Practical aspects of Madrid life
1. Medical insurance
2. Residence permit
3. Cost of living
4. Meals
5. Transport
6. Currency
7. Embassies
8. Emergency service
9. Other information
Generally, students have National Health Insurance, through their family
or independent. Before coming to Madrid, each student must ask his/her National
Health Insurance Office for a form confirming that costs deriving from medical
care through the Spanish Health system will be met. European Community students
must come provided with form E128 and non European Community students with form
E111. With these documents foreign students will receive medical care free of
charge from the National Heath Service doctors and centres. Dentists are usually
not included in these agreements.
Students with private Health
Insurance must make sure that they get insurance for medical care abroad. If
not, they will have to pay for it even though they may be refunded in their
country afterwards.
General
Medicine
Hospital Clínico
Calle Martín
Lago s/n. Ciudad Universitaria
Tel. 34 91 330 37 47
Lung disease
Dispensario Universitario de Enfermedades del Tórax
FACULTAD DE MEDICINA, Pabellones 5 y 6
CLÍNICA NUESTRA SEÑORA DE AMÉRICA
Calle Arturo Soria, 103
CLÍNICA VIRGEN DEL CAMINO
Paseo de las Delicias, 150
When the study period in Spain lasts no more than three months, no
Student Residents Card (equivalent to a residence permit) is required. For a
longer stay European Community students automatically receive a residence permit
on presentation of their acceptance by the Faculty of Education as Erasmus
students.
The Student Residents Card must be applied for in:
Brigada Provincial de Documentación
Calle Los Madrazo nº 9
The following
documents are requested:
-
Identity Card or Passport
-
Grant Certificate and acceptance by the Faculty of Education
-
Medical Insurance
-
3 photographs
-
Address in Spain
The cost of living in Madrid is higher than in other Spanish cities.
For basic maintenance (for
example accommodation, heating, electricity, meals, other expenses), a student
needs approximately 480-510 Euros. Some students may spend more and some less
but inexperienced students are advised to calculate an average of 510 Euros.
This does not include extras (except transport).
The following list gives some help:
.
Transport (Bus and Metro)
Single
fare
1,10 Euros
Ten fares
5,35 Euros
Travel card
35 Euros/month.
Travel card if
under 21: 23,60 Euros. Further information
is provided in tube stations.
.
Newspapers
1 Euro
.
Faculty Self-service
4,10 Euros
.
Ordinary Restaurants
6-12 Euros
.
Cinemas
5,50 Euros
.
Theatre
9-18 Euros
.
Concerts
11-30 Euros
Mealtimes are different from those in other European countries,
especially northern countries. Restaurants usually start to serve meals at 13.30
for lunch and at 21.00 for dinner. Better comply with local habits and have a
sandwich ready for the middle of the morning.
Mediterranean cooking is known for being very healthy. Spain has
excellent meat, fresh fish, vegetables, fruit, cheese, ham, pastry etc... So we
recommend moderate exercise while trying these delicacies or you risk going back
to your country with some extra kilos.
There are very few vegetarian restaurants in Madrid.
a)
Arrival in
Madrid
By air
Madrid-Barajas
Airport
Barcelona
Motorway NII, Km 10.5
Airport
Telephone: 34 913 058 343
Iberia
Air Company: 34 902 400 500
. Airport
Shuttle: Colón Square (from 4:45 a.m. to 1:15 a.m.)
(Price
360 Pts; every 15 minutes; duration: approx. 45 min)
If
you arrive by plane, it is better to get the city centre (Colón Station) by bus
and get a taxi to your accommodation from there. Taxis can be found inside Colón
Station.
. Airport
Tube Station: at the moment you have to make a change to reach the city centre. First
line 8 (Aeropuerto-Mar de Cristal) and then line 4 (Parque de Santa María-Sol).
. Chamartín Station: Calle Agustín de Foxá (Metro: Chamartín)
. Atocha Station:
Glorieta del Emperador Carlos V (Metro: Estación de Atocha)
. Príncipe Pío Station: Paseo
de la Florida (Metro: Norte)
.
RENFE/Railway Information & Reservations: Tel. 34 902 240 202
. Alsa
34 915 282 803
. Enatcar
34 915 279 927
. Estación Continental Auto
34 915 330 400
.
