Had a great experience on this walking tour led by Jovan. He was engaging, energetic, and knew his…read moreway in and out of the city. Very knowledgeable about both history and food which was appreciated. This tour highlights historical aspects of Madrid's Plaza Mayor, theories behind the architecture of the city, the conquest and reconquest of the city, gastronomical highlights, and some fun trivia. The tour itself is 3 hours long with a break in the middle where the group stopped at a cafe to get drinks and use the restroom. Wear comfortable shoes! While the tour is officially free, tips are highly encouraged to continue the existence of the company and its excellent tour guides.

My husband and I signed up for the "Majestic Madrid Walking Tour" with Sandemans on the second day…read moreof our trip to Madrid. Our guide Mark did a great job showing us the city while giving us an entertaining history lesson. Not only was he very knowledgeable on the history and culture of Madrid, but he was also very friendly and took the time to get to know our group and answered any questions we had. The tour takes about 2.5 hours with a 10-15 minute coffee/bathroom break in the middle. Definitely plan to wear comfortable walking shoes, as the tour covers quite a bit of ground. Our tour started at Plaza Mayor (just took for the red Sandemans umbrella) and ended at Plaza de Isabel II. While it is free to sign up, remember to bring cash if you choose to tip your tour guides at the end. Overall, the tour was a great introduction to the city of Madrid. We learned a lot (always remember 1561!) and highly recommend the experience!

I did two different tours with Devour during my trip to Madrid…read more The first was the Madrid Prado Museum Tour & VIP Botin Lunch. I highly recommend this if you are interested in a streamlined visit to the Prado really highlighting and focusing on particular noteworthy works. This worked well for me because I'm not as familiar with some of the artists whose work are showcased here, and I learned A LOT by taking this tour. You also stop for a little tapa and vermouth before having lunch at Botin, which was quite an experience. It's a tough reservation to get on your own, and enjoying it as part of this tour is well worth it. The second tour I did was the Ultimate Spanish Cuisine tour. This tour stopped at a variety of locations. We sampled porra (basically thick churros) and chocolate, "pregnant" sourdough buns stuffed with chorizo, a variety of olives, vermouth, boquerones, olive oil, several hams, some fruit, a cheese selection with wine pairing, and cake. It was a delicious and well-rounded food experience. Montse was my guide for both of these tours and she is absolutely fantastic! After meeting her on the first tour, I told her I was taking another tour and her office was able to schedule her to be my tour guide again for the second one. She actually studied art so she was extra knowledgeable at the Prado, but also had so much to share about Madrid and answered so many of our questions. I'm so glad I booked these tours with Devour on my trip. I would definitely consider their tours for other cities I visit in the future as well.

We did the Madrid Tapas, Taverns & History Tour with Dan…read more What an AMAZING experience! It was the perfect mix of Madrid & Spain history and amazing local food and drinks. Dan was very knowledgeable and explained everything very well. The local multi-generational family owned restaurants and cafes had their own specialties that we tried. Including drinks. An absolute must try if your visiting Madrid and especially if it is your time here. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

First and most important point about this City Tour Bus is that it's not a hop-on-hop-off…read moresightseeing tour and you get on the bus at the first stop and depending on the route you've chosen, you'll spend around an hour on the bus, visiting (passing by) the landmarks and enjoy the recorded audio guide. This is mainly useful for those who are visiting Madrid for the first time and gives them a good idea of which landmarks to visit and spend more time on. You can purchase the ticket at the first stop and hop on the bus; very convenient.

We wanted to do a "hop on/hop off" in Madrid; but apparently none of the tour bus companies have…read morethat option any longer. There were several different tour bus companies, all red and all with similar pricing. We went with Madrid City Tours on the recommendation of our hotel. It was €28 pp and the start/end location was right near the Prado Museum. The ticket price includes two separate loops, but we only went to the one that went through the historic District. We sat on the top floor, under the canopy, but being summer in Madrid it was still really hot. (Especially when the bus would be stopped in traffic.). The historic loop took just over an hour and there were plenty of sites on both sides of the bus. We saw the Prado, City Walls, parks, statues, and other areas of interest. I was kind of disappointed that we could not get off at any of the areas that looked interesting and get pictures, especially since the bus was moving and pictures didn't always come out great when the bus was in motion. As you board they give you a set of headphones; and the city narration is done in all of the most common languages. It was easy to hear and understand the information. We enjoyed our tour; but after 1 hour of sitting on a bus, we didn't really want to do the second loop that goes to the financial area and sit on a bus for another 2 hours. We really had no complaints about the bus. It was clean and had plenty of open seats. We would have preferred the "hop on/hop off" option.....hopefully they will be allowed to operate that way again in the future. Overall it's a good way to see much of Madrid without renting a car.

My mom and I did their 4:00 PM E-bike tour this past week. It was a great experience and our guide…read morewas excellent! I would recommend doing this tour on your first day/afternoon in Madrid so you can get acclimated to the city and see some of the main sites. Our guide, Fran, was knowledgeable, personable, and animated. The background he provided at each of the sites was interesting and helped us learn more about Madrid and Spanish history. He also had great tips and recommendations for where to go in Madrid. The tour was about 10-15 people I'd say. It was a good size to command enough attention to safely drive on the road in a lane but have everyone stay together. They provided a water bottle, helmet, bike. Fran even took us to a special "surprise stop" at the end (churros!). With the E-bike, you could adjust the assistance and you still pedaled to make the assist go, but it was a good choice to have some assist as there are hills and you don't want to worry about having to keep up on going when you're driving in a lane on the road. The shop also has bikes, roller blades, and skate/penny boards for rent.

