Busabout Adventures

How it works
A Busabout Flexitrip Pass (6 or more flexistops) will give you access to the entire Busabout coach network. A flexistop is any time you jump off the coach overnight - compulsory overnight stops are indicated with red dots on the map below.

Flexitrip Passes are perfect for travellers who are looking to go from point A to point B without wanting to get the whole "Loop". Your Flexistops are valid for the entire operating season giving you maximum flexibility (thus the clever name). Break away from the network and explore destinations like Greece or Morocco. Start and finish anywhere - just keep travelling until you run out of stops, or buy more as you go.

For example : Start in Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Munich, Venice and finish in Rome - all with only 8 'flexistops'. Stay in each city as long as you like. If you'd like to make an extra 'stop' in say Salzburg, simply buy an extra 'flexistop' from your On-board Guide.

The Flexitrip Pass is valid for the entire 2008 operating season (May to October). Each "sector" may be travelled once and departures from each city are every other day.

• Start and finish anywhere.
• Travel at your own pace.
• No 'time-limit'
• Minimum recommended travel time: 18 days
• Break your loop - make it into more than one trip.
• Door to door.
• Every other day service.
• Travel Dates and Accommodation

We recommend that you utilise the "MyBusabout" feature on the website, so you can make confirmed seat reservations and pre-book you budget accommodation. Once you have booked your Busabout pass you can just log-on to the website with your booking reference number and start planning and booking your trip.

In Spain’s case, all roads lead to Madrid and, more specifically, to the Puerta del Sol, kilometre zero, the physical and emotional heart of the city. Radiating out from this harried plaza are arms – Calle Mayor, Calle del Arenal, Calle de Preciados, Calle de la Montera and Calle de Alcalá – that stretch into the city.

South of the Puerta del Sol is the oldest part of the city, with the Plaza Mayor to the southwest and the busy streets of the Huertas district to the southeast. North of the plaza is a modern shopping district, and beyond that, the east–west thoroughfare Gran Via and the bohemian barrio (neighbourhood), Chueca. To the west is the stately Palacio Real, while east lies the city’s green lung, El Retiro park. All these areas are easily reached by metro.

The most popular dance spots are along and around Gran Via. For intimate dancing, head to Chueca or Malasaña, especially Calle de la Palma, which is lined with quirky clubs.

Club entry prices vary wildly, but most charge from €8 to €12, but you can get discounts for arriving early or if you’re a girl (sorry guys). Watch out for discount tickets given out in bars or on the street. At most places, dancing starts at around 1am and lasts until daybreak. Come Thursday through Saturday for the best atmosphere.

Around Gran Via there are a number of places to check out.

El Sol ((915 32 64 90; Calle Jardines 3; mGran Via) Head here for great dancing on weekends.

Palacio Gaviria ((915 26 60 69; Calle del Arenal 9; mSol or Ópera) This is transformed palace to club that’s more costly than most. Thursday is international student night.

Teatro Joy Eslava ((913 66 37 33; www.joy-eslava.com; Calle del Arenal 11; mSol or Ópera) Next to Palacio Gaviria, this is great fun.

El Son ((915 32 32 83; Calle de Victoria 6; mSol) This one has the Latino grooves. Live shows are on from Monday to Thursday.

Kapital ((914 20 29 06; Calle de Atocha 125; mAtocha) If you can’t make up your mind about dance styles, the seven-storey Kapital does the trick. Every floor offers a different mood.

Madrid’s huge metro (www.madrid.es) can reach almost any city spot. It’s quick, clean, relatively safe, and runs from 6am until 2am.

The bus system is also good, but working out the maze of bus lines can be a challenge. Contact EMT ((914 06 88 10; www.emtmadrid.es) for more information.

Emergency
Medical & Fire Emergencies (112
Police (091

Internet Access
Nets ((915 22 20 17; Calle Palma 24; mTribunal; per hr €1.50; hnoon-1am Mon-Sat, noon-midnight Sun) To just skim email, you can log on for up to five minutes for free.
Work Center ((913 60 13 95; Calle del Príncipe 1; per hr €2; h24hr)

Laundry
Lavanderia Cervantes ((914 29 92 16; Calle de León 6; mAntón Martín; per load €2; h9am-9pm)

Medical Services
Anglo-American Medical Unit ((914 35 18 23; Calle Conde de Aranda 1; mRetiro) For help in English.
Farmacia del Globo ((913 69 20 00; Plaza Antón Martín 46; mAntón Martín) For help with minor medical problems, ask a pharmacist. This is one of several 24-hour pharmacies.

