Lavapiés: The most multicultural neighbourhood of Madrid, Private Walking Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Lavapiés is one of the most popular neighbourhoods in Madrid, and often known as the most multicultural in Europe. It is located inside the downtown area, an industrial part of the city since the XVIII century, when royal factories were created. Bullfighters, Caleseros (carriages drivers), and Manolos (Jewish descendants) inhabited here traditionally. The tiny and old apartments made for the low-class workers were chip enough for the immigrants from the '80s on, generating a new cultural landscape.

   2 h

2. Outside Lavapiés, we can appreciate a great contrast: Royal Monasteries, Aristocratic Palaces, and wonderful Buildings, like Reina Sofía Museum (Built as the General Hospital). We will not enter.

   15 min

3. Wrongly known as the old Sinagoga, San Lorenzo church was the heart of Lavapiés social life and traditions.

   10 min

4. For the past 10 years, there have been great projects to rehabilitate the old buildings and promote Lavapiés’ economy through culture. Theatres, Exhibition centers, cultural foundations, and a circus have raised up. It has also dozens of bars, cafes, and restaurants from every possible country. We will see some of them during the tour, starting from Valle Inclan Theater.

   15 min

5. During the industrial revolution, many factories were raised here. Still today we can see some of the facades of that old industrial architecture, mixed with contemporary buildings. The working-class movements within those factories are one of the important seeds for the identity of the Lavapiés neighborhood.

   15 min

6. From 1780, this is the oldest factory building we preserve of the long tradition of Lavapiés. Famous - among other things - for the up to 6000 women who worked here and their fighter spirit. Nowadays, a part of this huge building is a social center, administrated by the neighbors, with non-profit aims; a part of it is a great contemporary art exhibition center, and part of it is still abandoned. One of the bests examples of the great mixture that characterizes Lavapiés.

   15 min

7. The old school and church where the many orphans of Lavapiés use to study were destroyed during the civil war. Kept in ruins for decades, today has become probably the most beautiful library of Madrid, and a witness of history.

   10 min

8. One example of the popular architecture of the industrial revolution for the workers, known as Corralas. Often a 10 m2 room for the entire family, without light nor water. Still today some of them are in use, often used by immigrants with little resources that inhabit the neighborhood.

   10 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 4 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Madrid

• Its from-price is 17% above the median of the 1722 experiences we list in Madrid.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 734 of 1722.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Madrid

Madrid is Spain's sunny, sociable capital, home to great art museums, royal palaces, leafy parks and tapas bars that stay busy past midnight.

Three great galleries line the Paseo del Prado: the Prado Museum with Velázquez and Goya, the Reina Sofía with Picasso's Guernica, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza with its sweeping private collection. Beside them, El Retiro Park offers a boating lake, shaded avenues and the glass Palacio de Cristal.

Top-ranked sights in Madrid: Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid), Puerta del Sol.

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