Best way to spend 2 hours at Parque De El Retiro. The park is rather large but flat so exploring…read moreby bike is not only fun but makes for a fun way to see the park. Rental was quick and easy, you have to leave your ID and 2 hours was about $7.50 euros per person. We easily explored the parque in 1 hour with time for photos and admiring the beauty it offers. Definitely recommend!

We used Madrid day tours (spain day tours) and had great guided tours. Martine our guide and driver…read morewas exceptional. Kind, friendly great driver, incredibly historically well informed. We had him for two days. He worked as fast or as slow as we wanted. Time to stop anywhere we wanted for photo opps (kept us safe from traffic) Highly recommended

Madrid Day Tours was fantastic to work with. Miguel was so helpful in working through the booking…read morelogistics of a day trip from Madrid for our group of 4 adults and 4 children. He was quick to respond to all questions, offered useful suggestions, and in general, was a pleasure to work with. We eventually booked a trip to El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen. Our guide, Corina, was at our apartment door ten minutes early and we were shortly picked up by a very comfortable minibus to get on the road to El Escorial. The drive was interesting and Corina told us quite a bit on the way. El Escorial was the highlight of the day and really a fantastic place. Corina's tour was really great and she was able to relate to both the adults and the children. Some guides are awful with children so this was especially appreciated. The Valley of the Fallen stop on the way back to Madrid was an interesting experience, but we all had mixed feelings about being there. Corina was again excellent though. The tour was great and a good value too. Sixteen thumbs up from us.

We took a wine tour to Toledo. Ignacio is an excellent guide. The tour is well organized and his…read morepassion for both wine and for Spain are evident throughout the tour. He tells entertaining stories about the both the history of wine and the history of Spain. Toledo is a beautiful historical town and I highly recommend a visit. He took us to a lovely small winery where the owner toured and told us about the winery's history. It was a great day!

The best guided experience to discover wineries and wine regions in Spain. A true professional,…read morefocused on every little detail to make the experience unforgettable. We explored the regions of La Rioja and Ribera del Duero, including the beautiful towns of Logroño, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Burgos. And the best part -- drinking lots of wine with a driver!

I live in Catalunya and I usually go to Madrid every two months. I love the city of Madrid, its…read moremuseums and monuments, the gastronomy and the people. I have booked several private tours with this company "driveme.tours", not only of Madrid, but also of Toledo and Aranjuez, and I have to say that its an incredibly friendly professional company, which makes your tours very special. Their drivers are 5 star people, they really are. They explain lots of things and are always keen to make the most of your tour for you. Their vehicles are very new, luxurious and comfortable. And the customer service is excellent. If you want to hire an outstanding private tour, this is the company you are looking for. I promise!

From the owner: We offer you a selection of 12 private day tours, 6 in Madrid city and 6 in the surroundings…read more(Toledo, Segovia, Avila, El Escorial, Aranjuez, etc.). The tour price is for a group of any size, to a maximum of 7 or 8 people (7 for guided tours / 8 for no guided tours). Our fleet consists of only new and late model Mercedes Benz limousines and luxury vans. All our drivers have a good command of English.

It's free It's beautiful…read more It's not crowded. The Crystal Palace is close currently but you can check it out. People are just hanging around and just take pictures. There's places you can sit down eat or just grab a drink.

Retiro Park is like the Central Park of Madrid. This gigantic park has it all. Large grassy areas…read morefor a picnic or long pathways to run or walk. A big lake in the center to rent a row boat and ride around or a crystal palace to swoon over. Retiro is big and it can be hard to see everything on foot. There are lots of available rental bikes to make your trip throughout the park even easier.

I went to Madrid excited to take my girlfriend to the old haunts of Hemingway for her birthday, as…read morehe is her favorite author and Madrid was one of his favorite cities. I was ecstatic when I found the Wellington Society's Hemingway tour that takes tourists to the old bars, hotels, and hangouts of the late Don Ernesto. Through a rare and unexpected turn of events, I was robbed of my phone, wallet, and cash. When I emailed Stephen Drake Jones--expert tour guide and founding member of the Wellington Society--to tell him I would not be able to participate in the tour due to my circumstances, I received a response that was unexpectedly kind and heartfelt. In addition to being incredibly empathetic and apologetic on behalf of the city, Stephen Drake Jones also offered to allow my girlfriend and me join the tour--which includes tapas and drinks!--free of charge. This huge act of kindness, especially on the heels of being robbed and left with nothing, was nothing short of the highlight of my time abroad. And though Madrid is always a magical city, it is even more extraordinary because of people like Stephen Drake Jones. If you are in Madrid, take the time to book a tour with the Wellington Society. You won't regret it!

We booked two tours, the Madrid wine/tapas tour and Toledo tour, with Stephen. We were never…read moreprovided with an itinerary for our days, even when asked to provide one. The wine/tapas tour started 30 minutes later than the original proposed start and ended about 30 minutes early, as he was tired. While we did visit the Jewish Quarter in Toledo, we did not go to a single synagogue per my written request. Both tours left me wanting more. Neither tour provided much valueable information and the "wonderful" antidotes were mainly about the Chairman, not Madrid or Toledo.

We floated above Madrid for :15 each way with endless views of the city below. It was €6 round…read moretrip & worth it. A very smooth ride @ 15 mph. We got off at the station, went to the view point & turned around to return to the city. There was a closed restaurant, clean restrooms & a small reasonably priced gift shop .Highly recommend!

For a couple dollars, you can soar over the city in this teleférico. For a few Euros you can take a…read more15 minute ride one way or 30 minute ride both ways. The ride takes you over a big park and apartment buildings in the suburbs, so while it's not the coolest view, it is fun if you have a ton of time in Madrid and want to relax. The cable cars are pretty small and not super new, so again, if you only have a few days in Madrid, I'd recommend other things first, but if you're looking for extra to do, this is available!