Guide of Madrid for European Volunteer Service people powered by YesEuropa (http://www.yeseuropa.org) and FábricaCultural (http://www.fabricacultural.com)

1. How to get to
Madrid?
Madrid has an airport called
Adolfo Suárez - Barajas. It is
possible to get to the capital of
Spain from every country on
Earth and the airport serves
many flights from almost 100
different airlines. The cheapest
ones are Ryanair, Wizzair and
EasyJet. Madrid's airport is quite
close to the city center so it is
easy to get from the airport to the
center of Madrid by subway (rose
line number 8) or by taking a
taxi.
From other cities in Spain you
can get to the capital by train.
Renfe (renfe.es) is the main
Spanish railway, which is fast and
comfortable. If you buy a train
ticket more than two weeks
before your trip the price is
usually a lot cheaper, so it is much
better to plan the trip in advance.
Another option is to take a bus
which is also quite cheap. It is
possible to buy bus tickets on the
Internet, which is safer when you
plan a trip. You can buy them at
the bus station as well, but places
in every bus are limited, so it’s
better to do it in advance.
A Very popular way
to travel in Spain is
c a r p o o l i n g .
Blablacar.es is a
portal that offers a
“paid autostop”,
meaning that you
can go with someone
by his or her own car
and only pay for gas.
Not only do tourists
travel like this, the
Spanish do it every
day because it is the
cheapest way to get
to your hometown or
other cities. It is
fairly safe because
y o u c a n c h e c k
someone's account
on the blablacar.es
website first, like on
eBay. All of the users
h a v e t h e i r o w n
profiles with all of
their information
and other users'
opinions about them.
TRAVEL TO SPAIN
MADRID GUIDEGUIDE OF MADRID WRITTEN BY ALEKSANDRA (EX-EVS FROM POLAND)

2. Madrid has one of the best city
transport network in the world
• • •
Madrid has very well organized
system of public transport. There
are many different subway lines
and buses to choose from. The
Subway is an underground
system of 12 lines connected to
each other. It is connected with
Renfe trains (Renfe cercanias)
which ride to the other parts of
Madrid, out of the city center.
There are plenty of buses as well
which run 24h, so during the
night too. On every station you
can buy subway and bus tickets.
T h e r e a r e s p e c i a l t i c k e t
machines, which have different
language options including
English. There you can buy one-
way tickets or reusable ones, like
10-way tickets or abono – a
special city card for all public
transport for 30 days. People
under 23 years of age also have a
special discount.
Taxis are cheap in Madrid with
one kilometer during the day
costing around 1 euro (night
rides and trips to the airport are
more expensive).
The Spanish capital has a mild
climate which means that almost
all year round there is great
weather to ride a bike. The
winters are cold in Madrid but
temperatures are never below
zero degrees. Generally it’s
sunny, roads are fine and riding a
bike on the street is very
common in here. You can buy a
cheap, second-hand bike on
segundamano.es.
Transport in Madrid

3. Where to go out?PERSONAL
Name:
Aleksandra
Age:
24
Studies:
Cultural management
Experience:
Several volunteering
experiences in Poland and of
course in Building Bridges!
Hobbies:
Music, Spanish cinema and
sports
What I did in Building
Bridges?:
With my EVS I supported
their cultural & youth
information activities.And I
wrote this guide too!
Where did I live? In
Malasaña District (a very
lively district in Madrid)
Next projects:
I hope to be involved in the
future in more European
opportunities.YesEuropa has
given me lots of information
and councelling about my
personal carreer.At the
moment I am trying to
come back to Madrid and
enjoy again with other EU
programme.
MADRID IS THE CAPITAL OF SPAIN ...
BUT ALSO THE CAPITAL OF THE BIGGEST
CLUBS IN SPAIN
Discotheques and clubs are open every day. During the winter,
out of tourist season, you can get in to many places for free or
get free chupitos. In the spring and summer clubs are totally
filles with locals and tourists. Most of those places are around
Puerta del Sol. Very popular party destinations, for tourists and
for natives of Madrid, are Kapital, Vanila and Ocho y medio. If
you don't like those kind of parties and you prefer rock music,
you should check out Independence or Space Monkey.
For fans of places just to chill out, there are many bars, cafes
and little restaurants in Malasaña. This is a district that people
refer to as a hipsters' zone because is full of young, stylish
Spanish people who sit with their friends in small pubs,
enjoying live music and drinking wine.

