New Year’s Eve Madrid 2026: Twelve Grapes at Puerta del Sol

1. The night’s plan, from 6:00 pm to the early hours

The night falls into three parts: the afternoon, the wait at the entrances, then the night on the square. The times below are from the 2025 edition. They are a reference, not an announcement for 2026.

Puerta del Sol on the evening of 31 December

Free entry Thursday 31 December 2026 Up to 15,000 people Twelve chimes at midnight

The whole night comes down to one square and one clock. The Real Casa de Correos, home of the regional government of the Community of Madrid, overlooks the square, and its chime sets the rhythm of the night. According to spain.info, the twelve chimes ring at midnight and the square holds up to 15,000 people.

What to know before you go

• Head for the entrances at reopening time (10:00 pm in 2025), after the 9:00 pm clearance, rather than early in the evening.
• Dress very warmly: the wait is standing still, and December evenings are cold in Madrid.
• Prepare the grapes in advance, counting them into a small glass.

Pixidia tip: check whether Sol metro station is open on the day, on Metro de Madrid’s official accounts. If it is closed, get off at Callao, Ópera or Sevilla, three stations the guide La Maleta Inquieta recommends for reaching Arenal and Alcalá streets.

If the queue puts you off, you can have dinner somewhere else that evening. A four-hour tasting in La Latina, unrelated to New Year’s Eve, was checked against Viator’s availability on 18 October 2026: it runs on 31 December and 1 January, starting at 5:15 pm. The neighbourhood is worth the detour too, as our La Latina guide explains.

Madrid Luxury Evening Food Tour in La Latina €69 per adult (based on 2 people), 4 hours, on 31 December and 1 January ·★ 5.0 (12 reviews)

See the La Latina tasting

Source: Time Out Madrid (26 December 2025), supplemented by spain.info and elDiario.es (29 December 2025), checked on 18 October 2026.

2. Getting into the square, step by step

Entry to Puerta del Sol is free, but it is controlled. According to the 2025 run-down from Time Out Madrid and the guide La Maleta Inquieta, you get in through four streets: Mayor, Arenal, Alcalá and Carrera de San Jerónimo. Each entrance has a first filter, then a police check. The 2026 arrangements were not published at the time of checking, so treat these steps as a reference.

1. Arrive at the right time. In 2025, police cleared the square from 9:00 pm for safety reasons, and the entrances reopened at 10:00 pm. Arriving at 7:00 pm does not guarantee you get in: La Maleta Inquieta advises joining the queue shortly before reopening, because the filters block access once the 15,000 limit is reached.
2. Choose your entrance. Guides recommend Ópera, Callao and Sevilla stations for entering through Arenal or Alcalá streets. Look them up on a map the day before, as the routes change with the barriers.
3. Bring only the essentials. According to a police note reported in the press for the 2024 and 2025 editions (original source not identified), glass objects, blunt objects and pyrotechnics are banned at entry. Some sources also list cans as banned, without confirmation. Keep your belongings to a minimum (unsourced advice).
4. Have a fallback. Once you are inside, it is hard to leave and come back in: agree on a meeting point in advance if you are in a group (unsourced advice).

The day before, on 30 December, an official rehearsal took place at midnight in 2025, with the same entrances and the same 15,000 capacity (Time Out Madrid). Nothing is confirmed for 2026, so if you want to see the square without the crowds of the 31st, treat this as a date to check, not a certainty.

3. Metro and night transport

This is where a mistake costs the most. In 2025, the metro ran until 1:30 am on the night of the 31st, and Sol station was closed from 6:00 pm. No timetable has been published for 2026.

Sol station

For late December 2025, Metro de Madrid announced that Sol station would be closed from 6:00 pm until the end of service. Some online summaries give a closure between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm, which is wrong about the end time. A notice from the Madrid regional transport consortium (CRTM) dated 18 December 2025 did not list Sol among the closures for the 31st, so check on the day via Metro de Madrid’s accounts. For 2026, no notice has been published. The station was also closed in mid-October 2026 because of unsanitary conditions, according to the Community of Madrid, and reopened according to news reports on 17 October. Section 5 covers this in detail.

Metro, night buses and taxis

In 2025, the metro ran until 1:30 am and resumed at 7:00 am on 1 January. For buses, the EMT ran a daytime service that stopped around 9:30 pm, and a night service from 10:30 pm. The table below summarises the departures.

Source: elDiario.es (Somos Madrid), published 29 December 2025, checked on 18 October 2026. The 2026 timetables had not been published at that date.

A taxi is also an option. According to Madridinforma, a €7 supplement applies on 24 and 31 December (press reports: the text in the BOCM official bulletin was not readable when checked). The press also reports a €3.20 flag fall for tariff 2, then €1.60 per kilometre. Check these figures in the BOCM before you go. On fares, Time Out gave the 10-trip bono at €7.30 in 2025; whether that card is still valid for 2026 is to be confirmed with the CRTM, so don’t treat €7.30 as the 2026 price. For the way back, plan a backup (unsourced advice).

4. The twelve grapes, the clock and the ritual

The principle is simple: one grape at each stroke of midnight, one for each of the twelve months of the year ahead. It takes a bit of method, though.

• Start on the chimes, not the quarters. The quarter-hours before midnight are a signal to wait, and guides advise eating the first grape only on the first of the twelve chimes (La Maleta Inquieta).
• Prepare the grapes beforehand. Peeling them on the spot wastes time, and the pips end up on your clothes. La Maleta Inquieta suggests counting the grapes into a small glass in advance.
• Expect party gear. Party hats, confetti and noisemakers are standard on the square, and they fit easily in a light bag.

