How to get to Madrid?Madrid has an airport called

Adolfo Suárez - Barajas. It is

possible to get to the capital of

Spain from every country on

Earth and the airport serves

many flights from almost 100

different airlines. The cheapest

ones are Ryanair, Wizzair and

EasyJet. Madrid's airport is quite

close to the city center so it is

easy to get from the airport to the

center of Madrid by subway (rose

line number 8) or by taking a

taxi.

From other cities in Spain you

can get to the capital by train.

Renfe (renfe.es) is the main

Spanish railway, which is fast and

comfortable. If you buy a train

ticket more than two weeks

before your trip the price is

usually a lot cheaper, so it is much

better to plan the trip in advance.

Another option is to take a bus

which is also quite cheap. It is

possible to buy bus tickets on the

Internet, which is safer when you

plan a trip. You can buy them at

the bus station as well, but places

in every bus are limited, so it’s

better to do it in advance.

A Very popular way

to travel in Spain is

c a r p o o l i n g .

Blablacar.es is a

portal that offers a

“ p a i d a u t o s t o p ” ,

meaning that you

can go with someone

by his or her own car

and only pay for gas.

Not only do tourists

travel like this, the

Spanish do it every

day because it is the

cheapest way to get

to your hometown or

other cities. It is

fairly safe because

y o u c a n c h e c k

someone's account

on the blablacar.es

website first, like on

eBay. All of the users

h a v e t h e i r o w n

profiles with all of

their information

and other users '

opinions about them.

TRAVEL TO SPAIN

MADRID GUIDEGUIDE OF MADRID WRITTEN BY ALEKSANDRA (EX-EVS FROM POLAND)

Madrid has one of the best city transport network in the world

• • •

Madrid has very well organized

system of public transport. There

are many different subway lines

and buses to choose from. The

Subway is an underground

system of 12 lines connected to

each other. It is connected with

Renfe trains (Renfe cercanias)

which ride to the other parts of

Madrid, out of the city center.

There are plenty of buses as well

which run 24h, so during the

night too. On every station you

can buy subway and bus tickets.

T h e r e a r e s p e c i a l t i c k e t

machines, which have different

language options including

English. There you can buy one-

way tickets or reusable ones, like

10-way tickets or abono – a

special city card for all public

transport for 30 days. People

under 23 years of age also have a

special discount.

Taxis are cheap in Madrid with

one kilometer during the day

costing around 1 euro (night

rides and trips to the airport are

more expensive).

The Spanish capital has a mild

climate which means that almost

all year round there is great

weather to ride a bike. The

winters are cold in Madrid but

temperatures are never below

zero degrees. Generally it’s

sunny, roads are fine and riding a

bike on the street is very

common in here. You can buy a

cheap, second-hand bike on

segundamano.es.

Transport in Madrid

Where to go out?PERSONAL

Name:

Aleksandra

Age:

24

Studies:

Cultural management

Experience:

Several volunteering experiences in Poland and of course in Building Bridges!

Hobbies:

Music, Spanish cinema and sports

What I did in Building Bridges?:

With my EVS I supported their cultural & youth information activities. And I wrote this guide too!

Where did I live? In Malasaña District (a very lively district in Madrid)

Next projects:

I hope to be involved in the future in more European opportunities. YesEuropa has given me lots of information and councelling about my personal carreer. At the moment I am trying to come back to Madrid and enjoy again with other EU programme.

MADRID IS THE CAPITAL OF SPAIN ...BUT ALSO THE CAPITAL OF THE BIGGEST CLUBS IN SPAINDiscotheques and clubs are open every day. During the winter,

out of tourist season, you can get in to many places for free or

get free chupitos. In the spring and summer clubs are totally

filles with locals and tourists. Most of those places are around

Puerta del Sol. Very popular party destinations, for tourists and

for natives of Madrid, are Kapital, Vanila and Ocho y medio. If

you don't like those kind of parties and you prefer rock music,

you should check out Independence or Space Monkey.

For fans of places just to chill out, there are many bars, cafes

and little restaurants in Malasaña. This is a district that people

refer to as a hipsters' zone because is full of young, stylish

Spanish people who sit with their friends in small pubs,

enjoying live music and drinking wine.

