Madrid Old City Guided Exclusive Guided Walking Tour





Description
Stroll the streets and squares of the Spanish capital on this 2.5 hour exclusive guided walking tour, discovering the secrets of Madrid’s old city. Your guide will lead you through the most iconic locations in Madrid, peeling back the history and characters that have marked them over the centuries.
Tour Options
Itinerary
You will start your tour by visiting the beautiful Royal Palace of Madrid, the official residence of the Spanish royal family. Although having been a home to the Kings of Spain from Charles III to Alfonso XIII, today it is only used for state ceremonies.
We will then make our way to the Almudena Cathedral, a Catholic Church consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993. You will also see the Museo de la Catedral de la Almudena, a museum that is part of the church.
Next we will visit the Muslim Walls of Madrid, also known as the Arab Walls, located on the road Cuesta de la Vega. The walls are probably the oldest construction surviving in the city, and their construction is linked to the origin of Madrid.
After this we will walk along the Calle Mayor, a centric street in Madrid starting in the Puerta de Sol and ending at the Cuesta de la Vega. Created in the Middle ages, this road became the main thoroughfare of the city in the Early Modern Period.
Along the Calle Mayor we will see the Plaza de la Villa we will see the Plaza de la Villa, one of Madrid’s best-preserved monuments. Located in the historical zone next to the Puerta del Sol Gate it is one of the main medieval centres of Madrid.
You will then walk through La Latina, a historic neighbourhood in the centre of downtown Madrid. The area occupies much of the oldest section of Madrid and is filled with small narrow streets for you to explore.
A major marketplace during the 13th and 14th century, Plaza de la Paja is known for its crowed streets pulsing with life. However, one can find small moments of serenity in the most surprising places.
Plaza de los Carros is a nice little square with a lovely fountain. Here you can enjoy a nice drink and and take in the buzzing atmosphere.
Following on you will then see the Plaza de Puerta Cerrada, located in the La Latina neighbourhood of the historic center of the Spanish city of Marid. Built on a medieval Islamic fort, the La Latina neighbourhood is city’s oldest and one of its liveliest.
Afterwards you will see the Arco de Cuchilleros, a well-known historical archway with stairs leading to the 16th century Plaza Mayor, arguably the most famous plaza in Marid. Well-known historical archway with stairs leading to the prominent, 16th-century Plaza Mayor.
Afterwards you will visit the Mercado San Miguel, located in the heart of the city centre, next to the historic Plaza Mayor. This historic market is not only considered beautiful but is full of food from all around the country.
We will then head to Plaza Mayor, a grand arcaded square in the centre of Madrid. First build during the Habsburg period of Philipp III’s reign, it was once the centre of old Madrid, and is very popular with locals and tourists alike today.
Following, you will see the Real Casa de Postas, an administrative building, neoclassical in style which was the home to the telegraph service offices of the National Police force until it was bought by Madrid’s Regional Government in 1985.
Getting to the end of our tour, we will visit Puerta del Sol, a bustling square in the center of Madrid and one of the city’s most famous sites. It is the centre of the radial network of Spanish roads and also contains the famous clock whose bells mark the traditional eating of the Twelve Grapes and the beginning of a new year.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- It is imperative that you provide us with guests MOBILE PHONE NUMBER (including country code)
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Notes: The tour route may be affected by national celebrations. When this occurs, we will provide guests with an alternative route still being able to see all the highlights on the tour. In these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts. No large bags or suitcases are allowed during this tour. We recommend comfortable shoes, a bottle of water, umbrella in case of rain and hat during summer. Due to increased security measures at many attractions some can’t be visited from the inside.
Reviews(607)
Wonderful tour! Highly recommend as a fun and thorough landscape and history of Madrid. Andrea did an amazing job of being insightful, thorough, and entertaining. Loved seeing the city and learning so much!
As it was our first time in Madrid we chose this tour as a way to see some of the more spectacular locations in the city with the benefit of a guide. We met Fernando at the agreed location at the palace and were pleasantly surprised that we were the only 2 in the group. Fernando was a fantastic guide, he was very knowledgeable about Madrid and it's history. He showed us many wonderful places that we would never have found on our own. It really helped us to back to some of the places again. Would highly recommend this tour and Fernando if you can get him.
Andrea V was amazing. Super sweet and knowledgeable and texted us restaurant options, other sites, etc….ask for her!!!!
This was a very informative tour. Andrea is very knowledgeable about the history of Madrid. Also her narration made it interesting
Great tour on a very warm first day in Madrid for us. Sergio gave us great information as well as history that my husband wanted since he's a history buff.
Wonderful tour experience with Sergio. He is so knowledgeable and engaging. Learned so much in the short time we were together. Highly recommend this tour and as for Sergio as your guide!
Our tour with Jake was enjoyable and informative. He was a wealth of information on everything we saw - and some we didn’t (I learned more about Toledo from Jake than I did on our tour of Toledo!). The highlight was a stop at a cloistered convent where the nuns make cookies that we bought through a lazy Susan so the nuns didn’t see us. I highly recommend the tour and Jake!
This was a great intro to the city of Madrid. We got great historical info on each area and got a good feel for the city. Sergio was an excellent guide and catered to our interests as well as giving great synopsis of the Madrid areas. I recommend doing this tour especially at the beginning of your trip. We got ideas of where to explore and eat as well as background info.
This truely was a small tour of only 4 of us and really opened our eyes to the old Madrid! Definitely gave us a greater admiration for the city and so pleased we did it. Our tour guide was lovely and very enthusiastic and made the history of Madrid come alive! Just a warning that it was over 3 hours long and as it commenced at 11am it was getting very hot by the end Maybe an earlier start could considered
We have done several walking tours in Madrid, each with a different focus. Sergio did an amazing tour of the history of Madrid and walking tour of the old city, neighborhoods La Latina and Las Letras with lots of pearls regarding where to eat and activities. Thank you Sergio for a wonderful experience!