Money
Using your ATM card will give you low banks exchange rates, though some banks charge an extra fee for ATM use. If you’re desperate, there are plenty of bureaux de change around Puerta del Sol that have rip-off rates but which are open late.

Post
Main post office ((913 96 24 43; Plaza Cibeles; mBanco de España;  h8.30am-9.30pm Mon-Sat) In the gigantic Palacio de Comunicaciones.

Tourist Information
Municipal tourist office ((913 66 54 77; www.munimadrid.es; Plaza Mayor 3; mSol; h10am-8pm Mon-Sat, 10am-3pm Sun)
Regional tourist office ((914 29 49 51 or (902 10 00 07; www.madrid.org; Calle del Duque Medinaceli 2; mSevilla; h9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-3pm Sun)

FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Madrid takes its partying seriously, and festive events are generously sprinkled all over the year’s calendar. In particular look out for:
Día de los Reyes (Three Kings’ Day; 6 Jan) The three kings bring gifts to children and a mammoth parade takes over the city centre.
Fiesta de San Isidro (Festival of St Isidro; 15 May) Madrid’s patron saint is honoured with nonstop processions, parties and bullfights.
Fiesta de Otoño (Autumn Festival; mid-Oct through mid-Nov) Music, dance and theatre take over Madrid during the fantastically cultural weeks of the festival.

Meat lovers prepare your stomachs: Madrid’s specialities include cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig) and cocido madrileño, a hearty stew made of beans and various animals’ innards (it’s tasty, honest). Vege­tarians may be wondering about what local cuisine has to offer them, which is not much. Look out for pastas, salads and bocadillos vegetales (vegetable sandwiches), which usually have cheese.

Lunch hour runs from about 1.30pm until 3.30pm, and dinner starts at 9pm and lasts until late. Before mealtimes, many Madrileños head out for a caña (small beer) and a tapa or two.

Tapas
Oodles of tapas bars fill the barrios of Huertas, Chueca and La Latina. If the place is crowded, that’s a good sign. Sure to be packed, La Casa del Abuelo ((915 21 23 19; Calle Victoria 12; mSol) is famous for its garlicky prawns (€4.35). Cafeteria-style Las Bravas ((915 32 26 20; Calle Espoz y Mina 13; mSol) is known for its patented version of its spicy salsa brava (a creamy sauce made with mayo and hot pepper); slather it over fried potatoes or Spanish tortillas.

Sierra Ángel ((915 31 01 26; Calle Gravina 11; mChueca) Munchers at this classic tapas bar spill onto Plaza de Chueca with their tapas and drinks.

La Chata ((913 66 14 58; Calle Cava Baja 24; mLa Latina) It has a great cheese plate (€11) and bullfighter-themed décor.

Cafés
Café Comercial ((915 21 65 55; Glorieta de Bilbao 7; mBilbao) You can get a mean coffee and plenty of ambience at this café, a city classic. Café de Ruiz ((914 46 12 32; Calle Ruiz 11; mBilbao) This cosy café looks like it was lifted out of a 1930s movie, with marble tables, velvet-covered seats and a welcoming attitude.

Mamá Inés ((915 23 23 33; www.mamaines.com; Calle de Hortaleza 22; mChueca) Popular with gay men – by day get delicious pastries and all the goss on where that night’s hot spot will be.

Restaurants
La Mallorquina ((915 21 12 01; Puerta del Sol 8; mSol; pastries around €1.50) Start the day sweet with a throng of white-jacketed waiters serving up pastries, truffles and candies.

La Gloria de Montera ((915 23 44 07; Calle de Caballero de Gracia 10; mGran Via; menú, or fixed price lunch €6.60) For sit-down fare, there’s no defeating La Gloria. It’s oh-so-stylish, oh-so-cheap, and oh-so-popular.

Cuevas El Secreto ((915 31 82 91; Calle de Barcelona 2; mSol; h6.30pm-2am; mains €4-8) This tavern-styled place serves tasty grilled meat and a few basic tapas.

La Finca de Susana ((913 69 35 57; Calle de Arlaban 4; mSevilla; menú €7) Swish Susana serves a mix of Spanish and international fare to a professional-looking crowd.

La Trucha ((914 29 58 33; Calle de Mañuel Fernández y González 3; mains €6-11) Head to this classic restaurant for fish, traditional dishes and tasty tapas.

Patatus ((915 32 61 29; Calle Fuencarral 98; mBilbao; to share €9-16) Open late, this is the place for post-partying gorge on junk food.

Bazaar ((915 23 39 05; Calle de la Libertad 21; mChueca; menú €7) For real food, the funky, fusion Bazaar is unbeatable.