Lots of districts for lots of choices

• • •In Madrid you can find many zones which are nice, quiet and good for living for an extended amount of time. It is hard to say which one is the best because the most important thing is to live in area which interests you the most and which is close to your university or work. If you like to go out a lot and be close to

social and art life, you should think about moving into the city center (close to Puerta del Sol or Tribunal subway station). In the city center there are plenty of restaurants, clubs, pubs and other places which offer various different forms of entertainment every day and night. However, this area is also always full of tourists and can be quite noisy and very expensive. The most expensive apartments are found around Puerta del Sol and Retiro Park. For this reason it is better to look for apartments or rooms to rent in other zones which are further away from the center but with a fast subway you can still get there in 10-15 minutes. These zones include Moncloa, la Latina or Delicias. These

areas have housing estates and parks. The cheapest apartments are in the suburbs of Madrid out of zona A. These parts are quite far from the city center but generally have swimming pools for their occupants, cheaper rent and higher standards. To find rooms or apartments for rent you can use websites such as i d e a l i s t a . c o m , fo t o c a s a . e s o r segundamano.es. Usually Spanish a p a r t m e n t s h av e a s e p a r a t e livingroom and it is hard to find studios or double rooms because they are not very common. Many places don't have heating or have only electric heating (which is very expensive) so you have to be mindful of that. Especially when you go to Madrid during the wintertime.

Where to live?

• • •Like in every tourist city, in Madrid there

are “must see” points where everyone who

is visiting Madrid is obligated to go. These

places are: Puerta del Sol, the lake in Retiro

Park, Prado and Reina Sofia museum, Plaza

Mayor and The Royal Palace. But if you stay

longer in the Spanish capital, you will be

lucky to see so much more than what is in

all of the tourist guides. During a sunny day

you can go for a walk through the Botanical

gardens or rose garden in Retiro Park or to

other parklands like Oeste Park, Casa del

Campo, Juan Carlos Park or the green area

around Templo de Debod, where you can see

old ruins of the temple. This uphill

monument is the best place to go to see the

sunset in Madrid. Spain invests a lot in art –

the capital has many public and private

g a l l e r i e s w h i c h p r e s e n t p i e c e s o f

contemporary, modern and classic art.

These galleries are Telefonica, Mapfre or

Caixa Forum.

For free or for a few euros you can visit

these institutions, which hold many

paintings and other visual arts, not only

from Spain, but all around the world.

Madrid is an old city with characteristic

architecture. Renovated buildings and old

churches embellish Madrid’s streets and

a t t r a c t t o u r i s t s a n d a r c h i t e c t u r e

enthusiasts from all over the world.

What to visit?

10 things to do in Madrid on a Sunday

1. !Stroll through Retiro Park

2. ! Visit Circulo de Bellas Artes terrace

3. ! Enjoy tapas and beer

4. !Walking on Plaza Mayor

5. ! Dunk “churros” into chocolate

6. ! Enjoy for free Museo del Prado paintings

7. ! Savour a coffee in Cafe Gijón

8. ! Sunset view from Royal Palace

9. ! Buy delicatessen food in San Miguel Market

10. ! Shopping time!

MUSEUMSMadrid is considered one of the top European destinations concerning art museums. Best known is the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising three museums. The most famous one is the Prado Museum, known for such highlights as Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas and Francisco de Goya's La maja vestida and La maja desnuda. The other two museums are the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, established from a mixed private collection, and the Reina Sofia Museum, where Pablo Picasso's Guernica hangs, returning to Spain from New York after more than two decades.

Do you wanna enjoy Madrid?Let´s go!

• • •

MADRID OFFERS A LOT OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR CITIZENS AND TOURIST. YOU ARE GOING TO BE A CITIZEN IN MADRID FOR A FEW MONTHS, ENJOY!

The best source of information about what is happening right now in Madrid is of course

the Internet or word of mouth. Even with low a budget you can participate in cultural and

s o c i a l e v e n t s . T h e I n t e r n e t p o r t a l madridgratis.net is full of current, free offers.

