Has anyone stayed at Hotel Europa in Madrid?
 

We are planning a trip to Madrid in November and I'm researching some hotels. Is the location of this hotel too noisy? And would it possibly be better to stay near the Prado?We definitely like to travel on a budget, but I don't want to stay in a dump either. Thanks!

We stayed there and we wouldn't stay there again, but some people like it. And, yes, it's in a very busy part of town, but some people like that too.

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In my opinion, the Hotel Europa isn't a dump, but it isn't charming either. It's very clean, very small rooms, and LOTS of them. This hotel caters to foreign tourists, and the bulk of what I saw was US tourists.

I stayed there this summer and chose it because I was traveling alone, in transit, and needed to get on the metro by 7 a.m the next morning. The location is outstanding, there's a lot more "going on" in that neighborhood than in the neighborhood near the Prado, unless you go past the Prado and stay in the area near the Atocha train station. But that's not as nice an area as the one near the Puerta del Sol.

My room was very small, but even though the window looked out over a busy pedestrian street (with a lot of late night party-ers) the noise level was not a problem at all. The soundproofing must be very good.

I thought the people were very helpful, and I was able to get a cafe con leche and a croissant in the bar that adjoins the hotel before the bar was open in the morning, because the staff were there setting up.

artlover--why wouldn't you stay there again?

Hi:

We have a friend who loved the Europa.
Said it was "plain wrap" but sqeaky clean.We peeked in last May and found that to be the case although a bit dated. The staff was quite helpful when I e mailed them during my search earlier this year.
That in itself is a BIG plus.

We opted to stay at the Hotel OPera, closer to the Palace and the Opera. While we LOVED the location, would not recommend that particular Hotel. I have a detailed hotel review on Trip Advisor and would suggest that you check out the Europa reviews there as well.

The noise was a bit of an issue in general in many places in Madrid but particualrly in the areas you are considering near old Madrid due in part to the trash collection schedule and the exposure to streets especially if you leave a window open.

Remember so far it sounds like you are looking at a specific price range, as well as location. For those who specificaly want to be closer to old Madrid, for the price of the Europa I personally would consider it, along with the San Martin, or the Meninas. Unless you can pay a bit more then go for something four star.

We just didn't like it that much. The rooms were very small, bed not comfortable (having rubber lining under the sheets didn't help), noisy location, and didn't seem like it even was a 3 star, though it was clean and as I said before, some people (including Rick Steves) like it.