There’s nothing worse than being confined to your desk all day studying with only your Spanish books to keep you company. A change of scenery and some human interaction helps reset your brain so take your books and laptop to a café for a few hours. Madrid is home to numerous work-friendly cafes with big tables, free WiFi and good coffee (what more do you need?). Here are our picks for the best cafes for study time in Madrid.
Top Cafes for learning Spanish in Madrid
Cafe de la Luz
Where: Calle de la Puebla 8, Madrid
Café de La Luz is your living room away from home. The cozy, welcoming café is complete with comfy armchairs and lighting that’s ideal for quietly burying your head in your book. There’s no end of snacks available when hunger strikes and they have a large menu of coffee and teas to work your way through. Go there in the afternoon and then stay on for cocktails as the places becomes lively at nighttime.
La Bicicleta
Where: Plaza de San Ildefonso 9, Madrid
This is an all-in-one café, workplace, cycling club and gallery space in Malasaña. So if you love bikes and coffee and you’re looking for a laidback, well-lit, spacious place to study your español then this is your spot. Rather than juggling your books, coffee and sandwich around one small table, there is a special designated workspace in the café with big tables, no time limits and lots of natural light from the windows. There are also universal chargers and lockable drawers (they thought of everything). The mismatched vintage furnishings and the bikes hanging from the ceilings adds some character to the room and you can reward yourself with a freshly baked French croissant after a solid study session. They’re also working on a designated DIY bike corner where you can pump up your tires and give you bike some much needed TLC. Closed on Mondays during the summer.
Lolina Vintage Cafe
Where: Calle del Espíritu Santo 9, Madrid
If you can’t find a space at La Bicicleta, head around the corner to the retro Lolina Vintage Café. After hours spent in the classroom, the fun, colorful wallpaper and funky tunes will brighten your mood and add some pizazz to your study time. Take a seat at one of their comfy sofas, order one of their imaginative hot dog options and a shake and get cracking on those Spanish verb conjugations. After a few hours of hard study, you can treat yourself to a pareja perfecta (a mojito and a piece of cake).
La Infinito
Where: Calle de los Tres Peces 22, Madrid
This arty little café situated in the Lavapies neighborhood welcomes students and their books or laptops during the week (but it’s not such a great place to work over the weekend or on holidays as it can get very busy). If you want a break from study, you can get stuck into one of the books from their shelves and order yourself some tasty tapas.
Swinton & Grant
Where: Calle Miguel Servet 21, Madrid
This dynamic space comprises of an art gallery, bookshop and café and is a must for street art lovers. It offers a quiet, relaxed space to do a few hours of productive study. Surrounded by inspiring contemporary artwork on the walls, it’s a great place to let your creative juices flow. Strike up a conversation with the person on the neighboring table and practice your art vocab. The teas and homemade cakes are a great accompaniment.
La Colectiva Café
Where: Francisco de Rojas 9, Madrid
This modern, plant-loving vegan bakery and hipster coffee shop in Chamberí caters to those wanting to get out of the house and work with a secret workspace downstairs. There’s ample space to set up study camp for the day. You just have to order and collect your food and drinks from the counter upstairs. Coffee snobs will love the pride that goes into making a coffee at La Colectiva and the menu del día is always a great, healthy deal for lunch.
1000 Cups Café
Where: Glorieta Quevedo 5, Madrid
You can get your coffee made every which way in this friendly establishment, choosing from a menu of coffee beans from different parts of the world, whether you prefer fruitier Ethiopian beans or rich Colombian beans. It’s a popular place for people looking to work, as there are plenty of communal tables and smaller tables to sit at and study in a chilled environment.
Discovered any other good cafes to study in in Madrid? Share them with our readers in the comments section below.
Originally published on Ailola by Sophie Lloyd on August 13, 2018.
