You will find some useful advice for preparing for your exchange to the UPM, as well as information that will be of use during your time in Madrid
European Citizens
Spain is a member of the Schengen agreement. Citizens from any European Union country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein only need a valid national identity document or passport. Citizens from Ireland and Cyprus will require a passport since their countries are not members of the Schengen Area.
Non-European Citizens
Depending on your nationality and the length of your stay, citizens from non-EU countries may need a visa to enter Spain. Please see the website of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information. Select your country, delegation, service (category) and consular service.
You can apply for a Schengen visa at the Spanish delegation (embassy or consulate) in the country where you reside or are entitled to reside. In some countries, you may apply for a visa to an outside agency. You can find the addresses and websites of the Spanish Embassies and Consulates here:
https://www.exteriores.gob.es/en/EmbajadasConsulados/Paginas/index.aspx.
It is your own responsibility to apply for a visa. UPM cannot offer any assistance other than provide a letter of acceptance. This letter will help you to apply for a visa.
Insurance is important to avoid the financial challenges of unexpected accident, travel, medical, repatriation expenses and ensure that you have access to immediate and proper medical care wherever you travel.
HEALTH INSURANCE
State-provided healthcare
The Spanish National Health System comprises a widespread network of hospitals and healthcare centres across the country. Healthcare centres provide primary care, while specialist service (requiring referral) is available at outpatient clinics and hospitals.
If you are from a country within the European Union, all you need to do is apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in your own country. This will give you access to state-provided healthcare during your stay in Spain under the same conditions as Spanish nationals. Students who have a chronic disease and are already receiving ongoing health care must provide an E112 or S2 from their country of origin, as well as their EHIC.
Once you are in Madrid, you will need to find out which is your designated health centre. This will depend on where you live in the Community of Madrid. You will be required to show your EHIC or a current replacement certificate at your designated health centre, where you will be treated by the emergency service or, if necessary, receive ongoing care (by a family doctor who will refer you to a specialist, if necessary).
For information about state-provided healthcare in Madrid visit the following web page: https://www.comunidad.madrid/servicios/salud/asistencia-sanitaria
If you are from outside the European Union but your country has signed a healthcare agreement with Spain, you will need to enquire about the necessary procedures in your own country.
Private Health Insurance
If your country does not have a social security system and has not signed a healthcare agreement with Spain, you will need to take out private health insurance. Your policy must in all cases provide full health cover for the entire duration of you stay at the UPM. You may take out a policy in your country of origin or when you arrive in Spain.
INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY STUDENT INSURANCE
All students, irrespective of their country of origin, are required to take out insurance especially designed for international mobility students to cover risks not covered by the EHIC like rescue and repatriation. The UPM has an agreement with the On-Campus insurance company, for which international students are eligible. This policy includes accident insurance, healthcare insurance, travel insurance, private liability, etc.
BY PLANE
There are daily flights between Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport and the main European capitals and to other major cities around the world, as well as daily flights to other major airports in Spain. Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport is 13 km from the centre of Madrid off the A-2 (Madrid- Barcelona). It has four terminals: T1, T2, T3 and T4.
Adolfo Suárez Madrid – Barajas Airport information: http://www.aena.es/en/madrid-barajas-airport/ index.html
BY TRAIN
Madrid has two train stations:
Chamartín: Located in the north of the city, this station has services to and connects Madrid with northwestern Spain, providing a highspeed (AVE) train service to Segovia and León and long-distance trains to Corunna, Ferrol, Bilbao, Gijón, Oviedo, Vigo, Pontevedra and Santander. Address: Calle Agustín de Foxá, s/n
Metro station: Chamartín.
Atocha: Located in the south of the city, this station has services to and from Andalusia, Barcelona, Valencia, Estremadura and Portugal. Most Spanish highspeed trains (AVE) arrive and depart from Atocha, and it is also the central station for local trains in the Madrid area. It is connected by the underground system (Metro) to the Chamartín train station.
Address: Glorieta del Emperador Carlos V
Metro station: Atocha-Renfe.
Spanish train network https://www.renfe.com/es/en
BY BUS
Estación Sur de Autobuses (Madrid South Coach Station) is the largest coach station in Madrid. From here you can take a coach to most Spanish and European cities. Check the information in your own country due to possible timetable changes.
