Spanish Courses in Madrid

The Spanish courses in Madrid with OISE provide the fullest possible Spanish immersion for students who need to make real progress. In order to maximise the contact with the language OISE Madrid provides only Individual Tutorial programmes, or group  Quatorial training with a maximum of 4 students per group.

There are many reasons why we decided to deliver our Spanish courses in Madrid:

Spanish Immersion

The Spanish courses in Madrid provide a complete immersion precisely because Madrid is an overwhelmingly Spanish speaking city. The Spanish spoken here is standard Castillian and does not compete with regional languages such as Basque, Catalan, or Gallego which is the case in other parts of Spain. The Spanish in Madrid is clear, standard Castillian which will be ideal for anyone who needs to communicate with any part of the Spanish speaking world.

Crucially Spanish in Madrid has also held off competition from English which is certainly not the case along most of the Mediterranean coast. Madrid is an overwhelmingly Spanish speaking city. Students on one of our Spanish courses in Madrid will find that the taxi drivers, hotel staff, restaurant staff and of course the 5 million madrileños will address them in Spanish. It is still unusual to find English street signs or menus in restaurants.

A Cultural Capital

The Spanish courses in Madrid have another clear advantage. Madrid is one of Europe´s leading cultural centres. The Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia art museums are among the finest in Europe and Madrid is home to treasure such as Picasso´s Guernica. The Spanish courses at OISE Madrid all include a social and cultural programme to give students the opportunity to discover Madrid´s enormous artistic wealth in the company of expert tutors.

Madrid also boasts several important theatres where students can enjoy modern performances of classic Spanish works by writers such as Quevedo, Cervantes, Lopez de Vega or Valle Inclán.  The Madrid opera stages works by all the major European composers as well the quintessentially Spanish zarzuela. Fans of popular music will be pleased to discover that several venues in Madrid are firmly established on the European circuit for major and independent acts. Finally Madrid is home to Spain´s cinema industry. Lovers of Spanish cinema will enjoy identifying locations used in many of Pedro Almodovar´s inimitable films.

A Gastronomic Capital

Spain´s rich gastronomic tradition is one of the country´s best kept secrets. Spanish cuisine is infinitely varied and goes way beyond the dreary paella usually served in mediterranean holiday resorts. As the capital of one of Europe´s largest countries Madrid boast restaurants which reflect Spanish regional cooking in all its infinite variety. Firstly there are the classic madrileño dishes such as callos a la madrileña (tripe Madrid style) or cocido madrileño (a chickpea stew ideal for the Madrid winter). However, visitors will also discover Basque fish restaurants, Andalucian tabernas serving olives and cured ham, Galician seafood bars and eating houses dedicated to the classic Castillian roast meat dishes. No Madrid night out on the town is complete without the famous bocata de calamares (fried squid sandwich)

Nightlife

Madrid has simply the best nightlife in Europe. Just follow the crowds in areas such as Huertas, Malasaña or Lavapiés or enjoy a glass of chilled wine on one of the upmarket terrazas of the Paseo de La Castellana. Madrid has live music, great food, thousaNds of tiny traditional tabernas and it is all very accessible and crackling with the relentless energy of the thousands of Madrileños who make this one of the most exciting places to be after dark.

A Microcosm of Spain

As the capital Madrid has its own distinct personality but it also embraces the rich cultural traditions that make Spain one of the most diverse countries in Europe. Flamenco, for example, which is an essentially Andalucian art form can be foud in numerous bars and tablaos where visitors will find music and dance as authentic as anything they might find in Cadiz or Seville. The quasi Celtic culture of Galicia with its distinctive bagpipes and famous liquers is represented by thousands of small tabernas and pulperías dedicated to the classic Galician dish of octopus. Castillian dining houses abound with their austere decoration and wood fired ovens while Valenica and the Mediterranean coast are represented by countless arrocerías specialising in a dizzying variety of rice dishes only one of which is actually called paella. A Spanish course in Madrid provides  students with an immersion not only in Madrid itself but in the wider Spain in all its rich complexity.

A Sporting Capital

OISE Madrid is just a few minutes walk away from the world famous Santiago Bernabeau stadium, home to Real Madrid, probably the most renowned club in the world. A tour of the stadium and dressing rooms is a popular option for OISE students during their Spanish course in Madrid. The city also boast two other Primera Liga clubs, the immensely popular and quintessentially madrileño, Atletíco Madrid, and Getafe, based in one of the city´s southern suburbs. In the second divison there is also Rayo Vallecano, a team which enjoys a fanatical local support in one of Madrid´s most solidly working class barrios.

Aside from football Madrid offers excellent facilities for tennis and golf with all the amenities of a major capital city. There are numerous open aiur swimming pools, a popular option on the fierce Madrid summer after a hard day of work on an intensive Spanish course.

Within just over an hour´s train ride from the capital there is a ski station at  Navacerrada in the Guadarrama mountains, the setting for Hemingway´s classic For Whom the Bell Tolls. Lovers of cycling and hiking will be amazed by the scenery that is easily accessible by train or bus. Madrid is flanked by the Guadarrama mountains to the north and the Gredos mountains to the west. Within 15 minutes on the train north passengers pass through the Pardo reserve and will see deer, wild boar and both eagles and vultures circling overhead.

Near Madrid

Madrid´s location at the heart of Spain makes it an excellent choice for students who wish to see a little more of Spain. The magnificent cities of Toledo, Avila, and Segovia, home to the OISE Spanish summer school for young learners, are all viable destinations for a daytrip that allow students to immerse themselves in a completely different dimension of Spain. The famous academic city of Alcala de Henares, the birthplace of Cervantes, is just a short journey to the east while a visit to the nearby  monastery town of El Escorial is an unforgettable experience.

Transport

Madrid enjoys excellent communications with Europe and beyond through Barajas international airport which has a direct metro link to the heart of the city in less than 20 minutes. Madrid also has high speed train connections with a travelling time to Barcelona  and Seville of under 3 hours.

Within the city itself the metro system is one of the best value public transport systems in Europe. It is clean , modern and efficient and makes t easy to travel to virtually any point in the city. OISE Madrid is located within a  few minutes walk of Cuzco  metro station.


There are many reasons to visit Madrid and even more reasons why we believe it is the ideal location for an intensive Spanish  course. At OISE Madrid we believe in providing the maximum possible personal attention to our students and the school team is always on hand to offer advice about the city. The school day is a complete day of intensive learning. OISE Madrid, however, aims to provide a fuller immersion to enable all our students to get the maximum possible benefit from all the OISE Spanish courses in Madrid.