The best alternative to driving when drinking: what to do if you are going to have a drink

The best alternative to driving if you are going to drink is to decide how you will get back before you leave home, and leave the car parked. For most celebrations, a taxi is the most convenient option because it takes you door to door at any time; a designated driver works if someone in the group really is not going to drink; night transport is useful if you live near a route; and staying over is the answer for weddings or parties far from the city. What does not work is improvising in the small hours.

Driving after drinking puts your life, other people's lives and your licence at risk; we explain it in don't drink and drive. Here we focus on the practical side: how to organise things so there are no excuses.

New Year's Eve, December work dinners or the end of a concert are moments when thousands of people are looking for a taxi at the same time. A few tips so you are not left standing on the pavement:

• Head back a little before or a little after the peak: right when the event ends is the hardest time.
• Walk a few metres away from the exit towards a street with traffic: it is easier for a free taxi to pass there than at the door of a venue with a queue.
• Group together by destination: if several of you are going the same way, one taxi for four is easier to get than four taxis. If there are more of you, a taxi with up to 7 seats takes the whole group.
• Charge your phone and keep a number handy for ordering a taxi.

To find out how the service works at night and what safeguards you have, read night-time service and safeguards. And if you are going out in the centre, the best areas for a night out in Madrid covers the liveliest neighbourhoods and how to get to each one.

Many weddings are held at country estates in the Sierra or around Madrid, where no taxis pass the door. If the couple have not organised a coach, you have three options: stay over in the area, have someone in the group drive without drinking, or book the taxi back in advance, for an approximate time. That last one is the least planned and the one that avoids the most problems.

It happens more often than you might think: guests who come from elsewhere to a wedding or celebration in Madrid and fly out the next day. After a long night, the last thing you feel like is organising how to get to the airport. Book your taxi to Barajas before the celebration: a fixed price by zone (€33 from inside the M-30, the rest under fares) and pickup at the time you choose. You can also do it on WhatsApp, in a minute.

And if you are staying on for a few days, Madrid has a lot to offer at night beyond partying; we cover it in Madrid by night.