4. Lots of districts for lots of
choices
• • •
In Madrid you can find many zones
which are nice, quiet and good for
living for an extended amount of
time. It is hard to say which one is
the best because the most important
thing is to live in area which
interests you the most and which is
close to your university or work. If
you like to go out a lot and be close to
social and art life, you should think
about moving into the city center
(close to Puerta del Sol or Tribunal
subway station). In the city center
there are plenty of restaurants,
clubs, pubs and other places which
offer various different forms of
entertainment every day and night.
However, this area is also always full
of tourists and can be quite noisy
and very expensive. The most
expensive apartments are found
around Puerta del Sol and Retiro
Park. For this reason it is better to
look for apartments or rooms to rent
in other zones which are further
away from the center but with a fast
subway you can still get there in
10-15 minutes. These zones include
Moncloa, la Latina or Delicias. These
areas have housing estates and
parks. The cheapest apartments are
in the suburbs of Madrid out of zona
A. These parts are quite far from the
city center but generally have
swimming pools for their occupants,
cheaper rent and higher standards.
To find rooms or apartments for rent
you can use websites such as
idealista.com, fotocasa.es or
segundamano.es. Usually Spanish
apar tments have a separate
livingroom and it is hard to find
studios or double rooms because
they are not very common. Many
places don't have heating or have
only electric heating (which is very
expensive) so you have to be mindful
of that. Especially when you go to
Madrid during the wintertime.
Where to live?

5. • • •
Like in every tourist city, in Madrid there
are “must see” points where everyone who
is visiting Madrid is obligated to go. These
places are: Puerta del Sol, the lake in Retiro
Park, Prado and Reina Sofia museum, Plaza
Mayor and The Royal Palace. But if you stay
longer in the Spanish capital, you will be
lucky to see so much more than what is in
all of the tourist guides. During a sunny day
you can go for a walk through the Botanical
gardens or rose garden in Retiro Park or to
other parklands like Oeste Park, Casa del
Campo, Juan Carlos Park or the green area
around Templo de Debod, where you can see
old ruins of the temple. This uphill
monument is the best place to go to see the
sunset in Madrid. Spain invests a lot in art –
the capital has many public and private
galleries which present pieces of
contemporary, modern and classic art.
These galleries are Telefonica, Mapfre or
Caixa Forum.
For free or for a few euros you can visit
these institutions, which hold many
paintings and other visual arts, not only
from Spain, but all around the world.
Madrid is an old city with characteristic
architecture. Renovated buildings and old
churches embellish Madrid’s streets and
a t t r a c t t o u r i s t s a n d a r ch i t e c t u r e
enthusiasts from all over the world.
What to visit?
10 things to do in
Madrid on a Sunday
1. !Stroll through Retiro Park
2. ! Visit Circulo de Bellas
Artes terrace
3. ! Enjoy tapas and beer
4. !Walking on Plaza Mayor
5. ! Dunk “churros” into
chocolate
6. ! Enjoy for free Museo del
Prado paintings
7. ! Savour a coffee in Cafe
Gijón
8. ! Sunset view from Royal
Palace
9. ! Buy delicatessen food in
San Miguel Market
10. ! Shopping time!
MUSEUMS
Madrid is considered one of the
top European destinations
concerning art museums. Best
known is the Golden Triangle
of Art, located along the Paseo
del Prado and comprising
three museums. The most
famous one is the Prado
Museum, known for such
highlights as Diego Velázquez's
Las Meninas and Francisco de
Goya's La maja vestida and La
maja desnuda. The other two
museums are the Thyssen
Bornemisza Museum,
established from a mixed
private collection, and the
Reina Sofia Museum, where
Pablo Picasso's Guernica
hangs, returning to Spain from
New York after more than two
decades.

