Guided tours of Madrid

in English or Spanish

Our personalised Tours of Madrid
Why rush through Madrids most fascinating sights and secrets when you can take your time with a guide that goes at your pace. These tours are ideal for families and also professionals who want a customised quality experience.

We offer the option of combining any and all of our tours so you can see the sights that most appeal to you. We aim to share our knowledge of authentic Madrid which does not appear in guide books to provide the best tour that the whole family can enjoy.

Our tours are given by native English speakers living in Madrid who specialize in Art and History.

Historical Madrid:
We offer tours of the oldest part of Madrid, exploring the wonderful architecture of the old Hapsburg dynasty dating from the 16th century. This tour includes fantastic tales and legends of dark Spain where the Inquisition was in full swing. As you wander down the narrow streets you will learn about the exciting history of this Moorish city. We trace its origins from the fortress built by Muhammad the first in the 8th century all the way to modern day Madrid, with everything from assassination attempts to secret gardens in between.

The Royal Palace
On this tour you will learn about the exciting history of this spectacular palace. Originally built to replace a Moorish fortress in the middle ages, it suffered a fire in the 18th century and the building was replaced to accommodate King Charles the 3rd. The interior allows us to marvel at the luxury and excess of the Bourbon dynasty, each king added his own decorative touch such as the Hall of Mirrors added by Charles the 4th and many decorative details such as clocks and chandeliers added by Ferdinand the 7th.

Unfortunately the royals now reside in the outskirts of Madrid but the astounding decoration allows us to be transported back in time and imagine ourselves at one of the royal balls or furtive meetings in hidden passageways. Against this luxurious backdrop we explore the personalities of the idiosyncratic royals by revealing the secrets of their lives and loves.

Huertas, The Literary Quarter
As you wander through this tranquil and picturesque neighbourhood of Madrid, you will be told about the lives of the famous authors who lived here and wrote their most famous plays and novels. As we pass by the myriad of cosy coffee shops and beautiful squares its easy to imagine the young bohemian Miguel de Cervantes scribbling furiously the beginnings of Don Quijote. He and Lope de Vega, another key writer in the Spanish Golden Age of the 17th century were in fact rivals and we explore their homes and convent where both writers were buried.

From old fashioned grocery stores turned boutique shops we see how this area has changed with the times but has retained its bookish old fashioned charm. We will also see antique stores and 19th century taverns where the bill is not printed out but written in chalk on the bar.

Lavapies, Madrids Multicultural Neighbourhood:
On this tour we explore the most exciting, multicultural and vibrant neighborhood in the city, a gumbo of cultures, colors and sounds. It started as the low lying neighborhood, both physically and economically. It was the Jewish neighborhood until they were expelled in the 15th century and in the 18th century it became the working class area with old fashioned country style houses called corralas (corrals) and communal style living. We will explore the enterprising spirit of the local women in the 19th century who went so far as to start a clandestine cigarette making business in the abandoned factory which is today used as a multidisciplinary art space.

And for all you foodies out there, this area is a must, with amazingly authentic Thai and Indian curry, delicious Senegalese dishes and moreish Moroccan feasts, the multicultural mix will provide a break from typical jamon and tortilla.

On Sundays this tour can also be combined with the incredible flea market El Rastro, Madrids biggest and oldest outdoor market. As part of the tour we take you off the crowded tourist trail and into the older part of the market where you will find anything from old picture frame to vintage cameras.

Prado Museum Masterpieces tour
This quintessential tour explores the masterpieces of the Prado museum, with over 20,000 works of art by artists as renowned as Goya, Titian and Velazquez we take you on a journey into the inner workings these iconic and influential artists.

We begin in the 16th century with early Netherlandish painter Hieronymous Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights. We continue through Durer to discover his inspiration in the Italian renaissance. We stop at Raphael and continue to explore the Venetian school of the 16th century with the great master Titian. We explore Peter Paul Rubens and his Three Graces in Flemish Baroque style and continue to El Greco and Velazquez. We discuss Las Meninas, the great jewel of the Prado and examine the painters motivation and daring spirit by challenging the Spanish Inquisition with this famous masterpiece. We move on to analyze the work of Francisco de Goya, how his inspiration evolved and became darker and more personal as his career developed. Finally we see an example of Spanish Romantic artist Sorolla both to understand the evolution of painting and also as a way of ending with uplifting work after viewing Goyas Black Paintings.

This tour is explained in an entertaining way and is suitable for family groups and children as well as individuals.

The Reina Sofia Museum: Modern Art
We begin this tour by looking at Spanish artists and their exploration of Modernism. We continue by discussing the invention of film and photography which contributed to the origins of Cubism. We look at Pablo Picassos early collage and continue to the wistful portraits of early Dali. We continue our exploration of Dali and after he joins the surrealists in Paris and the dramatic change his work undergoes. Our tour then takes you to the iconic Guernica by Picasso, painted in only 30 days for the International Fair in Paris in 1937, one year into Spains civil war. We finally look at Miros painting and a mobile sculpture by Alexander Calder which we compare to another much larger work by him in the beautiful and peaceful garden of the museum.

This tour is recommended as a continuation of the Prado Museum Tour, it ties in perfectly with the evolution of art after Goya, the last of the old masters and the first modern artist. Having explored Spanish history in the Prado we reveal the rest of the story and continue our journey right up to Guernica and the legacy of Francos rule in Spain.

Interested?
Why not contact us at info@theindependentmediaworkshop.com