The clock of the Real Casa de Correos chimes the hours and the quarters all year round. In early October 2026, a rumour claimed the city council was ringing the bells every fifteen minutes at night to disturb the campers. Maldita.es checked the claim on 2 October and found it false: the clock’s manufacturer confirms that quarter-hour chimes have been normal for at least thirty years.

The tradition is widespread, but we found no source that dates its origin. Guides explain it by a surplus grape harvest.

The television broadcast is part of the ritual. In 2025, RTVE broadcast the evening live from the square, on La 1 for the presentation and on La 2 from 11:30 pm (Time Out Madrid). For 2026, the presenters had not been announced at the time of checking.

5. The camp and Sol station in 2026

The guides we read do not mention this yet, La Maleta Inquieta included. Since 27 September 2026, a protest camp linked to housing has been set up in front of the Real Casa de Correos. The Community of Madrid wants it cleared, and a court has so far refused an immediate eviction. This article does not take a side on the issue. It gives the dated facts, then what they change for your evening.

Source: regional press and wire reports cited, checked on 18 October 2026. No decision after 7 October 2026 has been found.

The closure covered the metro station only. According to the press, the Cercanías (Renfe commuter rail) station, also called Sol, stayed open. The Community cites ammonia levels linked to organic waste build-up in the ventilation shafts. Some media and unions dispute this reading and speak of a political closure. Both positions are reported here, without a verdict.

For 31 December, three scenarios remain open, and none has been announced. The camp may stay, in which case the celebration would take place alongside it. A court-ordered eviction could happen before December, and the square would then return to normal. A partial eviction, with extra access restrictions, is also possible. In all three cases the city’s arrangements will decide, and they have not been published yet.

6. Budget, accommodation and who it suits

The evening’s budget

The square costs nothing: entry is free (esMadrid). In 2025, no booking was needed according to the sources we checked. For 2026, nothing has been published. Most of the budget goes elsewhere.

• Transport. Metro, night buses or taxi. The taxi supplement reported by the press is €7 on 24 and 31 December (see section 3). Metro and bus fares for 2026 have not been published: check the CRTM before you travel.
• Food. New Year’s Eve menus need booking in advance. We could not find a reliable menu price to quote. Many menus include grapes, and the meal can run past midnight.
• Grapes, drinks and party gear. Buy them at the supermarket the day before or on the day.
• Chocolate and churros. The traditional stop after the twelve chimes. La Maleta Inquieta lists several chocolate bars in the centre, near Sol and Plaza Mayor.

Accommodation

We do not give hotel prices for 31 December 2026, because no reliable rate was found at the time of checking. A study reported by Bolsamanía (31 December 2025) places Madrid among the four most expensive European cities for the night of the 31st, behind London, Paris and Amsterdam. Book early, and look at properties close to a station other than Sol.

Depending on your situation

• With family. The cold and the wait are the main obstacles. Plan a warm break and a spare layer. If the queue looks too long for the children, follow the broadcast from your accommodation.
• As a couple. The square is better after dinner. Book a table in the neighbourhood, then join the square at reopening time.
• On a tight budget. Entry is free. Most of the spending goes on night transport and food, so compare your options before you go.
• For a first time. Accept the wait and the filtering as part of the ritual, and re-read the plan in section 1 the day before.
• With reduced mobility. We have not checked the accessible routes to the square for the night. Contact Madrid City Council before you go.

Safety

Pickpockets work in groups in tourist areas. Keep your bag in front of you, and don’t leave your phone on a table. In an emergency, call 112. If you get separated from your group in the crowd, meet at a point agreed in advance, not on the square itself.

Plan B away from Sol

If the square doesn’t appeal, the night can be spent elsewhere, and the days after can be used to leave the city. Our guide to day trips from Madrid covers one-day outings, and our guide to Toledo covers the trip to the neighbouring city. For December atmosphere before the party, our article on Christmas in Madrid covers the lights and the market.

7. Before you go: what still needs confirming

Several details had not been published at the time of checking. They depend on the city’s end-of-December arrangements, Metro de Madrid and court decisions about the square. The table shows where to check each one.

Source: status established from the sources cited in this article, checked on 18 October 2026.

8. What other guides don’t tell you

The points below are checked against an open source, and they are missing or wrong in the guides and summaries we read. Each one links to its source, accessed on 18 October 2026.

• Guides give 6:00 pm; Metro de Madrid gives the end of the closure. Metro de Madrid announced that Sol station would close from 6:00 pm until the end of service, for the end of 2025. Some online summaries give a closure between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm. elDiario.es (29 December 2025) (accessed on 18 October 2026).
• The night bus network is wider than guides suggest. In 2025, lines N1 to N26 left Cibeles at 10:30 pm, the N28 and N31 left Moncloa at 10:50 pm, and the NC1 and NC2 ran every 35 minutes. elDiario.es (29 December 2025) (accessed on 18 October 2026).
• The camp and the Sol closure are part of the 2026 picture. The camp has been there since 27 September 2026, and the metro station was closed in mid-October. The guides we read do not mention them. The Objective (16 October 2026) (accessed on 18 October 2026).
• The clock’s chimes were not set against the campers. The rumour of a chime every fifteen minutes at night was judged false. The manufacturer confirms that quarter-hour chimes have been normal for at least thirty years. Maldita.es (2 October 2026) (accessed on 18 October 2026).
• In 2025, the national broadcast started on La 2 at 11:30 pm. RTVE broadcast the evening on La 1 for the presentation and on La 2 from 11:30 pm. The 2026 channel and start time have not been published, and several guides specify neither. Time Out Madrid (26 December 2025) (accessed on 18 October 2026).