Theater Tickets for Only 6 Euros!!!

If you want to experience one of the most important works in Spanish theatre live, now is the perfect moment. Luces de Bohemia, written by Ramón del Valle‑Inclán, is currently on stage in Madrid... and tickets (super budget-friendly tickets) are starting to sell out!

This play tells the intense, tragicomic night‑time journey of Max Estrella, a blind poet wandering through the streets of Madrid. The play criticizes social injustice, corruption, and the harsh realities of early 20th‑century Spain. All through the unique style that Valle‑Inclán created: the "esperpento", a distorted mirror of society. It’s considered one of the most important works of the 20th‑century Spanish stage.

The play is in Spanish, and that makes it a challenge for those of you who wants to practice your skills. This is exactly the kind of experience that will push you forward. Be brave. Dive in. You’ll surprise yourselves with how much you understand!

🎭 Where?

Teatro Español (Sala Principal)

Address: Calle Príncipe, 25, Madrid

Metro: Sevilla (L2), Sol (L1, L2, L3), Antón Martín (L1).

📅 Dates

From January 23 to March 7, 2026

🕖 Time

Most performances start at 19:00

💶 Price

Tickets range from €6 to €22... a great deal for a major classic! 

Official website to buy the tickets (let us know if you need any help): https://tienda.madrid-destino.com/es/teatro-espanol/luces-de-bohemia-1

⭐ Extra bonus!

And if you go and you enjoy it, on another day you can join the guided tours that some guides offer in Madrid (available in both Spanish and English), showing the key locations that appear in the play: https://venamadrid.com/tour/luces-de-bohemia/ (let us know if you need any help).

Interuniversity Friendly Soccer League

We have received and initiative created by the Student Life Department at NYU Madrid: We are excited to invite you to participate in our interuniversity friendly soccer league, created for American students in Madrid. This initiative is designed to build community, promote physical activity, encourage teamwork, and provide opportunities for cultural exchange among US universities in the city.

Please contact me, Eva (eva.garcia@auspain.com) if you are interested.

Matches will take place on Sunday evenings from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Available dates (let us know which ones would fit you better):

• Sunday, February 1, 2026
• Sunday, February 8, 2026
• Sunday, February 15, 2026
• Sunday, February 22, 2026
• Sunday, March 1, 2026
• Sunday, March 8, 2026
• Sunday, March 15, 2026
• Sunday, March 22, 2026
• Sunday, April 12, 2026

Location:

Ocio y Deporte Canal fields 

Avenida de Filipinas, s/n

Metro:Islas Filipinas (L. 7) and also Canal (L.2 y L.7, not so close, though)

Free Activities for This Weekend

Free activities for this weekend! Enjoy them!

1) Every Wednesday and Saturday, you can watch the Royal Guard’s Changing of the Guard at the Puerta del Príncipe of the Royal Palace of Madrid. In addition, on the first Wednesday of each month (except January, August, and September), the even more spectacular Solemn Changing of the Guard takes place (next ceremony scheduled for February 4, 2026), provided that official events and weather conditions allow it.

The short ceremonies, held every 30 minutes, feature two foot sentinels and two mounted sentinels accompanied by fife and drum, all wearing full dress uniforms. The Solemn Changing of the Guard is longer and includes a larger number of participants as well as additional music.

Royal Palace

Calle de Bailén s/n

Metro: Ópera (L2, L5, R), Plaza de España (L2, L3, L10).

Wednesdays and Saturdays 11:00am-2:00pm 

Free

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2) Casa de América is hosting an exhibition on the memory of Spanish Republicans who were forced into exile during the Civil War: El cuerpo errante (The Wandering Body)

The exhibition is based on research by Jorge Moreno Andrés and Julián López García, and it brings together everyday objects—many of them previously unseen—such as photographs, recipe books, and even letters sewn into bed sheets.

Casa de América

Plaza de Cibeles, 2

Banco de España (L2)

December 17, 2025 – February 14, 2026

Monday to Friday: 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturdays: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Closed on Sundays

Free

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3) Did you know that every Saturday you can enter the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza for free, until full capacity is reached, from 9 pm. to 11 pm., as part of the “Thyssen Nights” initiative?

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza 

Paseo del Prado, 8

Metro: Banco de España (L2).

Saturdays: 9pm. to 11 pm

Free

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Welcome To Madrid!

Hello guys!

We’ve already met in person, but welcome to AU Madrid online as well! You’ve been in Madrid for a few days now and have surely explored on your own, but here are some ideas for this weekend (January 17th and 18th):

The Mercado de las Ranas (Frogs' Market) is an open-door event in which shops in the Literary Quarter open all day long on the first and third Saturday of the month. The aim is to showcase and share the neighbourhood's commercial, tourist, cultural, and gastronomic offerings. At the same time, local restaurants and bars offer numerous attractions, providing a comprehensive experience for all visitors with promotions, discounts, and special menus. This event is similar in format to other world-renowned markets such as Portobello Road or Camden Town in London, or famous New York flea markets like Hell's Kitchen or the Soho Antiques Fair & Collectibles. The market starts at No 2 Calle de Huertas, and runs all the way till Calle del Príncipe. It then continues from the corner of Calle de las Huertas and Calle del León to the corner of Calle de las Huertas and Costanilla de las Trinitarias.

Metro: Antón Martín (L1). Sol (L1, L2, L3). Estación del Arte (L1)

Saturday January 17th, 12-7:00pm

(Text from the Official Madrid Tourism website and picture from Madrid Happy People website)

 

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The Museum of Romanticism presents an original exhibition curated by Stéphany Onfray that brings together calling cards, portraits, and 19th‑century photographic objects to show how photography studios became spaces of expression and freedom for women https://www.esmadrid.com/en/whats-on/women-portrayed-museum-romanticism

 

Metro: Tribunal (L1, L10), Alonso Martínez (L4, L10, L5), Chueca (L5)
Mondays closed. Tuesdays to Saturdays 9:30am-8:30pm. Sundays 10:00am-3:00pm

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Movies night! Many of the city's cinemas screen films in their original language with Spanish subtitles. In addition, cultural institutions, headed by Filmoteca Española, are organising activities that will turn Madrid into an ideal destination for movie-goers. More information in https://www.esmadrid.com/en/films-their-original-language  or in one of our old posts: https://exploringwithauspain.blogspot.com/2024/01/a-very-special-movie-theater-in-madrid.html or https://exploringwithauspain.blogspot.com/2025/02/little-secret-plans.html

Near Plaza de España you can find a wide variety of movie theaters (though not all of them are located there, as you’ve probably noticed in the previous links) that show films in the original version. How about watching Rental Family in English with some popcorn on Friday or Saturday afternoon at Cines Renoir Princesa? Movies here are much cheaper than in the U.S.! And in some theaters, if you keep a code that appears on your ticket, your second visit can be even cheaper!

Cines Renoir Princesa: Calle de la Princesa 3 ("Plaza de los Cubos", as people call it).

Metro Plaza de España (L3 y L10)

Showtimes for that movie in particular (it is different for others): 4:00pm, 6:00pm, 8:35pm, 10:40pm