On madridfree.com you can also find information about events that are taking

place in Madrid. Tickets for exhibitions, concerts or movie projections can also be

obtained for free or for only a few euros, so it would be a pity to not take advantage of these

opportunities. The Spanish calendar abounds in feasts and holidays, which are celebrated

by people on Madrid's streets. It is better to check on the Internet what the government is

preparing for the next national holiday or high day like Christmas, Three Kings day,

Carnival or Easter.

Matadero, Tabacalera or El campo de cebada square are good examples of interesting areas

to v is i t . These p laces used to be a slaughterhouse, a cigarette factory and an

empty square respectively, which, after renovations, changed into places designed for

citizens and art. They are worth visiting because they give you a chance to see the real

life of Madrid's inhabitants, take part in local events and have great time. During the

summer there aren’t as many cultural events

because July and August are summer holidays in Spain and most of the locals leave

Madrid to go to the north of Spain and spend their vacation on the coast. During this time

the best option is to organize some fun activities to do – rent a bike, go for a ride

around Retiro Park, make a picnic with friends or go to one of the public open-air

swimming pools.

If you have a whole day or a weekend off, you can go for a trip out of Madrid. Very popular

tourist destinations are small towns like Toledo, Segovia and Ávila. Toledo is a town

with beautiful landscapes that enraptured famous painter El Greco so much that he

decided to stay there forever. In Segovia you can find a huge aqueduct, which is a relic of

antiquity and Ávila has an impressive complex of medieval walls around the city. It

is located in Mountains of Central Spain which are great for hiking because of the amazing

views and nature.

What to do in your free time?

• • •

DISCOVER SOME TIPS TO BECOME A “MADRILEÑO/A”

Madrid is not on the south of Spain so there is not always a perfect, sunny weather and high

temperatures so it is better to be prepared for bad weather sometimes. During the winter

the temperature is never lower that zero, but it can be a few degrees too cold at night. A

warm coat, scarf and cap are necessary. In the summer, when the sun is high, it is

absolutely obligatory to use a sunscreen (you don't have to sunbath to burn your skin, it

can happen during a long walk down the street), proper clothes (and shoes!) and you

might even need a fan. It is not only a nice, fancy souvenir from Spain but it can be very

useful when you spend a summer in the city. You can buy it everywhere. The best ones are

made from material (not plastic).

Madrid is always full of tourists who are unfortunately unaware of pickpockets. When

you are in the subway or when you walk through the crowd, keep you bag or backpack

in front of you and be careful. Don't attach your backpack to the bike bucket and it is

better to not have with you any valuables like iPhones, tablets or cameras. You can leave

your passport at home and go out with only your ID or an ID copy. Take with you a small

amount of money, only as much as you need at the time. It is better to lose 20 euros rather

than your entire salary or savings.

Before you come to Madrid, try to learn or revise a few basic Spanish sentences. The Spanish

don't speak English very well (I am sorry but it is still true) so it is better to know some

useful words and phrases which can save your life! Or just help you in everyday

s i t u a t i o n s a n d avo i d p r o b l e m s a n d

embarrassment. If you don't speak Spanish at all, learn the sentence No hablo español and

use body language :)

As I wrote before, in Madrid you can survive even with a very limited budget. Grocery shopping

can be done at supermarkets, and in little markets you can buy cheap, fresh, local

produce (like seasonal vegetables and fruits). To not spend a lot of money on food and

entertainment, you can search the Internet for special offers in restaurants and cultural

institutions. You can find them on portals like madridfree.com and madridgratis.net. Many

restaurants and cafes have Facebook pages where they advertise about special offers and

discounts. One of the biggest and the most

famous restaurant chain is called 100 montaditos where every Wednesday and

Sunday they offer their entire menu for only 1 €! Taco Bell is super crowded on Tuesdays

because on that day you can buy a Mexican taco and a beer for 1 € as well. It is just not

worth going there on other days. Many restaurants (e.g. Naif or Bicicleta in

Malasaña) have special lunch menu which is on offer during the week, usually until 4 pm.

Using the Internet portal groupon.es/madrid you can buy coupons with discounts (even

80%!) for dinners, cultural events and various services.

