Useful Information

During the mid-winter months daytime temperatures in Madrid may drop to 7 degrees Centigrade (45 degrees Farenheight). During the months of July and August temperatures are hot. Madrid enjoys a large number of sunny days.

While Madrid is generally safe, bag-snatching and wallet-lifting are unfortunately all too common. But with a little planning ahead and a lot of paying attention, you can travel around more securely.

Before you go out. Do not carry everything with you. Only take one or two credit / bank cards, a little cash and, most importantly, a copy of your passport with you. Nothing else. The more stuff you carry around with you, the easier it'll be to take and the bigger the loss.

Write down the numbers of the credit / bank cards that you are taking with you and the phone numbers listed on the back (even if they are just for your country, you can always have an international operator connect you).

Carry your valuables in a secure place. Use a bag that rests snugly under your arm in the armpit region or directly in front of you. Beware the backpack. Use a suitcase or combination lock. They're cheap, effective and available at most travel and hardware stores.

While you're out and about. Beware, most pocket-pickers work in teams and observe potential targets ahead of time. Their chief tool is distraction. One or two of the team members will attempt to divert your attention and / or position you where they need you while the other team member(s) make their move. Some common tricks / scenarios are: Staged shows. Beware of people asking you for directions, shoving maps in your face, asking if you've noticed a stain on your shirt and then trying to wipe it off, asking if you dropped a bill on the street, stepping on your foot and then making a big deal about apologizing or basically anything that leads to direct questioning and / or physical contact.

These methods create an alternative focus, while generating moments of confusion.

Crowded buses, metros, trains, streets, bars, etc. Any place where you're already expecting to be bumped into makes you an even easier target. Sitting in a restaurant, a terrace, the park, a cafe / bar, etc. keeping your bag in an area "close to" or "next to" your body is not good enough. If it is not physically touching you, preferably in your lap or linked onto one of you appendages, it's not safe. If you set your bag down on the floor next to your leg, it will get snatched. And do not feel any safer in groups. You are actually more at risk because chances are you're paying more attention to your friends than to your belongings and potential lurking pickpockets.

Too late, you've been mugged. If you did not catch the person in the act and searching the trash cans in the area has not produced your belongings, establish what you have lost. If it was just credit / bank cards, then all you have to do is make a few phone calls and you will be back sightseeing in no time. If it was a passport and / or any items that are going to require insurance reimbursement, then you must proceed to the nearest police station and fill out a brief report, which you will then take to your embassy and / or insurance agency. Do not expect the police to put out a manhunt on your behalf. Your embassy, on the other hand, can be a bit more helpful and usually a matter of a few hours and a fee can provide you with temporary travel papers.

Most embassies ask you to register with them if you are staying for an extended period of time. Apart from the benefits of official protection this gives you, keeping in touch with your embassy can also be a source of information about job opportunities as well as a means of keeping on top of news from home.

Emergency phone service: 112. Available toll-free from any phone, this phone service is the number to dial in case of any emergency. You just tell the operator who answers what the problem is (medical situation, fire related, criminal related, etc.), and they will connect you to the appropriate department. They can even transfer you over to an English-speaking operator if your English happens to be better than your Spanish in an emergency situation.