Madrid, Spain · Capacity: 55,000
185,000 m² festival venue in the Villaverde district of south Madrid — host site of Mad Cool Festival, powered fully by renewable energy.
This purpose-built festival site on the edge of Madrid is the home of Mad Cool, the Spanish capital's marquee summer music festival, drawing global rock, pop and electronic headliners over several days.
Madrid backs it with late-night energy, tapas and world-class museums.
Below are the Madrid stays, restaurants and bars fans use for Mad Cool.
Hotels, bars, restaurants and things to do near Iberdrola Music in Madrid — every pick web-researched and source-cited, closest to the venue first.
Set in a converted 19th-century palace near Atocha station, Only YOU Hotel is a stylish and well-priced base for sports travellers heading to both the Bernabéu and the Metropolitano, with direct metro access to both stadiums. The hotel's buzzing bar and communal spaces attract a young, international sports crowd during La Liga and Champions League weeks. The rooftop pool with Madrid skyline views makes early evening pre-match preparation rather glamorous.
Tucked in a quiet 19th-century palace in the Alonso Martínez neighborhood, Hotel Orfila is a discreet five-star retreat favored by sports executives, visiting coaches, and athletes who want genuine luxury away from the tourist crowds. The 32-room hotel is centrally positioned for easy access to both the Bernabéu and the Metropolitano, and its elegant garden terrace is the perfect post-match debrief spot. It's been the Madrid hideaway of choice for discerning sports travelers for decades.
Set in a 19th-century palace in Madrid's vibrant Chueca neighborhood, Only YOU combines historic architecture with modern design. Its central location makes it a perfect base for fans catching matches at the Bernabeu or exploring Madrid's legendary nightlife.
Overlooking Plaza de España, this contemporary design hotel features a spectacular rooftop terrace with a pool and panoramic city views. Connected to the metro, fans can reach the Bernabéu in minutes. The rooftop Ginkgo Sky Bar is the perfect spot for pre-match drinks as the sun sets over Madrid.
A five-star design hotel near Plaza Santa Ana with a rooftop pool terrace and a stunning art collection featuring Egyptian and Papua New Guinean pieces. Its central location between Sol and Retiro makes it a favorite for fans attending Real Madrid and Atlético matches.
Founded in 1904 on Plaza Santa Ana, this was Ernest Hemingway's favourite Madrid watering hole. Cervecería Alemana still serves cold cerveza and classic tapas in a time-capsule interior. On match nights, the terrace buzzes with fans watching the action on the plaza's big screens.
This time-capsule sherry bar near Puerta del Sol has barely changed since the Spanish Civil War, with a strict no-photos policy and dusty bottles lining the walls. For fans seeking an authentic Madrid experience between matchdays, there is nothing more real than La Venencia.
Open since 1931 on Gran Vía, Museo Chicote has served cocktails to Hemingway, Ava Gardner, and generations of madridistas celebrating Real Madrid triumphs. The art deco interior remains gloriously intact, and the bartenders still mix drinks with the kind of ceremony that makes every toast feel historic.
Madrid's iconic underground music club has been operating since the movida madrileña cultural explosion of the 1980s and remains the spiritual home of the city's alternative music scene. The intimate basement venue has hosted debut Spanish performances by artists who went on to global fame, and its walls feel saturated with the energy of decades of passionate concerts. For fans who want to experience Madrid's authentic rock and pop culture, El Sol is essential.
Consistently ranked among the World's 50 Best Bars, Salmon Guru in the Barrio de Las Letras is Madrid's most exciting cocktail destination and a reliable celebrity haunt for visiting athletes and touring musicians. Diego Cabrera's creative, irreverent cocktail menu changes seasonally, and the neon-lit, eclectic interior makes every visit feel like an event. Real Madrid and Atlético players are known to unwind here after Champions League nights.
Madrid's most popular expat sports bar in the upscale Salamanca district, packed with football fans for every El Clásico and Champions League night. With its authentic pub atmosphere and giant screens, it is where international fans gather for the big games.
Open since 1860 and just a short walk from the Puerta del Sol, Casa Labra is revered for its salt cod croquetas and is where Madrileño football fans have been fuelling up on match-day afternoons for generations. The standing-room bar section maintains the original 19th-century tiles and marble countertop as though time stopped with Franco. Ordering a plate of soldaditos de Pavía and a glass of house wine here is one of Madrid's great pre-stadium rituals.
