Exceptional dining, VIP events, hidden addresses and the nights worth changing your plans for — reported from the room in Paris and Madrid.https://altomag.com/enhttps://altomag.com/en/events/hipodromo-de-la-zarzuela-otono-2026/https://altomag.com/en/events/hipodromo-de-la-zarzuela-otono-2026/The autumn meeting opens on Thursday 10 September with an evening card, gates 18.00 and first race 19.00, before settling into Sunday mornings at 11.30. The Gran Premio de La Hispanidad, 11 October.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridEventseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/events/estampa-2026/https://altomag.com/en/events/estampa-2026/The 34th edition puts more than fifty galleries in Pavilion 5, with Esther Ferrer as invited artist and a piece made for the fair.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridEventseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/music/mama-music-convention-2026/https://altomag.com/en/music/mama-music-convention-2026/The 17th edition runs the Pigalle and Montmartre rooms for three nights, with the daytime convention on two days only, 14 and 15 October. Take the Thursday.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisMusiceditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/music/pitchfork-music-festival-paris-2026/https://altomag.com/en/music/pitchfork-music-festival-paris-2026/The Avant-Garde nights turn Badaboum, Supersonic, Café de la Danse and four more into a single walkable circuit for €28.25 a night. Collect the wristband first.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisMusiceditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/bar-de-vie/https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/bar-de-vie/Alex Francis and Barney O'Kane took the 2026 sustainable bar award and No.34 in Europe with a limestone basement where sub-zero drinks arrive without a cube.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisNightlifeeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/bar-nouveau/https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/bar-nouveau/The Art Nouveau room co-founded by Rémy Savage, Sara and Hadrien Moudoulaud and Marc Puzzuoli took the French title and No.5 at Europe's 50 Best Bars. A diminutive space; no reservations upstairs, set menu on OpenTable.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisNightlifeeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/cinema/letrange-festival-2026/https://altomag.com/en/cinema/letrange-festival-2026/Twelve days of genre cinema under Les Halles, ending Saturday at 20:00 with the avant-première of Hope and the prize list read out in the same room.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisCinemaeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/events/gran-premio-de-espana-madring-2026/https://altomag.com/en/events/gran-premio-de-espana-madring-2026/A 5.4 km semi-urban circuit wrapped around the IFEMA grounds, three days of running, and a Saturday qualifying hour on tarmac no driver has read.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridEventseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/cinema/festival-de-cine-de-madrid-pnr-2026/https://altomag.com/en/cinema/festival-de-cine-de-madrid-pnr-2026/Thirty-fifth edition of the new-directors festival: an opening gala at the Teatro Círculo de Bellas Artes, then competition screenings at Cineteca Madrid and Sala Berlanga.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridCinemaeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/music/shakira-residencia-madrid-2026/https://altomag.com/en/music/shakira-residencia-madrid-2026/A temporary stadium in Villaverde, twelve dates between September and October, an Es Latina programme curated by Shakira — and Metro San Cristóbal or Villaverde Alto (L3) at hand.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridMusiceditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/music/manon-lescaut-teatro-real-2026/https://altomag.com/en/music/manon-lescaut-teatro-real-2026/Puccini returns to the Teatro Real in a new Carlos Wagner staging, Luisotti in the pit and Sondra Radvanovsky in the title role — thirteen nights, seats from €19.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridMusiceditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/cinema/cinema-et-espace-les-indispensables-2026/https://altomag.com/en/cinema/cinema-et-espace-les-indispensables-2026/Three weeks of space cinema on rue de Bercy, from Méliès to Nolan, with sessions presented by an astronaut, a debris researcher and two astrophysicists.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisCinemaeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/events/qatar-prix-de-larc-de-triomphe-2026/https://altomag.com/en/events/qatar-prix-de-larc-de-triomphe-2026/A full card of Group races in the Bois de Boulogne, themed Festival des Nations — with a Saturday card that includes the Qatar Prix du Cadran and the Qatar Prix de Royallieu, both Group 1.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisEventseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/cinema/jean-paul-belmondo-le-magnifique-2026/https://altomag.com/en/cinema/jean-paul-belmondo-le-magnifique-2026/Five years after his death, an exhibition and a parallel retrospective built as a career in 35 films — Godard to Verneuil, Becker to Melville.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisCinemaeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/music/jazz-sur-seine-2026/https://altomag.com/en/music/jazz-sur-seine-2026/Two weeks, some 200 concerts and 450 musicians across the Paris jazz clubs — with one showcase night on rue des Lombards where the door costs nothing.