Medieval Madrid: Plaza Mayor, Arab Wall and Temple of Debod
Description
Explore ancient Madrid on a 2.5-hour walking tour: Plaza Mayor, Cava Baja street, the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande, the Segovia Bridge, Plaza de Oriente and the Temple of Debod with its breathtaking sunset views. Walk through 10 centuries of history — from the 9th-century Muslim fortification of Magerit to the medieval legends, royal palaces and hidden secrets that shaped one of Europe's most fascinating capitals. We are the #1 company on TripAdvisor Madrid among more than 1,200 tourism businesses, with the Best of the Best Award for 8 consecutive years — only 1% of experiences in the world receive it. Over 20,000 reviews back more than 10 years guiding travelers from around the world through Madrid. Small groups, maximum 25 travelers per guide. Upon booking you receive our personalized Madrid guide via WhatsApp. At the end of the tour your guide recommends the best spots to eat, drink and explore.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Madrid's most iconic square, built in 1619 under King Philip III. Stage for bullfights, markets, Inquisition trials and public executions. We'll uncover 400 years of history hidden behind its 237 windows and 9 entrance archways.
One of Madrid's oldest streets, built over the outer moat of the medieval city wall. Discover its history as the heart of inns and taverns since the 17th century and why it remains one of Madrid's best streets for tapas and wine today.
Madrid's most iconic symbol: the bear leaning on the strawberry tree. We'll tell you the origin of the city's coat of arms, the medieval dispute between Madrid's Council and the Archbishop of Toledo that shaped it, and the story of the madroño liqueur made from its berries.
One of the largest domes in the Christian world at 33 meters wide — bigger than the Pantheon in Rome. Built on a convent traditionally founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. We'll admire its facade and tell you about the Goya and Zurbarán masterpieces inside.
Madrid's oldest bridge, built by Philip II in 1584. From here you'll have the best panoramic views of the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral. We'll explain why Philip II ordered such a monumental bridge to cross such a small river as the Manzanares.
Madrid's most elegant garden, flanked by the Royal Palace, the Royal Theatre and 44 statues of Visigoth and Spanish kings. Designed by Joseph Bonaparte during French occupation. We'll share the stories of royal life and the intrigues of the Spanish court.
A 2,200-year-old Egyptian temple in the heart of Madrid, donated by Egypt to Spain in 1968 as thanks for rescuing Nubian temples during the construction of the Aswan Dam. We finish here with the most spectacular panoramic views of Madrid at sunset.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(80)
The Discover Madrid: Medieval to Modern tour we took with Trip Tours Madrid was fantastic! This great free walking tour combined a pleasant walk through all the major sites with many fascinating and fun facts and anecdotes. Marik is one of the best tour guides we’ve ever had, informative, friendly and funny. He also provides great suggestions for restaurants, places to go and where to see flamenco in a detailed message to everyone who took the tour. He also makes himself available to everyone in deciding what to do, making reservations and anything else we needed. This tour was the best possible way to begin our visit to Madrid!
The tour was incredible, and our guide, Stuart, was fantastic he made the tour really enjoyable.
Stuart was awesome tacular guide, as he delved into histories of the inquisitions, regal intrigue, and even Ponzi schemes. He relished telling the stories with an aside of humor, and as someone who is reasonably well read about medieval history, I was pleasantly surprised to learn so many little tidbits I had overlooked in my own readings. Highly recommend.
This tour was just what we needed, just arrived, help us get our bearings etc for rest of the trip. Stuart was informative, good sense of humour and as waz 42 degrees earlier, managed to keep us in the shade and narrow lanes for the most part.
Great tour with many interesting pieces of information.
It was very informative and interesting
Marik was just fantastic! He made our Medival Madrid tour so interesting and we feel we know so much more about Madrid and its history.
Stuart was a great guy. Very knowledgeable and happy to answer any of our questions. Our tour was great, we saw many areas that we haven’t seen before.
It was one of the best tour, one of the best guided tour I have taken and I loved the experience. I think it was one of the highlight of Madrid and I would highly recommend this kind of tour without this tour. If you're really wondering in Madrid, knowing nothing, this tour I think really makes the difference in visiting Madrid.
Marik made everything nice and managed to connect with people! It solved all doubts and the tour really is unique, no other tour is alike.