Tips and advices for newcomers in Madrid

Everyone who comes to a new city for the very first time feels lost and insecure. The most important thing in that moment is to not give up. Try to be open to new relationships and friendships, and take advantage of your and other peoples time. It is impossible to meet new friends on the first day in new place. There are

many institutions and events in Madrid which help in situations like this. Couchsurfing.net, besides free hosting and accommodation, organize meetings for people who are new in Madrid and want to go out and spend some time meeting other foreigners, students and travelers.

A good way to make new friendships is tandem linguistico – language exchange. This is where 2 people with different native tongues meet up and help each other to learn a new language. They can teach each other a new language for free and it is the best way to learn useful words and phrases fast and meet local people as well.

How and where to meet people and makenew friends

To meet more inhabitants of Madrid it is better to avoid typical

touristic places like Puerta del Sol or fast food chains like

McDonald's. First, they are overpriced, second – they are

crowded and full of tourists whom aren’t so helpful when trying

to get to know local traditions and people. The Spanish prefer

small tapas bars where you can talk, drink a caña and eat cheap

and delicious tortilla española made by a Spanish grandma.

If you have free time and you would like to do something useful,

you can think about working as a volunteer in one of Madrid's

institutions. Working with Spanish people is a good way to

practice Spanish, meet people who like to do the same things

and to make use of your time doing something creative.

Matadero, for example, organize various cultural events and

debates and in Lavapies you can find alternative groups with

chair meetings, movie projections and performances. On the

Internet portal madridgratis.net you can find actual

information about theatre productions, concerts and parties for

free. Events like these have plenty of inhabitants who like to act

About usYesEuropa is a profess ional network integrated by more than 30.000 users and a high quality database and information source on n a t i o n a l a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l European opportunities which c o n t a i n s t h o u s a n d s o f opportunities.

You can search within YesEuropa by cathegories such as EVS, employment , g rants , pr izes , funding, etc. A special search option also enables you to find what you are looking for.

OUR ASSOCIATION

YesEuropa is fostered by Building Bridges Association, a Spanish NGO with an international team with wide experience in cultural & information management. Building Bridges has created YesEuropa (www.yeseuropa.org) with the support of our members.

It is a unique Spanish initiative for the promotion of national and i n t e r n a t i o n a l E u r o p e a n opportunities for EVS, funding, grants, scholarships, employment, contests , prizes, documents, training, education and so on.

Our organization deals with youth information, education, training and European culture and we work as a h o s t i n g / s e n d i n g p a r t n e r a n d participant for EU programmes.

We managed Eurodesk Programme in Spain through the Spanish Youth Institute and we are part of Team Europa network dependant on the EU Commission in Spain. We collaborate in partnership with several public and private entities.

I n t h e c o n t e x t o f E u r o p e a n Programmes, YesEuropa welcomes p a r t i c i p a n t s f r o m E u r o p e a n

countries as a host or intermediary partner. We have built a network of local partners, and we can provide for a complete programme that includes every type of service r e q u i r e d : a c c o m m o d a t i o n ; placement training; l inguistic training; social activities and a lot more.

Moreover, in the last two years we have trained more than 250 students in cooperation with public universities and the support of the European Social Fund

EU PROGRAMMES

CULTURAL NETWORK

We built a cultural network with more than 30.000 users registered in our site

TRAINING COURSES

We provided training courses in cooperation with public universities to more than 250 students in the last two years

JOBS, GRANTS AND FUNDING

We provide information to our registeded users about EU opportunities abroad

ABOUT YESEUROPA

HOSTING PARTNER IN SPAIN

• • •

We provide services as Hosting Organisation in Erasmus+.

We w i l l c a r r y o u t t h e following tasks which from an integ ral par t of the project:

- Transfer from/to the airport

- Accommodation in the city centre of Madrid

- Meals (half-board or full board)

- Organisation of the practical training for participants

- Organisation of study visits for education and vocational training specialists,

- Issuing of certificates and validation of skills

- Supervision and mentoring services for the participants

- A r r a n g e m e n t o f accommodation and meals as required

- O r g a n i s a t i o n o f l o c a l transport as required

- Arrangement of language courses, technical visits and c u l t u r a l e xc u r s i o n s a s required

- A l l s e r v i c e s a r e i n consistency with the quality commitment

- Preparing and handing of E u r o p a s s M o b i l i t y Certificates and Certificates

- Assistance and tutoring of trainees

- Permanent contact with sending organisation

WHY MADRID

The city is rich in architecture and the intensity of cultural life is overwhelming. The magical charm of its museums and galleries captures every visitor´s attention.