Omertá ((917 01 02 42; Calle de Gravina 17; mChueca; menú €7.50) Bare brick walls and a tall ceiling give this pizzeria the feel of an old warehouse.

The entertainment bible is the Guía del Ocio, a weekly magazine sold at newsstands for €1. Highlights are given in English at the back. The best gay guide is Shanguide, which you can pick up for free in bars around town.

Live Music
FLAMENCO
Madrid is a good place to see professional interpretations of this Andalucían art. Most shows are set up like a dinner theatre and are squarely aimed at tourists, but the quality is generally top-notch. One of the cheapest shows is Las Tablas ((915 42 05 20; Plaza de España 9; mEspaña; admission €12-15; h7pm-late, nightly show 10.30pm).

JAZZ
Café Central ((913 694 143; www.cafecentralmadrid.com; Plaza del Angel 10; mAntón Martín; admission €10-12) and Café Populart ((914 29 84 07; www.populart.es; Calle de la Huertas 22; mAntón Martín; admission free) are two of the best locales for live jazz. Smoky, crowded cafés, that are the apt mood for soulful melodies.

ROCK
Sala Caracol ((915 27 35 94; Calle de Bernardino Obregón 18; mEmbajadores) This temple to variety hosts a different style every night of the week.

Galileo Galilei ((915 34 75 57; Calle Galileo 100; mIslas Filipinas) It has been known to stage all from comedy acts to magic shows, though its strength is up-and-coming bands.

La Riviera ((913 65 24 15; Paseo Bajo de la Virgen del Puerto; mPuerta de Angel) A club and concert venue, it has a pretty Art Deco interior and open-air concerts in summer.

Theatre & Opera  
Teatro Real ((915 16 06 06; www.teatro-real.com; Plaza de Oriente; mÓpera) Madrid’s sumptuous opera house is the city’s grandest stage.

Teatro de la Zarzuela ((915 24 54 00; Calle de Jovellanos 4; mBanco de España) Not as fancy as Teatro Real but well worth a visit, this is the best place to see zarzuela, a very Spanish mixture of dance, music and theatre.

For tiled bars and bullfighter motifs, walk the Huertas barrio’s streets, mainly around Plaza de Santa Ana. For gay-friendly locales, see the streets around Plaza de Chueca. Malasaña caters to a grungy crowd, while La Latina has chirpy, no-frills bars that have atmosphere each night of the week. In summer, go to the outdoor cafés in the city’s plazas.

Bars
Straggling down a stairway passage to Calle de Segovia the Café del Nuncio ((913 66 09 06; Calle Segovia 9; mLa Latina) has several cosy levels inside and an outdoor terraza. Nearby is the mythic Chocolatería de San Ginés ((913 65 65 46; Pasadizo San Ginés 5; mSol or Ópera) where you can end the night (it’s open until 7am!) with an eye-opening dose of syrupy hot chocolate.

Wander down the Calle de la Cava Baja for tonnes of options, including El Viajero ((913 66 90 64; Plaza de la Cebada 11; mLa Latina; tapas €3.50-8), where you can get dinner downstairs, or a great view from the rooftop terrace upstairs.

Cervecería Alemana ((914 29 70 33; Plaza de Santa Ana 6; mAntón Martín or Sol; hclosed Aug) This classic is famous for its cold, frothy beers and tasty tapas.

Viva Madrid ((914 29 36 40; www.barvivamadrid.com; Calle de Manuel Fernandez y González 7; mSol) Tapas and beer are the staples at this landmark with a beautifully tiled bar.

Areia ((913 10 03 07; www.areiachillout.com; Calle de Hortaleza 92; mChueca) The place to chill amidst its Arabian-style décor.

Finnegan’s ((913 10 05 21; Plaza de las Salesas 9; mChueca; h1pm-2am) This is a friendly pub full of regulars.

Café Pepe Botella ((915 22 43 09; Calle San Andrés 12; mBilbao or Tribunal) Funky, it has velvet benches and marble-topped tables.

Museo Chicote ( (915 32 67 37; Gran Via 12; mGran Via) This city classic has a lounge atmosphere late at night and a stream of small-time famous faces all day.

Gay & Lesbian Venues  
Chueca is Madrid’s lively, gay-friendly neighbourhood, and you’ll find gay and lesbian bars and clubs on nearly every street, though some of the bigger-name gay dance clubs are along Gran Via.

Ohm ((915 41 35 00; Plaza del Callao 4; mCallao) The weekend party hosted by Sala Bash is a hit on the gay and straight scenes.

Cool ((915 42 34 39; Calle de Isabel la Católica 6; mSanto Domingo) Nearby, Cool guarantees a sexy night for a well-heeled crowd.