Tour Madrid: Royals, Plazas & Secrets 3H

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. The Plaza de Santa Ana is an open space in the Cortes neighborhood, in the Centro district of Madrid. It dates from 1810 and throughout its history it has undergone numerous urbanization processes that have modified its appearance with diverse fortunes.

   5 min

2. Today the palace is used exclusively for receptions, ceremonies and official events since the kings of Spain reside in the Palacio de la Zarzuela. The Royal Palace is also called the Palacio de Oriente. The construction of the Royal Palace began in 1738 and the works lasted for seventeen years. Shortly after its completion, in 1764, Carlos III established his habitual residence there. The location of the palace was the same one that occupied the Palace of the Austrias, destroyed by a fire during Christmas Eve of 1734.

   5 min

3. The Almudena Cathedral is the most important religious building in Madrid. On June 15, 1993, it was consecrated by Pope John Paul II, becoming the first consecrated cathedral outside Rome. The Almudena Cathedral Museum gathers dozens of objects that tell the story of the diocese of Madrid. In the twelve rooms that the museum has you will see from mosaics to episcopal shields and ornament.

   10 min

4. The Sabatini gardens are located in front of the north facade of the Royal Palace of Madrid, between Bailén street and the San Vicente slope. They occupy an area of 2.66 hectares.

   10 min

5. The Debod Temple is a building from ancient Egypt currently located in the Spanish city of Madrid. It is located west of the Plaza de España, next to the Paseo del Pintor Rosales, on a hill where the Mountain Barracks was located.

6. This porticoed square is the heart of Madrid de los Austrias, the old town and the ideal starting point for a visit to one of the most charming neighborhoods. Before Madrid was a capital of large avenues and boulevards, its map was made up of small streets and passages, which today take us to times of swordsmen and rogues. The Plaza Mayor began to be founded on the site of the old Plaza del Arrabal, where the town's most popular market was located at the end of the 15th century, when the court of Philip II was moved to Madrid. In 1617 the architect Juan Gómez de Mora was commissioned to establish uniformity to the buildings of this place, which for centuries has hosted popular celebrations, bullfights, beatifications, coronations and also some faith car.

   10 min

7. Covered market from around 1916 with local food, delicatessen and events in an elegant atmosphere.

   10 min

8. The Royal Basilica of San Francisco el Grande, officially Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, is a Catholic church in Madrid, in the Palacio neighborhood, within the historic center of the capital of Spain

9. Former residence of the famous writer Miguel de Cervantes, author of "Don Quijote", with guided tours.

10. The House of Lope de Vega, located on Cervantes Street, was built in the 16th century. Whoever was one of the great writers of the Spanish Golden Age acquired the property in 1610 and lived there until his death in 1635.

11. The Palace of the Spanish Courts, was built on the site of the former convent of the Holy Spirit that was used as the seat of Congress between 1834 and 1841. On the main facade, a staircase ascends to the neoclassical portico, with six imposing striated columns, of a Corinthian order, on which the triangular pediment decorated with reliefs of Ponciano Ponzano rises. The emblematic lions that flank the entrance are the work of the same sculptor and were cast with the iron of the cannons captured during the war in Africa. Under the pediment, the chiseled bronze door opens only on very marked occasions. Among the rooms of the building, symmetrical, stands out the well-known Session room, but also the library or the Conference room, better known as the "lost steps" room.

    10 min

12. The fountain of Neptune is a neoclassical fountain that occupies the center of the roundabout to which it popularly gives its name, within the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, in the Spanish city of Madrid. This monumental fountain was proposed in 1777 and its construction, begun in 1782, was completed in 1786.

    5 min

Cancellation

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

Reviews

Ratings come from 14 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 139% above the median of the 1722 experiences we list in Madrid.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 501 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.

See all 1722 experiences in Madrid