Estación Sur de Autobuses
34 914 684 200 / 34 914 684 511
b)
Getting around Madrid
Buses
Bus time: from 6:00 to 24:00 (depending on the lines)
At
night there is a reduced service starting from Plaza de Cibeles and Puerta del
Sol from 0:00 to 2:00 every 30 min; from 2.00 until 6:00 every hour. Tickets for
buses and underground can be purchased at newsagents, tobacconists and booking
offices for buses and underground.
From
6:00 until 1:30.
White
cars, with a thin red stripe. When they are free they display a green sign on
the windshield, reading LIBRE (FREE), and a green light at night. They must
carry a card with the official fees.
Tel:
RADIOTAXIS 915
478 200/ 914 475 180/914 051 213/913 712 131
The
EURO is the only currency in Spain. Bank cards (Visa Card, Master Card, American
Express) are well accepted for any kind of purchase (clothes, food, restaurants,
etc.).
Banking
hours: from 9:00 - 14:00 (Monday through Friday)
Germany
(49)
Calle
Fortuny, 8.................................... 915
579 000
Austria
(43)
Paseo de la Castellana, 91...................
915 565 315
Belgium (32)
Paseo de la Castellana, 18...................
917 351 324
Bulgaria (359)
Calle Santa Mª Magdalena, 15..............
913 455 761
Czeck Republic (42)
Calle Caídos División Azul, 22...............
913 503 606
Cyprus (357)
Calle Serrano, 23...................................
915 759 532
Denmark (45)
C/ Claudio Coello, 91............................
914 318 445
Finland (358)
Paseo de la Castellana, 15...................
913 196 172
France (33)
Calle Salustiano Olozaga, 6..................
914 238 900
United Kingdom (44)
Calle Fernando el Santo, 16...................
913 190 200
Greece (30)
Avenida Doctor Arce, 24........................
915 644 653
Hungary (36)
Calle Ángel de Diego Roldán, 21............ 914
137 011
Ireland (353)
Paseo de la Castellana, 43.....................
914 364 093
Iceland
(354)
Edificio
Eurobuilding. Calle Juan Ramón
Jiménez 8, 1ª planta, Oficina 15
............................... 913 452 059
Italy (39)
Calle Lagasca, 98...................................
915 776 529
Lithuania (370)
Calle Fortuny,
19..................................... 913
102 075
Norway (47)
Paseo de la Castellana, 31....................
913 103 116
Netherlands (31)
Avenida Comandante Franco, 32...........
913 590 914
Poland (34)
Calle Guisando, 23 bis...........................
913 736 605
Portugal (351)
Calle Pinar,
1......................................... 915
617 800
Slovenia (386)
Calle Hermanos Bécquer, 7....................
914 116 893
Sweden (46)
Calle Caracas, 25...................................
913 081 535
Switzerland (41)
Calle Núñez de Balboa, 35....................
914 363 960
Emergency
General Phone
112
Campus
Police Station
915 479 501
Citizen's
Information line
010
City
Ambulances (SAMUR)
092
Clínico
Hospital
913 303 747
Fire
Brigade
080
Gregorio
Marañón Hospital
915 868 000
City
Police
092
National
Police
091
Red
Cross
915 222 222
Social
Security
061
Tele-ruta
(Information about roads)
900 123 505
UCM
Emergencies
914 462 675
Ward
Chemist’s
098
HELPLINE
915 591 393
(Information
service and confidential help for English speakers in Madrid, run by the US and
British embassies' community health programme)
Students must bring a dozen identity photographs. As for clothes, they
should be comfortable. Winters are not very cold in Madrid but a coat is useful.
Other information: Students coming from Ireland and the UK must bring a continental
adapter for their appliances.
For those students interested in co-operation and humanitarian help,
there is a NGO at the University “Solidarios para el Desarrollo”. Any
benevolent collaboration will be accepted with pleasure.
Finally, in the Cooperativa de Estudiantes (T.I.V.E.), at the crossroads
of Calle Isaac Peral and Fernando el Católico, it is possible to find many
kinds of stationary items as well as train or plane tickets with special prices
for students, accommodation ads...
Madrid, January
2004
Soledad
GUARDIA GONZÁLEZ
Chantal
RONCHI FERRARI