6. Do you wanna enjoy Madrid?
Let´s go!
• • •
MADRID OFFERS A LOT OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR
CITIZENS AND TOURIST. YOU ARE GOING TO BE A
CITIZEN IN MADRID FOR A FEW MONTHS, ENJOY!
The best source of information about what is
happening right now in Madrid is of course
the Internet or word of mouth. Even with low
a budget you can participate in cultural and
s o c i a l e ve n t s . T h e I n t e r n e t p o r t a l
madridgratis.net is full of current, free offers.
On madridfree.com you can also find
information about events that are taking
place in Madrid. Tickets for exhibitions,
concerts or movie projections can also be
obtained for free or for only a few euros, so it
would be a pity to not take advantage of these
opportunities. The Spanish calendar abounds
in feasts and holidays, which are celebrated
by people on Madrid's streets. It is better to
check on the Internet what the government is
preparing for the next national holiday or
high day like Christmas, Three Kings day,
Carnival or Easter.
Matadero, Tabacalera or El campo de cebada
square are good examples of interesting areas
to visit. These places used to be a
slaughterhouse, a cigarette factory and an
empty square respectively, which, after
renovations, changed into places designed for
citizens and art. They are worth visiting
because they give you a chance to see the real
life of Madrid's inhabitants, take part in local
events and have great time. During the
summer there aren’t as many cultural events
because July and August are summer
holidays in Spain and most of the locals leave
Madrid to go to the north of Spain and spend
their vacation on the coast. During this time
the best option is to organize some fun
activities to do – rent a bike, go for a ride
around Retiro Park, make a picnic with
friends or go to one of the public open-air
swimming pools.
If you have a whole day or a weekend off, you
can go for a trip out of Madrid. Very popular
tourist destinations are small towns like
Toledo, Segovia and Ávila. Toledo is a town
with beautiful landscapes that enraptured
famous painter El Greco so much that he
decided to stay there forever. In Segovia you
can find a huge aqueduct, which is a relic of
antiquity and Ávila has an impressive
complex of medieval walls around the city. It
is located in Mountains of Central Spain which
are great for hiking because of the amazing
views and nature.
What to do in your free time?

7. • • •
DISCOVER SOME TIPS TO BECOME A “MADRILEÑO/A”
Madrid is not on the south of Spain so there is not
always a perfect, sunny weather and high
temperatures so it is better to be prepared for
bad weather sometimes. During the winter
the temperature is never lower that zero, but
it can be a few degrees too cold at night. A
warm coat, scarf and cap are necessary. In
the summer, when the sun is high, it is
absolutely obligatory to use a sunscreen (you
don't have to sunbath to burn your skin, it
can happen during a long walk down the
street), proper clothes (and shoes!) and you
might even need a fan. It is not only a nice,
fancy souvenir from Spain but it can be very
useful when you spend a summer in the city.
You can buy it everywhere. The best ones are
made from material (not plastic).
Madrid is always full of tourists who are
unfortunately unaware of pickpockets. When
you are in the subway or when you walk
through the crowd, keep you bag or backpack
in front of you and be careful. Don't attach
your backpack to the bike bucket and it is
better to not have with you any valuables like
iPhones, tablets or cameras. You can leave
your passport at home and go out with only
your ID or an ID copy. Take with you a small
amount of money, only as much as you need
at the time. It is better to lose 20 euros rather
than your entire salary or savings.
Before you come to Madrid, try to learn or revise
a few basic Spanish sentences. The Spanish
don't speak English very well (I am sorry but
it is still true) so it is better to know some
useful words and phrases which can save
your life! Or just help you in everyday
situations and avoid problems and
embarrassment. If you don't speak Spanish at
all, learn the sentence No hablo español and
use body language :)
As I wrote before, in Madrid you can survive even
with a very limited budget. Grocery shopping
can be done at supermarkets, and in little
markets you can buy cheap, fresh, local
produce (like seasonal vegetables and fruits).
To not spend a lot of money on food and
entertainment, you can search the Internet
for special offers in restaurants and cultural
institutions. You can find them on portals like
madridfree.com and madridgratis.net. Many
restaurants and cafes have Facebook pages
where they advertise about special offers and
discounts. One of the biggest and the most
famous restaurant chain is called 100
montaditos where every Wednesday and
Sunday they offer their entire menu for only
1 €! Taco Bell is super crowded on Tuesdays
because on that day you can buy a Mexican
taco and a beer for 1 € as well. It is just not
worth going there on other days. Many
restaurants (e.g. Naif or Bicicleta in
Malasaña) have special lunch menu which is
on offer during the week, usually until 4 pm.
Using the Internet portal groupon.es/madrid
you can buy coupons with discounts (even
80%!) for dinners, cultural events and
various services.
Tips and advices for newcomers in Madrid

