Cava, grapes at midnight in Plaza del Sol, red bows in shop windows, artisanal markets…There are many traditions and customs repeated year after year during Christmas in Madrid. Even the never ending lines of people waiting to but their Christmas Lottery ticket has become something that without it Christmas wouldn’t be the same. Apart from keeping your fingers crossed hoping your lucky number comes out here are a few more suggestions for a memorable Christmas in Madrid.

After a late night there is nothing better than waking up late, throwing on your most comfortable clothes and heading out for brunch. Lucky for us, brunch in Madrid has become a very popular way to kick start those lazy weekend days. So if you are looking for somewhere to eat between the hours of 12pm and 5pm for under 25€ follow us as we take you on a tour of Madrid’s best brunches.

After a long night of partying in Madrid, there is nothing better than having some delicious chocolate con churros and watch the street lights go out as the sun slowly come up on the horizon. Churros, crunchy and energetic, are the perfect accompaniment to the strong and thick chocolate. A sweet tradition that goes back to the beginning of the 19th century and one you can’t miss on your holidays in Madrid.

Located in an emblematic enclave in the centre of Madrid, on the corner of Alcala Street with Gran Via, the roof top terrace of the Círculo de Bellas Artes is one of the city’s best kept secrets.

The Olavide apartments are in the Chamberí neighbourhood, a safe residential area close to the university but far from the hectic centre of Madrid. In Chamberí there are a lot of cultural activities and many different types of mansions and historic buildings, nerromantic, modernist, gothic and neomudejar…

Lavapiés is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Madrid. Over the last few decades it was a cheap neighbourhood which attracted people both young and old, immigrants from all over the world: Moroccans, Indians, Chinese…Lavapiés has progressively modernised over the last two years and today it offers a multicultural and bohemian environment whose residents live on the most cosmopolitan neighbourhood of Madrid.

The question on every football fans lips is can Borussia Dortmund prevent Real Madrid from making it into the final of the Champions League 2013, thus ending Real’s hopes for a tenth European Cup. For Dortmund fans the answer is yes and of course for Real fans no. With the first leg only days away now is the time to start looking for accommodation in Madrid for the Champions League 2013 Semi-Final clash between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the Bernabeu on the 30th of April 2013.

The Champions League Quarter Final draw has seen Spanish side Real Madrid drawn against current Turkish League leaders Galatasaray. The first leg will be played in Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium the 3rd of April and the return leg on the 9th of April in the Türk Telekom Arena.

In the last few years, Spain has fallen in love with gin and tonic and is the number one consumer per capita of gin and tonics in Europe and third in the world. For long time lovers of gin and tonic this rise in popularity has had two positive effects: the first being the availability of more than 240 different brands of gin and the second is the proliferation of bars and cocktail bars where you can enjoy a gin and tonic prepared with the utmost care and sophistication.

Imagine under the one enormous tent acrobats and clowns, strength and fragility, harmony and chaos…circus at its most pure. All this is Kooza (box in Sanskrit), the new Cirque du Soleil spectacle.