Address: Calle Méndez Álvaro, 83 28045 Madrid
Further information is available at: https://estacionsurmadrid.avanzagrupo.com/
BY CAR
Entry into Spain by road is through France or Portugal. If you are travelling from France, you can take one of the following expressways:
A1: Irun-Burgos-Madrid
A2: La Junquera-Barcelona-ZaragoZa-Madrid
AP7: French border-Barcelona; A2: Barcelona- Madrid
If you are travelling from Portugal, take the A5 Badajoz-Madrid Provincial Traffic Headquarters (Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico) Tel: +34 91 3018500
Travel times to Madrid:
From Barcelona – 6 hours 30 minutes.
From Seville – 5 hours 15 minutes.
From Lisbon – 5 hours 40 minutes.
Expressways (autovías) are labelled with the letter A; motorways (autopistas) are labelled with the letters AP; national roads with more than one carriageway between cities and towns are labelled with the letter N; and the Madrid ring roads are labelled by the letter M.
Expressways, motorways and the main national roads are labelled by a letter followed by either one, two or three dig its. Many of the motorways are toll roads. Driving in Spain is on the right and no – one under the age of 18 may hire or drive a vehicle of more than 75 cc. Seatbelts must be used in all seats of any type of vehicle in which they are fitted. The use of helmets is compulsory on motorcycles.
The speed limits for cars and motorcycles are 120 km/h on expressways, 100 km/h on dual carriageways, 90 km/h on roads outside built-up areas, 50 km/h in cities or towns and 20 km/h in residential areas.
Driving or riding a bicycle is not permitted with a blood alcohol limit of more than 0.5 grams per litre or a breath alcohol content of more than 0.25 grams per litre.
The use of mobile telephones or any other system or method of communication while driving is prohibited.
A points system operates in Spain, which awards an initial credit of 12 points to all drivers. Points are lost for certain driving offences.
Foreign visitors require a driving licence that is valid for Spain. Driving licences from all European Union countries are accepted, although citizens of countries such as the USA, Canada and Australia must obtain an international licence.
Every car on the road in Spain is required by law to have civil liability insurance that covers all possible third party damage in the case of accident and must also carry documentation at all times to prove it is insured.
A Green Card (Tarjeta Verde) is also recommended, although this is only compulsory for drivers from countries outside the European Union.
Drivers in difficulty can contact Roadside Assistance (Ayuda en Carretera), a service operated by the Civil Guard, from the SOS phones located along the roadsides.
Airport transfer
There are several public transport options for your transfer from Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport to Madrid city centre. You can travel by underground (https://short.upm.es/rme0b), train (https://short.upm.es/wwfz7), bus (https://short.upm.es/8470h), taxi (https://short.upm.es/bsu03) or vehicle for hire (https://short.upm.es/4vnw1).
Public transport in Madrid
There is a very good public transport network in Madrid.
Multicard
You will require a multicard to travel on the Madrid underground system. You can also use your multicard to travel on urban and and interurban buses (although you can buy single bus tickets onboard). You can acquire your transport multicard for €2.50 and recharge your card with single (€1.50) and ten-trip (€6.10) tickets at Metro de Madrid and Light Rail (ML1, ML2 and ML3) automatic ticket machines.
Place your multicard on the ticket reader, and a trip will be discounted every time you use the card. Your card balance will appear on screen. More than one passenger can travel using the same card, provided that they stay together.
For more information, visit: https://www.metromadrid.es/en/travel-in-the-metro/card-types
Personal transport card
Your personal transport card allows you to travel by metro, bus and train everywhere in Madrid (and also to Toledo & Guadalajara). This card costs €4. It needs to be recharged every 30 days. Students aged under 26 years can opt for a Monthly Youth Pass and travel throughout the Madrid region for €20. For students older than 26, the cost will depend on the transport zone in which you intend to travel regularly. More information on transport zones is available here: https://www.crtm.es/billetes-y-tarifas/zonas-tarifarias.aspx?lang=en.
You can charge your card at metro and train stations and via the Madrid transport card app. We strongly suggest that you make an online appointment before arrival (30 days in advance) to obtain your card in person as soon as possible upon arrival in Madrid. Having your card from the moment you arrive will save you a lot of money.
Click here to make your appointment.
Public transport maps
For transport maps, see below.