Madrid is the centre of political, cultural and ecnomical activity in Spain The city is at the crossroads of Spain. with thousands of enterprises and many connections to other

WE HELPED THEM DO YOU WANT TO BE THE NEXT ONE?

My overall experience in Madrid was o n e u n fo rge t t a b l e , t h a n k s t o YesEuropa for their valuable work and their professionality

— Rocio, Madrid

Working at my placement as photographer and artists made me develop my skills further, learnt from my colleagues

— Javier, between London and Madrid

Thanks to YesEuropa we enjoyed an European Volunteer Service in Serbia

— Ruth and Angela, Belgrado

Training/Internships

Participants’ work placements in Madrid institutions are arranged in line with the participants’ qualifications. During the individual interviews conducted with each participant on their arrival to Madrid, the participants’ personal abilities and interests will be further discussed.

Work placements are selected by us, taking into account the past experience, skills and

linguistic ability of the participants.

The working language at work placements will be Spanish and in some cases English.

MONITORING AND TUTORING

YESEUROPA organises regular meetings and individual discussions with participants in order to successfully monitor the progress of the programme, and solve any problems that may arise

YESEUROPA TUTORS ARE ON CALL 24/7 IN ANY CASE OF EMERGENCY.

TraineeshipsAvailable areas

Art galleries!Museums!

Human resources!Tourism&Travel!Marketing&CommunicationLanguages

Financial ServicesArchitecture

Education & Training

SOME FACTS FROM OUR WEBSITE

Registered users in our network

30.000Students registered in

our courses

250Cultural opportunities published in our site in

2013

4500

• • •

Participants will be accomodated in apartments with single or double rooms and however there is teh opprtunity to share the appartment with participants coming from other countries in order to improve their cultural and social exchange.

FULLY EQUIPEDAll apartments are equiped with kitchen, washing machine, a large fridge, table, chairs and bathroom with shower.

The apartments are locatel in the city centre close to FábricaCultural offices, the language school and a lot of company partners. Besides the area is served by an urban

bus, subway and extra urban transport trains and buses and every other comfort like bars, restaurants and sport structures.

ABOUT MADRID

While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets.

Its landmarks include the Royal Palace of Madrid; the Teatro Real (Royal theatre) with its restored 1850 Opera House; the Buen Retiro Park, the 19th-century National Library building containing some of Spain's historical archives; a large number of National museums, and the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising three art museums: Prado Museum, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which completes the shortcomings of the other two museums.Cibeles Palace and Fountin have become the monument symbol of the city.

Accommodation and location

10 things to do in Madrid on a Sunday

1. !Stroll through Retiro Park

2. ! Visit Circulo de Bellas Artes terrace

3. ! Enjoy tapas and beer

4. !Walking on Plaza Mayor

5. ! Dunk “churros” into chocolate

6. ! Enjoy for free Museo del Prado paintings

7. ! Savour a coffee in Cafe Gijón

8. ! Sunset view from Royal Palace

9. ! Buy delicatessen food in San Miguel Market

10. ! Shopping time!

MUSEUMSMadrid is considered one of the top European destinations concerning art museums. Best known is the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising three

museums. The most famous one is the Prado Museum, known for such highlights as Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas and Francisco de Goya's La maja vestida and La maja desnuda. The other two museums are the

Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, established from a mixed private collection, and the Reina Sofia Museum, where Pablo Picasso's Guernica hangs, returning to Spain from New York after more than two decades.

• •

Asociación Building Bridges - YesEuropaAvda. Monforte de Lemos 151, 7º 328032 - Madrid+34 626 898 830asociacionbb@gmail.comwww.yeseuropa.org

Contact us

https://www.facebook.com/voluntarioseuropeos

https://twitter.com/fabricacultural

http://www.youtube.com/user/rubiconcultura

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabricacultural/

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/f%C3%A1brica-cultural-oportunidades-culturales/1b/97/274

We will be pleased to answer your questions about this partnership proposal on Erasmus+

Partnerships