8. Everyone who comes to a new city for the very
first time feels lost and insecure. The most
important thing in that moment is to not give
up. Try to be open to new relationships and
friendships, and take advantage of your and
other peoples time. It is impossible to meet new
friends on the first day in new place. There are
many institutions and events in Madrid which
help in situations like this. Couchsurfing.net,
besides free hosting and accommodation,
organize meetings for people who are new in
Madrid and want to go out and spend some time
meeting other foreigners, students and
travelers.
A good way to make new friendships is tandem
linguistico – language exchange. This is where 2
people with different native tongues meet up
and help each other to learn a new language.
They can teach each other a new language for
free and it is the best way to learn useful words
and phrases fast and meet local people as well.
How and where to meet people and make
new friends
To meet more inhabitants of Madrid it is better to avoid typical
touristic places like Puerta del Sol or fast food chains like
McDonald's. First, they are overpriced, second – they are
crowded and full of tourists whom aren’t so helpful when trying
to get to know local traditions and people. The Spanish prefer
small tapas bars where you can talk, drink a caña and eat cheap
and delicious tortilla española made by a Spanish grandma.
If you have free time and you would like to do something useful,
you can think about working as a volunteer in one of Madrid's
institutions. Working with Spanish people is a good way to
practice Spanish, meet people who like to do the same things
and to make use of your time doing something creative.
Matadero, for example, organize various cultural events and
debates and in Lavapies you can find alternative groups with
chair meetings, movie projections and performances. On the
Internet portal madridgratis.net you can find actual
information about theatre productions, concerts and parties for
free. Events like these have plenty of inhabitants who like to act

9. About us
YesEuropa is a professional
network integrated by more than
30.000 users and a high quality
database and information source on
n a t i o n a l a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l
European opportunities which
c o n t a i n s t h o u s a n d s o f
opportunities.
You can search within YesEuropa
by cathegories such as EVS,
employment, grants, prizes,
funding, etc. A special search option
also enables you to find what you
are looking for.
OUR ASSOCIATION
YesEuropa is fostered by Building
Bridges Association, a Spanish NGO
with an international team with
wide experience in cultural &
information management. Building
Bridges has created YesEuropa
(www.yeseuropa.org) with the
support of our members.
It is a unique Spanish initiative for
the promotion of national and
i n t e r n a t i o n a l E u r o p e a n
opportunities for EVS, funding,
grants, scholarships, employment,
contests, prizes, documents,
training, education and so on.
Our organization deals with youth
information, education, training and
European culture and we work as a
hosting/sending partner and
participant for EU programmes.
We managed Eurodesk Programme
in Spain through the Spanish Youth
Institute and we are part of Team
Europa network dependant on the
EU Commission in Spain. We
collaborate in partnership with
several public and private entities.
I n t h e c o n t e x t o f E u r o p e a n
Programmes, YesEuropa welcomes
p a r t i c i p a n t s f r o m E u r o p e a n
countries as a host or intermediary
partner. We have built a network of
local partners, and we can provide
for a complete programme that
includes every type of service
r e q u i r e d : a c c o m m o d a t i o n ;
placement training; linguistic
training; social activities and a lot
more.
Moreover, in the last two years we
have trained more than 250
students in cooperation with public
universities and the support of the
European Social Fund
EU PROGRAMMES
CULTURAL NETWORK
We built a cultural network with more than
30.000 users registered in our site
TRAINING COURSES
We provided training courses in cooperation
with public universities to more than 250
students in the last two years
JOBS, GRANTS AND FUNDING
We provide information to our registeded
users about EU opportunities abroad
ABOUT YESEUROPA

10. HOSTING
PARTNER IN
SPAIN
• • •
We provide services as
Hosting Organisation in
Erasmus+.
We w i l l c a r r y o u t t h e
following tasks which from
an integral part of the
project:
- Transfer from/to the airport
- Accommodation in the city
centre of Madrid
- Meals (half-board or full
board)
- Organisation of the practical
training for participants
- Organisation of study visits
for education and vocational
training specialists,
- Issuing of certificates and
validation of skills
- Supervision and mentoring
services for the participants
- A r r a n g e m e n t o f
accommodation and meals
as required
- O r g a n i s a t i o n o f l o c a l
transport as required
- Arrangement of language
courses, technical visits and
cultural excursions as
required
- A l l s e r v i c e s a r e i n
consistency with the quality
commitment
- Preparing and handing of
E u r o p a s s M o b i l i t y
Certificates and Certificates
- Assistance and tutoring of
trainees
- Permanent contact with
sending organisation
WHY MADRID
The city is rich in architecture and the
intensity of cultural life is
overwhelming.The magical charm of
its museums and galleries captures
every visitor´s attention.
Madrid is the centre of political,
cultural and ecnomical activity in
SpainThe city is at the crossroads of
Spain. with thousands of enterprises
and many connections to other
WE HELPED THEM DO YOU WANT TO BE THE NEXT ONE?
My overall experience in Madrid was
one unforgettable, thanks to
YesEuropa for their valuable work
and their professionality
— Rocio, Madrid
Working at my placement as
photographer and artists made me
develop my skills further, learnt
from my colleagues
— Javier, between London and Madrid
Thanks to YesEuropa we enjoyed an
European Volunteer Service in
Serbia
— Ruth and Angela, Belgrado

