Come Alone · English
You just moved to Madrid. This page walks you through the first month: paperwork in order with official links, and this week's events you can go to on your own and meet people.
Register at your district's municipal register: it unlocks the health card and other paperwork, and it is open to all foreign residents. Bring your passport or foreigner card, proof of your home and the padrón form.
An anonymous rechargeable card for single and 10-trip tickets. Once you are registered, move to the personal transport card and the 30-day pass.
Multi card (CRTM) · Personal card (CRTM) · Tickets and fares
Use the official immigration appointment portal and pick the exact procedure (NIE assignment, TIE fingerprints or TIE collection).
You need it before you start work. Apply with form TA.1 online or at the Treasury office; if you have a contract, your employer can do it with you.
You need to be registered in the Community of Madrid and entitled to public healthcare. Ask for an appointment at your health centre.
Join a workshop at your district cultural centre, or go to one of the events below: they are picked because it is easy to go alone and talk to people.
Rules change: always confirm on the official page before you go.
Free or low-cost places, open to everyone, where you can chat, practise a language and make friends. Check each page for upcoming dates.
Free conversation groups in Madrid's municipal libraries where you chat in Spanish about all sorts of topics and meet a mix of people. Ages 16+; check the page for dates and branches.
A free weekly club from Madrid's municipal libraries where you read and discuss short stories in English, aimed at B2 level and up. Check the page for dates and sign-up.
Madrid's municipal libraries run free workshops, including language workshops to learn or brush up a language. See the current list and sign up on the page.
Madrid City Council's volunteering programme: pick a community project, practise Spanish in real situations and meet people in your neighbourhood.
A big public group running language exchanges in Madrid bars, with games to break the ice. Many events have free entry; check the page for upcoming dates.
A free interpretive walk through the Quinta de Torre Arias, a historic estate turned public park in eastern Madrid: old trees, gardens and the story of the place, with a guide. Calm and easy to join on your own.
A free guided urban hike through the Tetuán de las Victorias district, starting from the Dehesa de la Villa environmental centre. Walk, discover the neighbourhood and talk with other walkers.
A free two-hour guided walk along the Paseo del Prado and the Retiro area — the UNESCO “Landscape of Light”: the Prado, the Jerónimos church, Neptune and Apollo fountains, the Bank of Spain, Cibeles and the Puerta de Alcalá, all seen from outside. An easy way to explore the city with other people.
A free guided visit to the San Fermín public library in Usera: its award-winning modern architecture, its spaces and its role as a meeting place for the neighbourhood. Small group (25 places) — easy to chat with the others along the way.
A free one-hour talk on how literary tertulias were born and worked in Madrid's legendary cafés — Gijón, Comercial, Levante, Fornos and Pombo. A nice start for anyone who likes conversation, books and city history.
A free concert by Argentine guitarist and composer Gabriel Szternsztejn and his quartet: jazz mixed with tango and Latin-American rhythms, acoustic sound and lots of improvisation.
A free evening recital for piano and voice in a neighbourhood garden: opera arias, zarzuela and classical songs in several languages, presented in a close, accessible way. A relaxed outdoor plan for the evening.
A free Sunday show by the company Música y Raíz: copla, rumba, pasodoble, sevillanas, rancheras, bulerías and flamenco — a lively introduction to Spanish folk music.
A free performance of a rarely staged comic zarzuela by Barbieri, by the company La Soubrette: humour, mix-ups and witty characters. A great first taste of Madrid's own operetta.
Got through a piece of paperwork? Make a card to celebrate →
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Come Alone → Meet & Mint
Choose something this week from the list on this page — easy to join on your own.
See who's going. If the event isn't in the app yet, tap “+” to add it and gather a group.
Write in the event chat and agree where to meet before you arrive.
Walk in already knowing a name or two — a good start in a new city.
The app · Meet & Mint
Meet & Mint is our app: come-alone events and people to go with. It is not a government service. Many of the events on this page are also in the app.
Meet & Mint: Events & FriendsiPhone · Android
Who else is going?See it in the Meet & Mint app.
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