Sala El Sol on Calle de los Jardines opened in 1979 during the Madrid movida and remains the city's canon pop-rock concert room at 640 capacity, booking national tours, indie acts and DJ club nights.
Tip: Concerts most nights from 21:00; the venue flips to a club after the gig with the indie classics canon. Two minutes from Gran Via L1 L5.
Address: Calle de los Jardines 3, 28013 Madrid
Wurlitzer Ballroom on Calle de Tres Cruces by Gran Via runs a 200-capacity concert hall and bar with rock, punk, garage and power-pop programming across a punk-rock industrial-decor room.
Tip: Open every night; weeknight concerts from 22:30, weekends to 06:00. The room is small and the stage is close, arrive early for the band's set.
Azotea del Circulo de Bellas Artes on Calle de Alcala is the iconic Madrid rooftop bar atop the 1926 arts centre, with a 360 degree skyline view and a Spanish-Mediterranean carte from breakfast through cocktails.
Tip: Around 5 euros for the elevator up; busy at sunset, quieter for the noon coffee. The terrace runs to 01:30 weeknights and 02:00 weekends.
The 360 Rooftop Bar on the 27th floor of the Hotel Riu Plaza Espana in the Edificio Espana on Gran Via is Madrid's highest hotel terrace, with panoramic skyline views and a famous glass balcony walkway.
Tip: Open daily 11:00 to 01:00 with kitchen to 23:30; last entry midnight. The glass balcony is the photo stop; queues build at sunset.
The Hat Rooftop on Calle Imperial sits on top of a Plaza Mayor adjacent hostel and serves cocktails and small plates with a southern skyline view, popular with the centre's twenty-something traveller crowd.
Tip: Tipple-and-tapas terrace open most days from 13:00 to 23:45; closing earlier on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Walk-in only, the room is small.
La Riviera on Paseo Bajo de la Virgen del Puerto by the Manzanares river is Madrid's 2,500-capacity legacy concert hall, programming international tours and Spanish headliners across more than 50 years of history.
Tip: Concerts only, no walk-in club nights; book through Ticketmaster or the venue. Principe Pio L6 L10 R is the metro; the Madrid Rio walk back is the post-show route.
Sala Villanos on Calle de Bernardino Obregon in Embajadores is the rebrand of the historic Sala Caracol flamenco temple, now programming jazz, flamenco, funk, disco, soul, hip-hop and rock concerts.
Tip: Ticketed concerts most weekends; the cantaora-and-flamenco legacy still drives the programme. Embajadores L3 is the metro; arrive before doors for the bar queue.
Wurlitzer Ballroom on Calle de Tres Cruces by Gran Via runs a 200-capacity concert hall and bar with rock, punk, garage and power-pop programming across a punk-rock industrial-decor room.
Tip: Open every night; weeknight concerts from 22:30, weekends to 06:00. The room is small and the stage is close, arrive early for the band's set.
Azotea del Circulo de Bellas Artes on Calle de Alcala is the iconic Madrid rooftop bar atop the 1926 arts centre, with a 360 degree skyline view and a Spanish-Mediterranean carte from breakfast through cocktails.
Tip: Around 5 euros for the elevator up; busy at sunset, quieter for the noon coffee. The terrace runs to 01:30 weeknights and 02:00 weekends.
The 360 Rooftop Bar on the 27th floor of the Hotel Riu Plaza Espana in the Edificio Espana on Gran Via is Madrid's highest hotel terrace, with panoramic skyline views and a famous glass balcony walkway.
Tip: Open daily 11:00 to 01:00 with kitchen to 23:30; last entry midnight. The glass balcony is the photo stop; queues build at sunset.
The Hat Rooftop on Calle Imperial sits on top of a Plaza Mayor adjacent hostel and serves cocktails and small plates with a southern skyline view, popular with the centre's twenty-something traveller crowd.
Tip: Tipple-and-tapas terrace open most days from 13:00 to 23:45; closing earlier on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Walk-in only, the room is small.