Top Affordable Places in Madrid for Students

Madrid is the capital city, as well as the cultural, arts, and financial center of Spain. Thus, if you are planning to visit there, expect to see lots of historical architecture including royal palaces, beautiful parks, diverse types of people, and bustling city life. 

If you are a student who might be worried about how you can enjoy this magnificent and historical city, while saving and budgeting your money, this article may help you. We will discuss the things you can do, and places you can visit, at an affordable price or even for free. 

Read below to know the affordable places in Madrid that students on a budget can visit. 

Visit Madrid’s Museums for Free

Madrid currently has 63 museums. Most of these can be accessed for free, although with conditions. For example, below are some of the museums that are free during specific hours or days only (schedule of free entry can be seen on each museum’s official website): 

• Museo del Prado
• Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
• CaixaForum
• Museum of America
• Museum of Romanticism 
• The National Archaeological Museum 
• Cerralbo Museum 
• Lazaro Galdiano Museum

Other museums are free all day, such as the National Library’s museum, which includes hundreds of books, collections, and exhibits, the Sculpture Museum, and the Contemporary Art Museum. 

Aside from the days, each museum is assigned, everyone can access the museums for free during these days: International Day for Monuments and Sites (April 18) International Museum Day (around May), Spanish National Holiday (October 12), and Spanish Constitution Day (December 6). 

Buy Food and Eat at Lavapies’ Mercado San Fernando 

There are many places in Madrid where you can buy fresh food such as in Mercado San Miguel, which is a famous market. However, prices in this market can be really high. Instead, you can visit Mercado San Fernando in Lavapies, a less-known but diverse market offering the same items as other markets but at a lower price. 

The Mercado San Fernando has been around for more than 70 years, and it displays an array of stalls selling diverse types of food: fresh meat products, vegetables, even takeaway food such as pizzas, tacos, tapas, and drinks such as wine and craft beers. Aside from those, there are also other items such as books, leather goods, and so on. 

Enjoy Madrid’s Nightlife on a Budget

After having a long and tiring week at school (if you are of legal age!), you can join Madrid’s famous nightlife. 

Fortunately, there are many places in Madrid where you can enjoy the nightlife at an affordable price. For example, the La Via Lactea bar in Madrid, one of the city’s most iconic bars due to its untouched interior of rock ‘n roll in the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, offers drinks for only 3 euros. 

Another bar you can check out is the Diplodocus Rock Bar, which serves huge-sized drinks which you can share with friends so that you can spend less on it. 

Aside from visiting the affordable places in Madrid, students can also have fun checking out the country’s must-try food. To know which Spanish delicacies you should try while in Spain, check out MSM Unify’s article on Spanish Food and Other Delicacies That International Students Must Try.