An elegant and quite inexpensive wine bar, Vinoteca Barbechera is the best choice for those who want to enjoy a cup of authentic Spanish wine. It offers a variety of more than 300 Spanish wines and traditional tapas. It can be easily found on Plaza de Santa Ana in Central Madrid.

If you are tired of typical Madrid bars or if you are looking for something fancy and comfortable, try The Penthouse. This lounge/bar is located on the top of the "Reina Victoria" hotel. The terrace, where the bar is located, offers some of the most stunning panoramas of Madrid and overlooks the Plaza of Santa Ana. The bar features a relaxing atmosphere, luxury interiors, and expensive cocktails.

Palacio Gaviria is a 19th century palace in Central Madrid that turns into a dazzling nightclub at night. The club organizes different themed parties each night, with themes such as salsa, tango and "international" night. The palace is a neo-classical building and a beautiful architectural piece of history.

Club Joy is hosted in the Eslava Theater, which turns into a huge and spectacular party place at night. Disco nights are held in this theater every Thursday-Sunday and there are also many concerts organized in this venue. This club is a particular favorite with locals and quickly becomes a favorite of visitors.

The main gay venue in Madrid, Ohm is famous for being a joyful and lively place. It plays for a mixed crowd during the weekdays, becoming a primarily gay venue on the weekends. It attracts a very trendy clientèle and huge crowds, satisfying everyone's expectations by featuring a huge dance floor and plenty of space to let loose and have fun.

Ocho y Medio (Eight and a Half) is a popular night spot in Madrid located close to the Gran Via street. It was initaially opened as an Indie bar, but with its growing popularity, became an attraction to a very colorful clientèle. You can find a wide variety of music and lively atmosphere.

When you are looking at your list of museums to visit in Madrid, don’t be misled by the Museo Chicote on the Gran Via – it is not a museum, it is the most famous cocktail bar in Madrid. During the Spanish Civil War the bar was a favorite meeting place for the Foreign Press and Hemingway was one of its most regular patrons. It has kept its nineteen thirties Retro style, but has added modern lighting, modern acoustics, a dance floor and some of the top Spanish DJ’s to entertain you into the small hours. The walls are festooned with the great and famous who have (perhaps) sipped refreshing cocktails in the heat of the Spanish summer nights. Here you can see – apart from the famous Ernest – photos of Dali, Sophia Loren, Frank Sinatra and Orson Welles, among others. If Ava Gardener ever frequented the place, you would have a hard time proving she didn’t – a well positioned photo suggests that she did; but in these days of airbrushing software, who really knows? Only the bar-tenders and they are keeping mum! The cocktails aren’t very cheap, around 7 Euros a glass, and a lot of people don’t find them up to the high standard the fame of the bar requires they should be, but you should visit the place to form your own opinion. You should know, however, that at night the cocktail bar is a favorite haunt for gays, the music is very loud and the place is often over-crowded. If you want to have fun, then it’s a great place to spend the evening; if you want a bit of peace and quiet, it would be better if you chose another bar – or spent the evening at your hotel with a good book!

Always crowded late at night, this site is known for serving the best cocktails in Madrid. Owner Fernando del Diego, a former barman at Taberna Chicote, and his two sons make the delicious original drinks that locals know they can find only here. It is a small bar, with a light and breezy atmosphere/ It is the perfect place to relax and enjoy drinks with friends.

An historic bar of Madrid, Bar Cock opened in 1921 and became famous after being a host of the political, cultural and intellectual conversations for most of the 20th century. It houses most of its original furniture, as well as the recipes of its famous, original cocktails. Bar Cock is the best choice to enjoy true tradition of Madrid.