Madrid, Spain’s vibrant capital city, is a popular destination for digital nomads seeking Spanish culture, nightlife, warm weather, wine, tapas and much more.
While arch-rival Barcelona may have beaches on offer, Madrid serves up its own distinctive “Castellano flavour” that you maybe won’t experience quite as much in Barcelona. Both cities are quite distinctive and Madrid certainly holds its own as a digital nomad destination.
While Barcelona perhaps offers a more northern European feel, Madrid feels deeply Spanish through and through. Madrid is a truly international capital city with a large expat community and of course, plenty of digital nomads or what we prefer to call Global Circlers buzzing around with their laptops.
The population of the metropolitan area of Madrid is around 3.3 million and the population of the greater Madrid area is around 6.7 million.
Madrid is the third-largest city in the EU, after London and Berlin, and Madrids’ metropolitan area is the third-largest in the European Union after London and Paris. This means there’s plenty to do when you shut down your laptop and are ready for some fun!
The downside of Madrid is that it can get chilly in the winter and very hot in the summer. Most locals escape to the Costa del Sol during the summer to escape the heat which can reach 35 or even 40 degrees at times.
The best times to enjoy Madrid are spring and autumn where the weather is gorgeous and you can enjoy the outdoor Spanish lifestyle to the fullest.
We’ve created our guide to the best laptop-friendly cafes to remote work in Madrid where you can soak up the local vibes while sipping on a cafe con leche if you want to experience traditional Spanish coffee or go full barista with a speciality coffee, you’ll get it all in Madrid and more.
My favourite Spanish breakfast (desayuno) when I lived in Spain was café con leche y pan con tomate y aceite. Which means a milk coffee with bread, tomato and olive oil. The tomato is usually grated and spread or rubbed onto the toasted bread, then some salt and extra virgin olive oil is drizzled on top. I like to have that with a glass of zumo de naranja natural (freshly squeezed orange juice). A really delicious start to the day!
As always, please keep in mind that these are cafes and not proper co-working places so it can be that you may not find a place to work or be asked to move if it gets busy. We’re finding this more and more in the bigger cities that are popular digital nomad destinations.
We hope you find our Madrid laptop-friendly guide helpful. If you have any comments or tips on nice work cafes in Madrid to go with a laptop please drop them into the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Without further ado, our recommended list of laptop friendly cafes to remote work in Spain's vibrant capital Madrid in no particular order.
FEDERAL CAFE, MADRID
Pl. de las Comendadoras, 9, Centro, 28015 Madrid, Spain
Federal Cafe in Madrid is a popular brunch cafe for foreigners, expats, students, digital nomads and tourists.
Federal Cafe has indoor and outdoor seating. A few people have complained about poor service but most seem to be really happy with it so we’ve added Cafe Federal to our list.
It’s not cheap or super expensive either for Madrid city. A flat white will cost you €2.40, an Avocado toast with poached egg will set you back €11.40.
Please note that laptops are not permitted on weekends and during weekdays there is a common table where you can use your laptop. We are finding this quite common in cafes these days.
There are power sockets to charge your phone or power your laptop.
Get there early to get a seat at the common table and let us know in the comments how it is for you so we can share it to help others.
HANSO CAFE MALASAÑA MADRID
C. del Pez, 20, Centro, 28004 Madrid, Spain
HanSo Cafe in Madrid is a small and cute Japanese-themed brunch cafe on Calle del Paz in the Malasaña neighbourhood known for nightlife and a hipster/bohemian vibe.
At HanSo Cafe you can find an interesting and diverse menu, a selection of coffees and teas and a common table where you can work with your laptop, note there is only one power socket so it is best to go with a full battery!
It’s not a big place so best to get there early or grab a coffee or breakfast until a space opens up.
Pricewise a large latte costs €3, and an avocado toast with poached eggs costs €8.50. You can see the full menu if you open the link.
TOMA 1 CAFE MADRID
C. de la Palma, 49, Centro, 28004 Madrid, Spain
Toma Café is a popular spot for digital nomads and an international crowd and a place where you can get free wifi and remote work although not on weekends! They have three outlets in Madrid, Toma 1, Toma 2 and Toma 3 + Proper Sound. Here we’re featuring Toma 1 on C. de la Palma 49.
There are some power outlets and they kindly provide a jug with free water which is a nice touch. As with most places in busy digital nomad destinations, there are restrictions for laptop users and usually just a few places. But this is fair enough as they are cafes and not dedicated co-working spaces.
Pricewise a flat white coffee will cost you €2.50/€3. It’s a place with baristas for serious coffee lovers and you can also buy speciality coffee to take home.
Let us know in the comments what your experiences are if you have been to Toma Cafe.
LA BICICLETA MALASAÑA MADRID
Pl. de San Ildefonso, 9, Centro, 28004 Madrid, Spain
La Bicicleta is something of a rarity these days as the digital nomad/remote work scene goes from strength to strength. Unlike many cafes that ‘tolerate’ people with laptops La Bicicleta is a bit more geared up and even mentions digital nomads on their website.
You’ll find more space than the smaller cafes but it’s possible you will be expected to continue purchasing food and drinks if you are staying a while which is fair enough.
La Bicicleta is in the trendy Malasaña neighbourhood (barrio) and has been written about by major publications like Time Out and Conde Naste Traveler. Bicycles is the theme so if you’re into bikes you’ll love it even more, but if you’re not the ambience is cool anyway!
Aside from all the fanfare, you’ll find the usual great coffee and avocado toasts!
In the late afternoon/evening La Bicicleta transforms into a bar where you can enjoy gin and tonics and more. Expect it to get loud so best to get your work done by around 5pm and then chill with a nice after work drink!
Let us know in the comments what your experiences are if you have been to La Bicicleta Madrid
CAFE BELEN MADRID
C. de Belén, 5, Centro, 28004 Madrid, Spain
Cafe Belen opened in 1983 and has been around for just over 40 years.
It is a true Madrid icon. When Cafe Belen started the idea of a laptop, a mobile phone or remote working wasn’t even born so it’s so cool to see a traditional cafe that’s over 40 years old welcoming in the new and still going strong all these years later!
Cafe Belen has traditional old-school decor as you would expect and is more pub than cafe. The word to describe this place would be ‘a classic’.
The history and decor are most certainly part of the charm. Whether you want to drop in for a coffee or an early evening drink it’s a great spot to check out and a good alternative when you are tired of the trendy and modern avocado toast-serving brunch cafes! You know what we mean : )
Let us know in the comments if you’ve been to Cafe Belen
LOLA VINTAGE CAFE MADRID
C. del Espíritu Santo, 9, Centro, 28004 Madrid, Spain
Lola Vintage Cafe is a quirky retro-style cafe and cocktail bar in the trendy Malasaña district where you can pop in to work for a while, meet friends or maybe go on a date.
Their chai lattes have been recommended as have their Vermut blancos.
Lola Vintage Cafe also serves breakfasts, snacks and cakes. Some people have reported that it can be difficult to work there if it gets busy so probably best to go early to be safe.
There’s plenty of comfy seating and a nice ambience if you are into 60’s decor!
Let us know in the comments if you’ve been to Lola Vintage Cafe and what you thought of it.