Madrid in a Day Tour:Royal Palace, Historic Center & Prado Museum
Description
Explore the best of Madrid with this expertly guided walking tour featuring skip-the-line tickets to the Royal Palace, one of Europe’s most breathtaking royal residences, and to the Prado Art Musuem - the cultural jewel of Spain. If you wish, choose the Prado Early Access option when booking for a VIP experience in the Prado Museum where you'll enjoy a guided tour of the galleries one hour before they open to the public. As you make your way through the stunning galleries of the Prado Museum, through the charming historic center, and wrap up at the grandiose Royal Palace, you'll be accompanied by an insightful local guide who will decode the city's lesser-known stories and hidden secrets every step of the way. And with a small group of just 16 guests maximum, you'll enjoy a more relaxed and intimate experience with easy access to your guide so you can ask them all your burning questions.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour starts when you skip the line and enter the Prado art museum, home to one of the greatest collections of European art in the world. Breeze past the crowds and head straight inside to enjoy a full tour of the museum’s highlights. Along the way, you'll meet the masters who have defined Spanish art throughout the centuries, from the court painters of the Spanish Royal Family to legendary artists like Goya, Velazquez, El Greco, Bosch, Tintoretto and more. Your guide will tell you the stories behind the art and help you understand what makes each piece so celebrated—which just isn't possible to do on your own in a museum boasting over 1,000 pieces on display! If you wish, choose the Prado Early Access option for a VIP experience in the Prado Museum where you'll enjoy a guided tour of the galleries one hour before they open to the public.
Leaving the museum, you’ll walk the medieval streets of central Madrid, stopping at famous landmarks like the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol as your guide tells your story of how the city went from an outpost of a crumbling Moorish empire to the preeminent Catholic power in Europe. And while there's plenty of history to be found in these streets, today the area is one of the city's coolest neighborhoods. You'll also learn how to make the most of it during the rest of your stay as your guide shares tips on where to eat, shop, and relax.
Sightseeing & photo stop.
Stroll towards the heart-stopping Royal Palace, where you'll enter with skip-the-line tickets to explore an incredible collection of paintings and textiles in each room. On your guided visit of the world's largest in-use royal palace, you'll see the palace's impressive chapel, the king's and queen's dressing rooms, the throne room—where bureaucrats are still received by the king and queen today—and more. You'll also hear the story of Madrid's most famous "mayor", King Carlos III, who was instrumental in shaping the modern city you've gotten to know throughout the day.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- This tour is in English.
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
- Sites on this tour are subject to occasional closures. If modifications are needed and time permits, we will reach out to you prior to your tour.
- Walks and Devour comply with all local government regulations. Please refer to local government guidelines for the most up to date information.
- Please note: This tour offers multiple options. Take a moment to choose the one that best suits your interests.
Reviews(858)
Do not use pin on directions from site-it takes you on opposite side of museum. Enter monument to Goya on your maps and navigate that way. Excellent tour of museum and palace. Daniel tour guide was engaging, funny, informative. He utilized walking time to make interesting suggestions for best possible trip to Madrid/Spain, and to point out notable places/historical people, architecture and even culinary recommendations. (Timothy T’s momma)
Daniel was the perfect tour guide to cover the main highlights of Madrid in just a few hours. His art and history knowledge added excellent context to the sights that we visited. He also provided helpful recommendations for eateries to visit in the covered areas during downtime, offering the perspective of a local and steering us away from tourist traps. Would highly recommend!
Daniel was the perfect tour guide to cover the main highlights of Madrid in just a few hours. His art and history knowledge added excellent context to the sights that we visited. He also provided helpful recommendations for eateries to visit in the covered areas during downtime, offering the perspective of a local and steering us away from tourist traps. Would highly recommend!
Great Tour! Our tour guide was awesome! She was very knowledgeable and really did her best to keep everyone interested. She thought me, my husband and kids so much about art and details. My 15 year old son was even impressed. She was also very conscientious about the heat and really keeping us cool as much as possible.
Abraham our tour guide was excellent!!! Very knowledgeable!!!!
Abraham did excellent job!!!
Maria was a wonderful guide! She choose the best pieces and really gave such an informative description of the pieces. It was amazing to walk through without the cross of people. Fantastic tour and guide! Thank you!
Maria was fantastic and very knowledgeable!
Amazing guide and experience! Maria was wonderful. Definitely worth it to enter the Prado Museum before anyone else.
Maria gave a great and interesting tour
