Banks and exchange The main Spanish banks are concentrated on c/Alcala and Gran Via. Opening hours are normally Mon-Fri 9am-2pm, but they're also often open on Sat 9am-1pm from Oct to May. International banks include: Bank of America, c/Capitan Haya 1 tel 915 555 000, Metro: Santiago Bernabeu; Barclays, Plaza de Colon 1 tel 914 102 800, Metro: Colon; Citibank, c/Jose Ortega y Gasset 29 tel 914 355 190, Metro: Nunez de Balboa; and Lloyds, c/Serrano 90 tel 915 767 000, Metro: Nunez de Balboa. In addition to the banks, branches of El Corte Ingles department store all have exchange offices with long hours and highly competitive rates; the most central is on Puerta del Sol. Aeropuerto de Barajas has a 24-hr currency exchange office.

Bicycles Try Bicicletas Chapinal, c/Alcala 242 tel 914 041 853 (Mon-Fri 10am-1.30pm & 4.30-8pm, Sat 10am-2pm; Metro: El Carmen); Calmera, c/Atocha 98 tel 915 277 574 (Mon-Sat 9.30am-1.30pm & 4.30-8pm; Metro: Anton Martin); and Karacol, c/Montera 32 tel 915 329 073 (Mon-Fri 10.30am-2pm & 5.30-8pm, Sat 10.30am-2pm; Metro: Gran Via/Sol) and at c/Tortosa 8, nr Atocha tel 915 399 633; Metro: Atocha.

Bullfights Madrid's main Plaza de Toros, the monumental Las Ventas (c/Alcala 237; Metro: Ventas), hosts some of the year's most prestigious events, especially during the May San Isidro festivities, though the main season runs from March to October. Tickets are available at the box office at Ventas (tel 917 264 800 or 913 562 200, www.las-ventas.com ; March-Oct Thurs-Sun 10am-2pm & 5-8pm) or at Localidades de Galicia (see "Ticket agencies" below); at the latter you pay around fifty percent more than the printed prices, which are for season tickets sold en bloc. There is a second bullring in the suburb of Carabanchel (Avda. Matilde Hernandez; tel 914 220 780; Metro: Vista Alegre), about 4km to the southwest of the centre.

Car rental Major operators have branches at the airport and train stations. Central offices include: Atesa, c/Infanta Mercedes 90 tel 915 711 931, Metro: Estrecho; Avis, Gran Via 60 tel 915 472 048, reservations tel 902 135 531, Metro: Plaza de Espana; Europcar, c/San Leonardo 8 tel 917 211 222, Metro: Plaza de Espana - also an office in Atocha station; and Hertz, Atocha station tel 914 681 318, Metro: Atocha. Easy-Rent-a-Car, c/Agustin de Foxa 27, Parking Centro Norte tel 0906 586 0586 (telephone bookings available from Britain only), Metro: Chamartin; Rent Me, Plaza de Herradores 6, just off Plaza Mayor tel 915 590 822, Metro: Sol, is a good-value local company.

Disabled access Madrid is not particularly well geared up for the disabled ( minusvalidos ), although the situation is gradually improving. The Organizacion Nacional de Ciegos de Espana (ONCE) at c/de Prado 24 (tel 915 894 600 or 915 773 756) provides the best specialist advice. Wheelchair-adapted taxis can be ordered from Radio Taxi (tel 915 478 200).

Embassies Australia, Plaza Descubridor Diego Ordas 3 tel 914 416 025, Metro: Rios Rosas; Britain, c/Fernando el Santo 16 tel 913 192 630, Metro: Alonso Martinez; British Consulate c/Marques Ensenada 16 tel 913 085 300; Canada, c/Nunez de Balboa 35 tel 914 314 300 or 914 233 250, Metro: Nunez de Balboa; Ireland, Paseo de la Castellana 46 tel 913 190 200, Metro: Ruben Dario; New Zealand, Plaza Lealtad 2 tel 915 230 226, Metro: Sevilla; USA, c/Serrano 75 tel 915 774 000, Metro: Ruben Dario.