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisMusiceditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/cinema/another-way-film-festival-2026/https://altomag.com/en/cinema/another-way-film-festival-2026/The twelfth edition runs 20 to 25 October in Madrid, in person and online across Spain, with a programme devoted to sustainable development and the environment; venues for 2026 are not yet announced.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridCinemaeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/events/art-basel-paris-2026/https://altomag.com/en/events/art-basel-paris-2026/Fifth edition under the glass of the Grand Palais, 211 exhibitors from 41 countries, Preview Days on October 21 and 22, a public Vernissage on October 22, and an invitation-only Avant-Première on October 20.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisEventseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/club-metropolis/https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/club-metropolis/More than 6,000 m² inside the Edificio Metrópolis opened as a members' club on 21 January 2026, with a hotel, restaurants, a dress code, and no images taken or shared without prior authorisation.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridNightlifeeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/hotels/hotel-particulier-montmartre/https://altomag.com/en/hotels/hotel-particulier-montmartre/Five suites, a garden billed as the largest of any Paris hotel, and Le Très Particulier, downstairs in the winter garden — still one of Time Out's hidden bars.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisHotelseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/jacks-club/https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/jacks-club/Under the Thompson on Plaza del Carmen, a British-minded speakeasy built into the remains of San Luis Obispo, where the cocktail list is written as chapters.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridNightlifeeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/hotels/mercer-hotel-madrid/https://altomag.com/en/hotels/mercer-hotel-madrid/Mercer's first house in Madrid — the group's ninth establishment — opened in April behind the Prado, in the former headquarters of the Sociedad General Azucarera: Eneko Atxa in the kitchen, Javier de las Muelas at the bar.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridHotelseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/hotels/nobu-hotel-madrid/https://altomag.com/en/hotels/nobu-hotel-madrid/Nobu Hospitality's first Madrid house opened on 1 September, fifty keys above a restaurant spread over three levels. The counter seats eight. The rooftop looks down Alcalá.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridHotelseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/hotels/saint-james-paris/https://altomag.com/en/hotels/saint-james-paris/A château behind a gate in the 16th, run as hotel and private club. Bellefeuille holds a star in the 2026 guide and a Michelin green star for the restaurant.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisHotelseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/hotels/the-palace-madrid/https://altomag.com/en/hotels/the-palace-madrid/Twenty-two months of work and €90 million later, the Westin name is gone and the 27 Club pours cocktails inspired by notable historical figures, across from the Congreso.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridHotelseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/silencio/https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/silencio/David Lynch's members' club under the old presses of L'Aurore — gold-leaf walls, a 24-seat cinema, and one hour of the night when the public gets in.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisNightlifeeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/dining/caviar-kaspia/https://altomag.com/en/dining/caviar-kaspia/A first-floor dining room above the shop, where the baked potato with caviar has outlived every trend on the Madeleine.Mon, 07 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisDiningeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/dining/le-clarence/https://altomag.com/en/dining/le-clarence/Prince Robert of Luxembourg's hôtel particulier off the Champs-Élysées: two Michelin stars, and a cellar built around Château Haut-Brion.Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisDiningeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/dining/amazonico/https://altomag.com/en/dining/amazonico/Sandro Silva's tropical room on Jorge Juan is the see-and-be-seen table of Barrio de Salamanca. The real move is downstairs: the Jungle Jazz Club plays live every night of the week.Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridDiningeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/hotels/hotel-costes/https://altomag.com/en/hotels/hotel-costes/The courtyard that trained a generation of Paris nightlife. Still the most watched terrace on rue Saint-Honoré.Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTParisHotelseditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/salmon-guru/https://altomag.com/en/nightlife/salmon-guru/Diego Cabrera's green-ceilinged cocktail den behind Huertas — speakeasy back room, mezcal list, and Madrid's best-known bar crowd.Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridNightlifeeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/dining/ten-con-ten/https://altomag.com/en/dining/ten-con-ten/The Paraguas Group's Salamanca canteen: long lunches that drift into cocktails, and the room where deals get done at 3pm.Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridDiningeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)https://altomag.com/en/dining/diverxo/https://altomag.com/en/dining/diverxo/Dabiz Muñoz's three-star theatre of a restaurant — the hardest table in Spain, released in monthly drops.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMadridDiningeditor@altomag.com (Jordan Cohen)