 1871, by its own account, and became a nightclub in 1981, esmadrid says. It closed in 2020 for a refurbishment by Philippe Starck, and reopened in 2022 as a concert hall and club.
Citorah PickRooftop bar
Citorah says The top two floors are Quintoelemento, a separate restaurant and cocktail bar: a space for private events on the 6th, and a sky restaurant on the roof, under a dome that opens in good weather. Quintoelemento is open from 13:00 to 2:00 every day, so it’s for before the club, not part of it.
Citorah PickRooftop bar
Citorah says The Círculo de Bellas Artes is an arts centre founded in 1880. Since 1926 it has occupied Antonio Palacios’s building at Calle de Alcalá 42, and its rooftop, the Azotea, is 56 metres above the street. A lift with glass doors runs from the lobby to the top, and Juan Luis Vassallo’s bronze Minerva, the Círculo’s emblem, stands over the building. esmadrid calls the view “one of the most spectacular views of Madrid”, with the buildings of Gran Vía “just a stone’s throw away”. If you only go up one rooftop, make it this one.
The catch Your entry ticket doesn’t guarantee a table.
Citorah PickRooftop bar · Sol / Centro
Citorah says Ginkgo Restaurante & Sky Bar is on the 12th floor of the VP Plaza España Design, a five-star on Plaza de España. Its terrace looks over Plaza de España, the Royal Palace and historic Madrid. esmadrid says anyone can go up, guest or not, any day of the year.
The catch The hotel’s page gives different hours, and a 16:00 start for the entry fee, so check the latest hours with the bar.
Citorah PickRooftop bar · Sol / Centro
Citorah says The Hotel Riu Plaza España is in the historic Edificio España, on Plaza de España. Its Rooftop 360º bar is on the 27th floor, and the gastrobar El Edén is on the 26th. esmadrid says a glass walkway up there lets you “walk on Madrid’s sky”.
The catch Riu publishes no price for anyone else.
Citorah PickRooftop bar
Citorah says Picalagartos Sky Bar & Restaurant takes the top two floors of the NH Collection Madrid Gran Vía, at Gran Vía 21: a restaurant on the 8th floor and a rooftop bar on the 9th, looking over Gran Vía. It’s run by Azotea Grupo, which also runs the Círculo’s rooftop bar. It suits a sunset drink before dinner.
Citorah PickRooftop bar
Citorah says Hotel Indigo Madrid Gran Vía is at Calle de Silva 6, a few steps from Gran Vía. Its rooftop terrace is open to non-guests, and the hotel says entry is free.
The catch The hotel’s English and Spanish terrace pages give different hours, so check before you go.
Citorah PickRooftop bar · Salamanca
Citorah says BLESS Madrid is a five-star at Calle de Velázquez 62, on the Golden Mile in the Salamanca district. Its rooftop, Picos Pardos Sky Lounge, looks over Calle Velázquez, and has a glass-enclosed pergola.
Citorah PickRooftop bar
Citorah says The Principal Madrid, a five-star now in the Único Hotels group, stands on the corner of Gran Vía, at Calle Marqués de Valdeiglesias 1. Its public terrace is Ático, the restaurant and terrace on the sixth floor.
The catch The seventh-floor garden, El Jardín de la Gran Vía, is for hotel guests
Citorah PickRooftop bar · Chueca
Citorah says Its third floor is a restaurant-terrace, 11 Nudos Terraza Nordés, from the Osborne group. The cooking takes in the sea and the land, with Atlantic influences, and the cocktail list is built around Osborne’s Nordés gin.
The catch It’s a sit-down restaurant, not a cheap bar.
Citorah PickBar · Sol / Centro
Citorah says Its Rooftop 360º bar is on the 27th floor, and the gastrobar El Edén is on the 26th.
Citorah PickBar · Las Letras
Citorah says Hemingway wrote about the beer hall on the square, the Cervecería Alemana.
Citorah PickBar · Salamanca
Citorah says Its bar, Tarde.O, has a terrace.
Citorah PickBar
Citorah says The Ritz’s bar is open to everyone. The terrace of Pictura, the Mandarin Oriental Ritz’s bar, serves cocktails to guests and locals alike from 5pm to 1am.
Some of these are affiliate links: if you book through them, Citorah may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the guides recommend. How Citorah is paid