Celebrated American author Ernest Hemingway did his best writing while sitting in European cafés, especially those to be found in France and Spain.
If, like Hemingway, you enjoy writing in a café environment (albeit, unlike Hemingway, on a laptop computer), you may find the following brief list helpful the next time you find yourself in Spain’s glorious capital.
Café Gijón
Founded in the last decades of the 1800s, the Café Gijón was a secret meeting place for artists, writers, and dissident intellectuals during Spain’s turbulent Franco Period from the mid-1930s to 1975.
Situated across the street from Spain’s impressive National Library, this café is the perfect place to set up your trusty second hand macbook and write the next international bestseller.
The Lhardy Café
This quaint little café in the heart of Madrid first opened its doors all the way back in 1839. Believed to be Spain’s oldest restaurant-café, Lhardy was at one time a favoured eatery among the country’s landed aristocracy.
An ideal setting for aspiring writers and laptop jockeys, Lhardy is also famous for its great wine and mouth-watering French-inspired cuisine.
Café de Oriente
Known for its sophistication and time-worn elegance, the Café de Oriente can be found next to the Spanish Royal Palace in central Madrid.
Popular with both locals and tourists alike, this café overlooks the spectacular Plaza de Oriente, which never fails to inspire ambitious young writers and artists.