Emergencies For an ambulance dial 112, 915 884 500 or 915 222 222 - or get a taxi, which will be quicker if no paramedics are necessary; 112 is also the number for the police.

Football The big teams are Real Madrid and their rivals, Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano. Tickets can be bought in advance (and usually on the day) at the stadium for most matches, though derbies between Real and Atletico, or visits to either by Barcelona, are always sell-outs. Real Madrid : Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, c/Concha Espina s/n (info tel 902 271 707, ticket line tel 902 324 324; Metro: Santiago Bernabeu). Ticket office Mon-Fri 6-9pm; match days 11am-1.30pm. Tickets from €15 go on sale three days before each match. Atletico Madrid : Estadio Vicente Calderon, Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto 67 tel 913 664 707; Metro: Piramides. Ticket office Mon-Fri 5-8pm; two days before each match also open 11am-2pm. Tickets from €18. Rayo Vallecano : Estadio de Maria Teresa Rivero, Avda. Payaso Fofo s/n tel 914 782 253; Metro: Portazgo. Ticket office Mon-Sat 5.30-8.30pm, and two hours before each match. Tickets from €12. If you fancy a Sunday afternoon game, the English Five-a-side League (EFL) sometimes need players if teams are short, with games usually at the Colegio del Nino Jesus near the Retiro (tel 918 444 525).

Hospitals The most central hospitals are: El Clinico, Plaza de Cristo Rey tel 913 303 747, Metro: Moncloa; Hospital Gregorio Maranon, c/Dr Esquerdo 46 tel 915 868 000, Metro: O'Donnell; and Ciudad Sanitaria La Paz, Paseo de la Castellana 261 tel 913 582 831, Metro: Diego de Leon. First aid stations are scattered throughout the city and open 24hr a day: one of the most central is at c/Navas de Tolosa 10 tel 915 210 025, Metro: Callao. English-speaking doctors are available at the Anglo-American Medical Unit, c/Conde de Aranda 1 tel 914 351 823, Metro: Retiro; Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat 10am-3pm.

Internet access   Amiweb , c/Mayor 4, 4?, Oficina 8 (Metro: Sol) & Gran Via 80 Piso 6 (Metro: Plaza de Espana); Aroba 25 , Gran Via 86 (Metro: Gran Via); Cafe Comercial , Glorieta de Bilbao 7 ( www.intervia.com/comercial ; Metro: Bilbao); Cybercafe , c/Atocha 117 ( cybermad@mail.com ; Metro: Atocha);Cybermad, c/Laurel 6 (Metro: Embajadores/Acacias); Easy Everything , c/Montera 10-12 ( www.easyeverything.com/spain ; Metro: Sol; open 24 hrs); Vortex , c/Ave Maria 20, (Metro: Lavapies/Anton Martin); Xnet Cafe , c/San Bernardo 81 (Metro: San Bernardo). Prices range from €1.75-3.50 per hour, often with a drink included.

Language schools Madrid has numerous language schools, offering intensive courses in Spanish language (and culture). One of the most established is International House, c/Zurbano 8 tel 913 101 314, ih-madrid@mad.servicom.es ; Metro: Alonso Martinez.

Laundry Central lavanderias include: c/del Barco 26 (Metro: Gran Via); c/de Cervantes 1-3 (Metro: Sol); c/Donoso Cortes 17 (Metro: Quevedo); c/de Hermosilla 121 (Metro: Goya); and c/de la Palma 2 (Metro: Tribunal).

Left luggage If you want to leave your bags there are consignas at the Barajas airport, the Estacion Sur, Auto-Res and Continental Auto bus stations; and lockers at Atocha and Chamartin train stations.

Pharmacies   Farmacias are distinguished by a green cross; each district has a rota with one staying open through the night - for details call 098 or check the notice on the door of your nearest pharmacy or the listings magazines. Madrid also has quite a number of traditional herbalists, best known of which is Maurice Messegue, c/Goya 64 (Metro: Goya; Mon-Fri 10am-2pm & 5-8pm, Sat 10am-2pm).