Underground network map (https://short.upm.es/h9ac5)
More information on Madrid’s underground network is available at: https://www.metromadrid.es/en/linea/linea-1. You can download the app from here: https://www.metromadrid.es/en/travel-in-the-metro/apps.
Regional train network map (https://short.upm.es/j89uz)
More information on Madrid’s regional train network and tariffs is available at: https://www.renfe.com/es/en/suburban/suburban-madrid. You can download the official app from https://www.renfe.com/es/es/viajar/informacion-util/aplicaciones.
City bus network (https://short.upm.es/vt349). You can download the official app from https://opendata.emtmadrid.es/Aplicaciones.
BiciMAD public electric bike service map (https://www.bicimad.com/en/map)
More information on Madrid’s electric bike service is available at: https://www.bicimad.com/en/bicimad
Madrid is the capital of Spain and the largest municipality in both the Community of Madrid and Spain as a whole. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), after Berlin. Madrid lies in the centre of both the country and the Community of Madrid (which comprises the city of Madrid, its conurbation and extended suburbs and villages). As the capital city of Spain, seat of government, and residence of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the political, economic and cultural centre of the country.
Metropolitan Madrid has the second-largest GDP in the European Union, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, environment, media, fashion, science, culture, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world’s major cities. Madrid is home to two world-famous football clubs, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. Due to its economic output, high standard of living, and market size, Madrid is considered to be the leading economic hub of the Iberian Peninsula and Southern Europe. It hosts the head offices of the vast majority of major Spanish companies, such as Telefónica, IAG or Repsol.
While Madrid possesses modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets. Its landmarks include the Royal Palace of Madrid, the Royal Theatre with its restored 1850 Opera House. Madrid’s Landscape of Light, covering the Paseo del Prado, from Plaza de Cibeles to Glorieta de Atocha, the whole of El Retiro Park and the neighbourhood of Los Jerónimos, was granted World Heritage Site status on 25 July 2021. The site contains an abundance of institutions that are exceptional for their sheer number as well as their diversity, including the 19th-century National Library building (founded in 1712) containing some of Spain’s historical archives, three art museums —Prado Museum, the Reina Sofía Museum, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum—, the Cibeles Palace and Fountain and the Puerta de Alcalá gate. Download a city map at https://www.esmadrid.com/sites/default/files/mapa_turistico_madrid_01102022.pdf.
For more information, see:
It can be a big, exciting and sometimes daunting change moving to another country to study. Here is some information about UPM student services and resources that may help you settle in at UPM.
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid does not have on-campus accommodation. Students coming to UPM are expected to find their own place to stay. There are two main options: a room in a shared flat or a room at a student residence. Check out the location of the UPM School at which you will be studying and select the best neighbourhood to live bearing in mind public transport options. Public transport within Madrid is very good and economical for students.
Average rental prices in Madrid are:
Bear in mind that your rent in a shared flat may not include bills (electricity, water, cleaning, WiFi, gas, taxes). In this case, you should budget for an extra €50 per month. Also take into account that the huge majority of landlords will ask you for a deposit at check-in usually equivalent to one month’s rent. This deposit will be refunded to you at the end of your stay provided you leave the accommodation in good condition. This means that you will have to pay the first month’s rent plus the deposit. To avoid scams, beware of unusually low prices and check the landlord’s identity.
Shared flats:
Please note that these rental platforms will charge a booking fee. However, they are more trustworthy than free rental platforms and provide support.
Student residences:
Fundación Gómez Pardo Residencia Universitaria
Temporary accommodation
There is a wide range of temporary accommodation in Madrid, which you can book over the usual platforms that you trust. For youth hostels, check out this search engine:
Accommodation:
Full-board at student residence: €450 – €2000 per month (depending on accommodation choice)
Transport:
Single trip €1.50 to €2 depending on zone
10-trip pass: €12.20
Monthly pass: €20 to €82 depending on zone and age
Food & drink:
Cheap: no-frills meal = 15-20 €
Average: quality meal = 25-30 €
Expensive: good quality meal in a posh environment = 40-50 €
Lunchtime menu: €13
Fast food menu: €8
Bottle of water: 1.55
Soft drink: €2.15
Beer: €3.50
Social activities:
Museum entrance:
Adult: » €14
Concessions: » €8
Cinema ticket: »€9.00 (€5.00 on spectator day depending on cinemas)
Nightclubs: » €10 /€20
