Madrid Walking Tour - "Madrid of the Bourbons"

This page will tell you how to get around Madrid on a Madrid walking tour. You can read here how to book the tour, find out where it goes and what you will see. There are also photos of some of the places that you will pass through. We can also tell you the quickest and easiest way to get to the tours starting point, and we've found out the price too!

Madrid is not as big as you think! Don't let the idea of walking around its major sites daunt you. I have found that it is actually one of the best ways not only to see the tourist attractions, but also to orientate yourself. The plus point is that you have a guide that knows everything, and he or she can point things of interest along the way and answer any questions that you might have.

Madrid Walking Tour - Madrid Of The Bourbons

The elegant Paseo del Prado is a delight to stroll down, and here you will find several important museums.

There are several walking tours available through the tourist information centre.
Click here to visit our main page detailing more of the Madrid walking tours

One of the best tours is called 'Madrid of the Bourbons'. This Madrid tour is available in either English or Spanish, and leaves from the main tourist office in the Plaza Mayor every Sunday at 10:00. The route takes you through some of the most prestigious parts of the city, while the guide explains how Madrid was during the 18th century. You will pass monumental buildings and huge tree-lined avenues, like the famous Paseo del Prado.

Where Else Does The Madrid Walking Tour Take Me?

The Palacio de Comunicanciones in Cibeles Square

I loved this route, because although it takes you along some busy roads, the ambiance of each grand avenue is such that there is still an air of calmness and tranquillity, unusual for such a busy city. The period of the Bourbons was a great one, and the architecture from this time is some of the most impressive in Madrid.

You will see the Royal Palace, and the Sabatini gardens that are next door. Later on, you will cross over the frantic Plaza de Cibeles, with its beautiful central fountain of the Roman Goddess Cybele. Looking out over the plaza is the colossal building, the Palacio de Comunicaciones (Communications Palace).

Many of the landmarks of Madrid are accessible on this Madrid walking tour. Make sure you take your camera for the Puerta de Alcalá. This is a mammoth ancient gateway to the city that is sculpted entirely from granite.

The Puerta de Alcalá looks especially beautiful if you get chance to visit it at night when it is floodlit.

The '2 de Mayo' monument on the Paseo del Prado, one of Madrid's grandest avenues.

You will travel past the Prado museum and the botanical gardens that are next door. Also near here, you can see a statue that commemorates Madrid's big fiesta the '2 de Mayo' (02 May). The fiesta is in memory of the War of Independence against the French.

Madrid Walking Tour Tickets

Tickets are available from the tourist office in the Plaza Mayor. To get there, take the metro.

Metro: Opera (Green Line, L5), (Red Line, L2) 10 minutes walk. Follow the brown signs for Plaza Mayor.

You can purchase your ticket on the day of the tour, as the office opens from 09:30. Don't forget that if you have the Madrid Card that the tour is free.
The entire Madrid city tour takes about one and a half hours.

Madrid Tour
Tourist Information Office
Street: Plaza Mayor, 27

Telephone: +34 90 222 1424
Official website:

Metro: Sol (Red Line, L2), (Light Blue Line, L1), (Yellow Line, L3) plus 5 minutes walk; or
Metro: Opera (Green Line, L5), (Red Line, L2) 10 minutes walk

Opening hours:
16 September - 14 June: Monday - Friday: 09:30 - 20:30
Saturday: 11:00 - 17:00
Sunday: 09:30 - 15:00
15 June - 15 September: Monday - Friday: 09:30 - 20:30
Saturday: 12:00 noon - 17:00
Sunday: 09:30 - 14:30
Admission fee: Tour prices vary, but many are FREE with the Madrid Card