Bodegas Rosell is a classic old-Madrid bodega dating to 1895, serving cold vermouth from the barrel, generous plates of cocido madrileño, and fried calamari in an atmosphere that has barely changed in a century — the sort of place Real Madrid legends reportedly ducked into after training. The tiled walls and marble bar counter are postcard-perfect, and the proximity to the Latina neighborhood makes it an ideal pre- or post-match detour for fans exploring the city. Order the house vermouth and a tapa of boquerones — it's the Madrid sporting pilgrimage in miniature.
Legendary Madrid paella restaurant near the Reina Victoria theatre, serving Valencian rice dishes since 1935. A go-to for football fans seeking authentic Spanish cuisine before or after a match at the Santiago Bernabéu, just a short metro ride away.
This stunning iron-and-glass market near Plaza Mayor is a temple to Spanish gastronomy. Over 30 stalls serve tapas, jamón ibérico, fresh oysters, and croquetas alongside wine and vermouth. Fans love the grazing format before or after catching Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The Guinness World Record holder for the world's oldest restaurant, open since 1725, Botín in Madrid's old quarter is a bucket-list dining experience that every sports fan visiting the capital should attempt. The cochinillo asado — roasted suckling pig from a wood-fired oven that has burned continuously for 300 years — is the undisputed centrepiece. Hemingway wrote about eating here after bullfights; today's visitors come after Real Madrid matches or Champions League nights.
Recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world since 1725, Botín near Plaza Mayor serves legendary Castilian roast suckling pig and lamb from its original wood-fired oven. A bucket-list meal for fans visiting Madrid for matches at the Bernabéu.
The march to Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano on matchday — through the Rivas-Vaciamadrid roads lined with Atleti scarves and flares — is one of European football's most visceral fan experiences, driven by the intensely loyal Frente Atlético ultras whose drums and songs fill the air a mile from the gates. The 68,000-seat stadium itself is a marvel of modern architecture, and the cauldron atmosphere inside makes it arguably the most electric ground in Spain. Complete the experience at one of the fan bars ringing the stadium before kick-off.
Madrid's FNAC Callao store hosts free in-store concerts and signings that have become a beloved institution for Spanish music fans, creating intimate access to major artists that ticket prices can never buy. The store's central Gran Vía location makes impromptu visits easy during any Madrid music trip. Fans who time their visit right find themselves metres from artists who are filling arenas the same week.
The completely rebuilt Bernabéu is now one of the world's most technologically advanced sports and entertainment venues, with its retractable roof and 360-degree video halo transforming it into a concert venue of unmatched spectacle. The stadium museum's collection of European Cups makes any sports fan feel the weight of Real Madrid's extraordinary history. Taylor Swift, Metallica, and other global megastars have played to 80,000 screaming fans in what has become the most in-demand concert venue in Spain.
Atlético Madrid's spectacular modern stadium has been called the best fan experience in European football, with the steep stands creating an atmosphere so intense it has visibly rattled visiting teams in Champions League ties. The Rojiblanco faithful are legendary for their passionate support, and attending a big European night here is considered a bucket-list experience for football fans. The stadium's dramatic lighting and impeccable facilities set a new standard for the matchday experience.
Opened in 2017 and already the host of a Champions League final, the Wanda Metropolitano is a cathedral of modern football design and the passionate home of Atlético de Madrid. The stadium tour — covering the changing rooms, player tunnel, press room, and the extraordinary Atlético museum — captures the club's underdog ethos and relentless fight. The stadium's curved bowl creates an atmosphere that consistently ranks among the most intimidating in European football.
Madrid's premier indoor arena hosts everything from intimate 5,000-seat concerts to full productions for 16,000 fans, with a reputation for exceptional sound quality and fan comfort that touring artists specifically request. Its central Ventas location makes it one of Europe's most accessible major venues, just steps from the metro. Spanish basketball culture at Real Madrid's home games here is a revelation for fans accustomed only to football's dominance.
Iberdrola Music in Madrid is tracked across 1 event and seats 55,000 fans. Here's how fans build a trip around it:
Check back for celebrity sighting reports from Iberdrola Music.
Iberdrola Music has a capacity of 55,000 people.
Mad Cool Festival 2026 are among the events held at Iberdrola Music.
