Madrid in a day: early entry to Royal Palace, with wine tasting, monument stroll and Prado Art Museum

Madrid is packed with art, architecture and culture, and on this full day tour, you’ll experience the best of it with an expert local guide. Your day starts when you enter the heart-stopping Royal Palace a full hour before the general public to explore the beautiful interiors and see paintings by Caravaggio, Goya, Velázquez, and more. Your guide will tell you how the discovery of the Americas created this amazing building and funded the powerful dynasties that once lived here.

Leaving the palace, you’ll enter the Barrio de la Morería to learn about Madrid’s Muslim roots then enter the Mercado de la Cebada for a crash course in Spanish food culture. We’ll take you to our favorite stall to taste wine, olive oils, and small plates and learn why the Spanish custom of tapas is one of the country’s most treasured institutions.

Next, you’ll explore the medieval streets of central Madrid, stopping at the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol as your guide tells you story of how the city went from an outpost of a crumbling Moorish empire to the preeminent Catholic power in Europe. Then it’s time for a surprise: We’ll take you to the top of a rooftop terrace for jaw-dropping views over the entire city. From up there, your guide will show you points of interest and give you recommendations for lunch.

After your lunch break, your guide will take you on a stroll down Madrid’s most famous street, the Paseo del Prado, to experience and learn about its most iconic monuments, like the Cibeles Palace, Central Bank and the fountains of Neptune and Apollo.

Your stroll leads you to the steps of the Prado art museum, home to one of the greatest collections of European art in the world. You’ll enter with skip the line tickets and enjoy a full tour of the museum’s highlights, including works by Rembrandt, Raphael, Goya, Velazquez, El Greco, Bosch, and more. Your guide will tell you the stories behind the art and help you understand what makes each piece so celebrated.

Your tour ends in the museum; you can either spend more time enjoying the art or get recommendations for what to see, do and eat from your guide before heading off, safe in the knowledge that you have experienced the very best of the city in a single day.

Sites Visited:

• Teatro Opera (outside)
• Plaza de Oriente
• Palacio Real (inside)
• Catedral de la Almudena (outside)
• Mercado de la Cebada (inside for tapas, wine & olive oil tasting)
• Plaza della Villa (outside)
• Mercado San Miguel (outside)
• Plaza Mayor
• Puerta del Sol
• Calle Alcala
• Panoramic viewpoint
• Monumental Madrid (Passeo del Prado, Cibeles & Neptune Fountains & Banco de España)
• Prado Museum Masterpieces, including Las Meninas by Velázquez