11. Training/Internships
Participants’ work placements in Madrid
institutions are arranged in line with the
participants’ qualifications. During the
individual interviews conducted with each
participant on their arrival to Madrid, the
participants’ personal abilities and interests
will be further discussed.
Work placements are selected by us, taking into
account the past experience, skills and
linguistic ability of the participants.
The working language at work
placements will be Spanish and in
some cases English.
MONITORING AND TUTORING
YESEUROPA organises regular
meetings and individual discussions
with participants in order to
successfully monitor the progress of the
programme, and solve any problems
that may arise
YESEUROPA TUTORS ARE ON CALL
24/7 IN ANY CASE OF EMERGENCY.
Traineeships
Available areas
Art galleries!
Museums!
Human resources!
Tourism&Travel!
Marketing&Communication
Languages
Financial Services
Architecture
Education & Training
SOME FACTS
FROM OUR
WEBSITE
Registered users in our
network
30.000
Students registered in
our courses
250
Cultural opportunities
published in our site in
2013
4500

12. • • •
Participants will be
accomodated in apartments
with single or double rooms
and however there is teh
opprtunity to share the
appartment with participants
coming from other countries
in order to improve their
cultural and social exchange.
FULLY EQUIPED
All apartments are equiped
with kitchen, washing
machine, a large fridge, table,
chairs and bathroom with
shower.
The apartments are locatel in
the city centre close to
FábricaCultural offices, the
language school and a lot of
company partners. Besides
the area is served by an urban
bus, subway and extra urban
transport trains and buses
and every other comfort like
bars, restaurants and sport
structures.
ABOUT MADRID
While Madrid possesses a
modern infrastructure, it has
preserved the look and feel of
many of its historic
neighbourhoods and streets.
Its landmarks include the
Royal Palace of Madrid; the
Teatro Real (Royal theatre)
with its restored 1850 Opera
House; the Buen Retiro Park,
the 19th-century National
Library building containing
some of Spain's historical
archives; a large number of
National museums, and the
Golden Triangle of Art,
located along the Paseo del
Prado and comprising three
art museums: Prado Museum,
the Museo Nacional Centro de
Arte Reina Sofía, a museum of
modern art, and the Thyssen-
Bornemisza Museum, which
completes the shortcomings
of the other two
museums.Cibeles Palace and
Fountin have become the
monument symbol of the
city.
Accommodation and location
10 things to do in
Madrid on a Sunday
1. !Stroll through Retiro Park
2. ! Visit Circulo de Bellas
Artes terrace
3. ! Enjoy tapas and beer
4. !Walking on Plaza Mayor
5. ! Dunk “churros” into
chocolate
6. ! Enjoy for free Museo del
Prado paintings
7. ! Savour a coffee in Cafe
Gijón
8. ! Sunset view from Royal
Palace
9. ! Buy delicatessen food in
San Miguel Market
10. ! Shopping time!
MUSEUMS
Madrid is considered one of the top
European destinations concerning art
museums. Best known is the Golden
Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo
del Prado and comprising three
museums. The most famous one is the
Prado Museum, known for such
highlights as Diego Velázquez's Las
Meninas and Francisco de Goya's La
maja vestida and La maja desnuda.
The other two museums are the
Thyssen Bornemisza Museum,
established from a mixed private
collection, and the Reina Sofia
Museum, where Pablo Picasso's
Guernica hangs, returning to Spain
from New York after more than two
decades.

13. • •
Asociación Building Bridges -
YesEuropa
Avda. Monforte de Lemos 151, 7º 3
28032 - Madrid
+34 626 898 830
asociacionbb@gmail.com
www.yeseuropa.org
Contact us
https://www.facebook.com/voluntarioseuropeos
https://twitter.com/fabricacultural
http://www.youtube.com/user/rubiconcultura
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabricacultural/
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/f%C3%A1brica-
cultural-oportunidades-culturales/1b/97/274
We will be pleased to answer your questions
about this partnership proposal on Erasmus+
Partnerships