Because Madrid is cool (a lot) in August
Take a look at all these flat proposals that we present to you and we are sure that, no matter how much they tell you that 'you're crazy', you are going to change the beach bar with sea views for the reeds in la Latina.
RODS AND TAPAS 'NO ELBOWS'
We move around the neighborhood, in the 'capi' we will always find interesting places to have a cold beer with accompanying snacks. La Latina is one of the best-known areas for tapas, what happens is that who more and who less knows how difficult it is to get to the bar on any given Sunday , or not? You elbow your way through the crowd until you face the waiter.
You will avoid this scene if you want to walk around the trail and then throw something in your stomach. In August people run away from the asphalt and make room for us! Start drooling now: you won't have to find out what the guy next door tells his friend or the drama of the girl behind you, the air conditioning does its job and the bravas will never know better.
Recommendations? Historic wines such as Vinos 11 Casa Dani, where you can taste the best pork rinds in Madrid, or Casa Antonio, an Asturian that has been modernized and where we find everything from cider and beer to “100% artisan mojitos”, as they say; well-known –and always crazy– like El Viajero or El Almendro 13 –which are now also classics in La Latina.
And, of course, others who arrived relatively recently but did so to stay, such as The Goat on the Roof , to eat “Oriental, French and Spanish tapas at a very affordable price”, or ** Juana la Loca , who is famous for preparing the best potato omelette in the capital**.
Get a place on the terrace of El Viajero? In August it is possible
DIP IN THE POOL WITH THE BEST VIEWS
We are clear that there is no beach, but the alternative is really interesting: How about taking a dip under the Madrid sky in a pool with a 360º panoramic view of the city's rooftops? Options there are many. To start in the heart of the Chueca neighborhood, in the Vázquez de Mella square. Clients and visitors can access the Room Mate Oscar and take the opportunity to have a snack.
On Velázquez street we can go up to the Wellington 'pisci', it also has an outdoor jacuzzi. It is the perfect place to relax on the loungers while enjoying a cold mojito. Other options are the Mercure Hotel Santo Domingo , in the square of the same name, one of the most complete, where you can take a bath in salt water or feel the internal water jet to do a few lengths against the current, or the Emperor, in the middle of Gran Vía , imagine the views!
Swimming pool at the Hotel Mercure Santo Domingo
SUMMER CINEMAS
Among our favourites, the recently opened Madrid Race . Perfect for feeling like Danny and Sandy while watching a movie in our own car, a drive-in theater with capacity for 300 vehicles and a space with food trucks.
Then there is the Fescinal, in the Parque de la Bombilla, with more than 200 productions to screen this summer; which is enabled in the Crystal Gallery of the Cibeles Palace , to see everything from classics to cult films or current hits; the Magnetic Terrace of the Casa Encendida , with sessions on Saturday nights; or the Calero Park Auditorium, in Ciudad Lineal, with seasonal films.
It is also necessary to cite the Open Air Cinema Circuit of the Community of Madrid , which is already facing its 18th edition. It covers 45 municipalities and screens both Spanish and international films, all-time classics and short films.
The Terrace of La Casa Encendida
MUSIC AND SHOWS IN THE SUMMERS OF THE VILLA
Parks and gardens in Madrid become the best settings to enjoy open-air concerts and performances. During the month of August the programming of the Summers of the Villa , with programming for all audiences. In the coming weeks, Christina Rosenvinge, the Royal Quintet, Valgeir Sigurðsson and Raquel Andueza and Jesús Fernández Baena, among others, will be on the billboard. You can also enjoy the puppet nights or the circus evenings.
"Heat, nap, night, asphalt" by Luis Úrculo from Vimeo Veranos de la Villa on Vimeo .
HANDYMAN IN THE PARK AT SUNSET
To speak of parks in Madrid is to automatically think of El Retiro, right? Well, now that the city moves at a different pace and that we probably have more time and desire to discover different places, a good way to end the day is get lost in some of the city's lesser-known gardens.
One of them is the Fifth of the Watercress Fountain , a really beautiful landscape style space, from the 17th century. It has six gates, one of them on the south side of O'Donnell Street. Another is Caprice , in Alameda de Osuna. We may have heard of this but I don't know if you will have been encouraged to visit it. With meadows and spectacular trees and with the most varied fauna: we see red squirrels, blackbirds, pigeons, robins, black swans...
One more, special and very different: The olive grove of Chamartin . Just a few meters from the Santiago Bernabéu there is a green space with more than 100 centenary olive trees that organizes a series of activities in the summer season, the 'Noches del Olivar'.
For just 8 euros you can access the site – an amount that is intended for the conservation of the place – and we can attend musical evenings in a unique environment.
Parque El Capricho (Madrid): the most romantic in Madrid
MUSICAL SHOWS, MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES… WITH TICKETS AND NO QUEUES!
If there is still someone to see The Lion King –surely yes– maybe now is the time to get good tickets and at a better price.
If you are one of those who have not dropped by the Reina Sofía or the Prado for centuries or you are among those who have decided to leave it for another day every time you have tried and have seen the queues to enter, August is your month. No waiting hours to get in and maybe even face to face with Las Meninas will be more intimate than you expected. Now or never!
Let yourself be captivated by the works of art that the museum treasures
THE BEST COCKTAILS SKINNING THE SKY WITH YOUR HANDS
Heights are all the rage in this city. If before we were encouraged to bathe in the pools that cover the rooftops of some of the hotels in the center, now we propose to take a cocktail in the most in-the-moment environments. This Radio ME Madrid Rooftop Bar , in the Plaza de Santa Ana; the roof of Circle of Fine Arts, 56 meters above Alcalá Street ; the terrace of the Room Mate Oscar, with 360-degree views; or the one of Urban, a 5-star Grand Luxury where you can dine on a delicious red tuna mini burger, oysters and caviar.
Roof of the Círculo de Bellas Artes: a dizzying date
CHOTIS, VERBENAS AND TRIPS IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICT
On the 2nd, the festivities begin in honor of San Cayetano, San Lorenzo and La Paloma, 15 days of uninterrupted celebration that bring music to the streets of footbath Y The Latin . Popular activities, such as the contest of traditional costumes or costumes, tastings of Madrid dishes, concerts - this year they will perform Kiko Veneno, Mikel Erentxun and Canteca de Macao , among others–, exhibitions and another series of cultural and leisure events are part of the 2017 programme.
In San Isidro and the Dove to the Vistillas
THERE IS LIFE –AND PLANS- BEYOND THE CAPITAL: FESTIVALS IN THE COMMUNITY
We were talking about La Paloma before, but the truth is that in the month of August the capital is not the only one celebrating. Another way to spend time get on the suburban train to get to know some of the more than 60 festivities that take place in the Community of Madrid in the coming weeks . Take note: from August 10 heading to San Lorenzo del Escorial , with a sporting event that is considered of Regional Tourist Interest, the Crossing the Cumbres Escurialenses ; from 26 to 31 we are going to Saint Sebastian of the kings , with its famous running of the bulls, festivals, fireworks and concerts; and if we hurry, arriving in September, on the 1st, the Aranjuez Mutiny Festivities start, of International Tourist Interest. Looks good, right?
San Lorenzo del Escorial (Madrid)