Police If you've had something stolen call 900 100 333 (English spoken).

Post office The main one is the Palacio de Comunicaciones in the Plaza de las Cibeles (Mon-Sat 8am-midnight, Sun 8am-10pm for stamps and telegrams; Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat 9am-2pm for Lista de Correos - poste restante). Branch offices, for example on c/Cruz Verde on the edge of Malasana, are open Mon-Sat 9am-2pm, but the easiest places to buy stamps are the estancos , recognizable by their brown and yellow signs bearing the word Tabacos .

Scooter hire If you want to chance the traffic, scooters are delivered to and collected from your hotel by Alquiler de Scooter (tel 902 102 020) at a charge of around €14 a day. Also worth trying is Motoalquiler at c/Conde Duque 13 (tel 915 420 657; Metro: Noviciado).

Swimming pools and aquaparks The Piscina Canal Isabel II, Avda. de Filipinas 54 (daily 10am-8.30pm; Metro: Rios Rosas), is a large and well-maintained outdoor swimming pool, and the best central option. Alternatively, try the open-air piscina in the Casa de Campo (daily 10am-8.30pm; Metro: El Lago). Both these pools have cafe-bars attached. Also worth trying are the pools at Barrio del Pilar, Avda. Monforte de Lemos (Metro: Barrio del Pilar/Begona), and La Elipa, Parque de la Elipa, c/O'Donnell s/n (Metro: Estrella). There are also a number of aquaparks around Madrid. The closest is Aquamadrid 16km out on the N2 Barcelona road (Bus Continental Auto #281, #282, #282, or #385 from Avda. de America). Note that the "swimming season" is from May to September, so outside these months, most outdoor pools are closed.

Telephones International calls can be made from any phone box or from any locutorio . The main telefonica office at Gran Via 30 (Metro: Gran Via) has ranks of phones and is open until midnight. Phone cards cost €6 or €12 and can be bought at post offices or estancos .

Ticket agencies For theatre and concert tickets try: Tele-Entradas, a telephone booking service run by BBVA tel 902 150 025, www.bbvaticket.com ; Caja de Cataluna tel 915 383 333; Caja de Madrid tel 902 488 488; Caixa Catalunya/Tele Entrada tel 902 101 212; El Corte Ingles tel 902 400 222, www.elcorteingles.es ; FNAC, c/Preciados 28 tel 915 956 100; Metro: Callao; Madrid Rock, Gran Via 25 tel 915 210 239; Metro: Gran Via; and Servi-Caixa tel 902 332 211. Localidades Galicia, Plaza del Carmen 1 tel 915 312 732 or 915 319131, www.eol.es/lgalicia.es ; Metro: Sol, sells tickets for football games, bullfights, theatres and concerts.

Travel agencies Viajes Zeppelin, Plaza Santo Domingo 2 (tel 915 477 904; Metro: Santo Domingo), are English-speaking, very efficient and offer some excellent deals on flights and holidays. Nuevas Fronteras, c/Luisa Fernanda 2 (tel 915 423 990; Metro: Ventura Rodriguez), and in the Torre de Madrid, Plaza de Espana (tel 912 474 200) can be good for flights, or try Top Tours, c/Capitan Haja 20 (tel 915 550 604; Metro: Cuzco). For student and youth travel try TIVE, c/Fernando el Catolico 88 (tel 915 430 208; Metro: Moncloa). Many other travel agents are concentrated on and around the Gran Via and c/Princesa.

Women's groups The best places to make contact are at the Centro de La Mujer, c/del Barquillo 44, 1? (tel 913 193 689; Metro: Chueca), and at Madrid's feminist bookshop, the Libreria de Mujeres, c/San Cristobal 17, just east of Plaza Mayor (tel 915 217 043; Metro: Sol).