Essential Guide To Music In Madrid

This page is full of great venues where you’ll find music in Madrid. You will find several different types of music including jazz, opera, classical and flamenco, and you’ll discover some of the hottest spots to go to listen. You’ll also find out here how to get to each venue. Some of the bars detailed below attract famous faces, which tells you how good they are!

Jazz Music In Madrid

Jazz can be heard in many bars and clubs in Madrid. Aficionados will find that both legendary and new performers play, and even if you’re not totally into jazz, I think you’ll enjoy the chance to listen. There are three jazz bars recommended by the tourist information centre because they are amongst the most popular.

Café Central
Street: Pl. Angel, 10

Tel: (0034) 91 369 4143

Metro: Sol (Red Line, L2)

There are daily performances here from 10:00 – 12:00. An excellent way to ease your way into lunchtime!

Calle 54
Street: P. de la Habana 3

Tel: (0034) 90 214 1412

Metro: Nuevos Ministerios (Pink Line, L8) or (Dark Blue Line, L10) or (Grey Line, L6, Circular)

This venue has a reputation for attracting some of the top jazz performers. Music is laid on from 23:00 every night.

Populart
Street: Huertas, 22
Tel: (0034) 91 429 8407

Metro: Sevilla (Red Line, L2)

You’ll find both jazz and blues in this bar. Las Huertas is an excellent street at night time and gets filled with people. It’s also very central so it’s easy to find transport back to your accommodation at any time.

Opera Music in Madrid

The theatre in Opera Square

Opera fans will love Madrid. In a city that has a whole square named ‘Opera’, you can’t fail to find an excellent variety of performances. The three main theatres that show opera performances are:

Teatro Pradillo
Metro: Concha Espina
(Purple Line, L9)

Teatro Real: Metro:
Opera (Red Line, L2)

Circulo de Bellas Artes:
Metro:Banco de Espana (Red Line, L2)

The shows change regularly so the best thing to do is check with either the theatre directly, or the tourist information service.

For the tourist information call Tel: (0034) 91 588 1636.

The unique thing about going to see opera in Madrid is that Madrid has its own unique form of opera called zarzuela. It is similar to operetta in genre but is all about Spanish life and it is very humorous! Most zarzuela’s incorporate music from renowned composers. Try visiting Teatro de la Zarzuela.

Teatro De La ZarZuela
Metro: Banco de Espana (Red Line, L2).

Classical Music In Madrid

Classical music in Madrid is easy to find. If you visit the tourist information centre in the Plaza mayor, they will be able to give you details of more than 8 theatres where classical music is performed.
Metro: Sol (Red Line, L2) Plus 5 minutes walk.

Every level of classical music performance is covered from local musicians, to symphony orchestras. A friend of mine went to a concert at the Teatro Real to hear the Castilla y Leon Symphony Orchestra, and he loved it. He said that the acoustics in this theatre are particularly good.

Flamenco Music In Madrid

Madrid is the capital of flamenco music nowadays. You can see flamenco festivals here that attract all the biggest artists, and in between festivals there are always ‘tablaos’ or flamenco bars that have live acts. Many of these ‘tablaos’ are surprisingly good. People will tell you that the essence of flamenco is its spontaneity and therefore a rehearsed show is not flamenco, but I know a bit about flamenco and I would still recommend the following:

Some of the most talked about ‘tablaos’ are:

Casa Patas
Street: Cañizares, 10

Tel: (0034) 91 369 0496, (0034) 91 369 3394

Metro: Anton Martin (Light Blue, L1)

You can eat here as well as there is a restaurant that serves typical Mediterranean food. On Friday’s and Saturday’s there are two shows.

Café de Chinitas
Street: Torija, 7

Tel: (0034) 91 547 1502

Metro: Santo Domingo (Red Line, L2)

Music In Madrid Offers Variety

You’ll find everything from flamenco and jazz, to rock n roll and pop in Madrid. The venues detailed above give you a taster of what is available. Always keep a look-out for flyers in bars and hotels that will tell you about live performances and new venues. There are many theatre shows and musicals to choose from.

Related Pages

Madrid Clubs Main Page
Madrid Night Clubs
Madrid Night Life

Bars in Madrid 1 (review of some popular bars in Madrid)
Bars in Madrid 2 (more bars reviewed)
Irish Bars in Madrid (popular Irish Bars in Madrid)

Entertainment in Madrid (music cinema and cuisine)
Madrid Flamenco Shows (how and where to see traditional flamenco in Madrid)

Madrid Tourist Attractions
Things to Do in Madrid

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