Madrid · PLAZA MAYOR & OLD TOWN TOURS
23 reviewed
The Madrid de los Austrias is where the city began: arcaded squares, tiled tabernas and the Puerta del Sol at its centre. Below are the best old-town and Plaza Mayor tours, with prices, how long each walk runs, and which fold in tapas or the Royal Palace along the way.
A fast, story-driven walk through Madrid’s center: Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, key old-town stops, Almudena, and the Royal Palace mirador.
“Very informative tour about Madrid’s history. JP is an amazing guide - well-prepared, engaging, and great at keeping the group involved.”
Walk Madrid’s top landmarks from Puerta del Sol to Retiro Park with an English guide, quick stops, and real local context.
“Great tour! Melissa was really knowledgeable and made the tour a fun learning experience. So much history, beautiful architecture, and monuments along the way.”
Madrid Old Town and Royal Palace walking tour with skip-the-line entry, early access, and a guided visit using radio headphones in English.
“Great tour! Only 2 hours but learned a lot. Ander was very funny and informative. Great start to a week in the city.”
Madrid historic centre tapas and wine walk with seasonal pastry, squid sandwich, vermouth, and a daily Secret Dish in a small group.
“This was the perfect way to explore the city and learn about local culture and cuisine. There were seven people in our group which was a great size for navigating the streets and seating in the restaurants. It allowed us to get to know others in the group and hear our guide Jorge, when he was talking. Jorge was the perfect guide and host for the tour. His knowledge of the country, city, and local scene was outstanding. He was attentive and connected with everyone in the group. He made sure we were happy, and made us felt cared for. He asked for feedback our impressions as we were progressing…”
Skip-the-line Prado highlights, Plaza Mayor stroll, and a guided Royal Palace visit in English—small group, smart pacing, great value.
“Tour was excellent, and our guide was extremely knowledgeable and well spoken. We had a small group and we were able to be very interactive with our guide.”
A 2.5-hour guided walk through Madrid’s key Austrias-era sites and historic center, with story-filled stops from Puerta del Sol to Ópera.
“We loved our walking tour! Esme was amazing! She was so knowledgeable about the city and told us the history through stories. She is a great story teller and made the walking tour very fun! Due to our small tour size she also allowed us to stop and certain places for longer period of times and let our group have good input on what we wanted to see too! We loved Esme and recommend her tours to anyone!”
Old Madrid tapas and fine wine in La Latina with a small group of 8, expert English guide, and a Pedro Ximénez finish.
“Andrés was an amazing and fun guide and we had some great food with wine pairings. We met a lovely group of people and it was nice to hear the history about places we visited”
Madrid to Toledo by bus with a 90-minute Old Town walk, plus optional skip-the-line monument access or a zip-line over San Martín’s Bridge.
“Toledo is a must see. The whole Old Town is amazung with all the history and details in the buildings. The guide we had was a nice guy but his English was very bad. He spoke most of the time Spanish and the little English he spoke was with not very good.”
A 2-hour Spanish Inquisition night walk through Madrid’s main squares, led by a costumed storyteller with legends and ghostly tales.
“This was a great way to see Madrid at night. I walked into this tour knowing very little of the inquisition and loved learning about it through our guides amazing story telling. He was so animated and interactive. My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience”
Glide through Madrid’s historic center on a private Segway tour with quick training, classic plazas, and a Royal Palace–Almudena viewpoint.
“The Segways were easy to learn and control. We did the 2 hour tour which included parts of the historic district and El Retiro Park. Andrei gave us interesting highlights along the way, plus made sure we were safely escorted through traffic.”
Walk Madrid’s Old Town Austrias route from Puerta del Sol to Teatro Real with engaging guides, key plazas, and a few paid-entry stops.
“It was a great day, with a great stories, felt like we have been time travelling with all the details Dina have shared with us. Would recommend everyone to go for this tour!”
One-hour Spanish wine tasting near Plaza Mayor in Madrid. Three glasses included, English guide, small group, fun intro to regions.
“What a fun way to taste Spanish wines. Perfect atmosphere, fantastic host, great wines and generous measures we would highly recommend this activity.”
Madrid’s Old Town and Las Letras in a small-group walking tour, with writer stories and a big Royal Palace payoff from Plaza de Oriente.
“Timka was very informative and gave loads of information on places with anecdotes that made the tour interesting”
2-hour Madrid street food walk from Plaza Mayor to Puerta del Sol with market tastings, calamari, churros and chocolate, plus local guide stories.
“Our guide, Claudia, was fantastic! She provided interesting facts about the city and the market history throughout the tour as well as information about the food and culture in Spain.”
Stroll Old Madrid with a bilingual guide for 3–4 tapas bars, drinks, landmark sights, and optional churros con chocolate for $94.
“Good food, good talk. You need to be with tour stomach empty ☺️”
