Castles · Tour
Prado First, Palace Last: Optional Early Access an Hour Before Opening
This one runs in the opposite direction from most Madrid day tours: the Prado first, the old town in the middle, and the Royal Palace at the end.
The order pays off. Museums are quiet in the morning and palaces are not, and a gallery with over a thousand works on display is a very different room at nine than at two. There is also an early access option at booking, which puts the group inside the Prado a full hour before the doors open to the public. That hour is the difference between looking at Las Meninas and looking at the back of someone's head.
Groups are capped at sixteen, which keeps the guide reachable rather than amplified.
Between the two institutions the route crosses the medieval streets of the centre, through the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol, with the account of how Madrid went from a frontier post of a collapsing Moorish emirate to the capital of Catholic Europe. The guides also hand over the practical things: where to eat and where to go afterwards.
The Royal Palace closes the day, entered without queueing: the chapel, the dressing rooms, the throne room still used for royal receptions, and Carlos III, the king who rebuilt the city.
What's included
- Local English-speaking guide
- Plaza Mayor
- Skip-the-line tickets and guided tour of Prado Museum
- Puerta del Sol
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- Literary Quarter
- Opera House (outside)
- VIP early access ticket to Prado Museum (if option selected)
- Skip-the-line tickets and guided tour of Madrid Royal Palace
Itinerary
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C. de Felipe IV, s/n, Madrid
Arrive 15 minutes before the start. The guide holds a yellow WalksDevour sign. The tour meets at the Monumento a Goya, C. de Felipe IV, Retiro, 28014 Madrid, outside the Prado entrance at the statue of Goya.
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Museo Nacional del Prado
The tour starts inside the Prado, past the queue and straight in, at a museum holding one of the great collections of European art. The route takes its highlights and the painters who defined Spanish art across the centuries, from the court painters of the royal family to Goya, Velázquez, El Greco, Bosch and Tintoretto. The guide supplies what a room of over a thousand works on display cannot: which pictures matter, and why. The early access option puts the group in the galleries an hour before the museum opens to the public.
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Plaza Mayor
Out of the museum and into the medieval streets of central Madrid, stopping at the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol while the guide sets out how the city went from an outpost of a collapsing Moorish empire to the capital of the leading Catholic power in Europe. The same streets are now among the best parts of the city to eat and drink in, and the guide will tell you where.
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Puerta del Sol
A stop for the view and the photographs.
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Royal Palace of Madrid
On to the Royal Palace, entered on a skip-the-line ticket, where every room holds paintings and textiles. The guided visit takes in the chapel, the dressing rooms of the king and queen, and the throne room, which is still where officials are received by the monarchs. It also covers Carlos III, the king remembered as the best mayor Madrid ever had, who built much of the city you have spent the day walking through.
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Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Madrid
Outside the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Not included
- Hotel Pick-Up / Drop-Off
- Gratuities
Good to know
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- This tour is in English.
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
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- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
- Sites on this tour are subject to occasional closures. If modifications are needed and time permits, we will reach out to you prior to your tour.
- Walks and Devour comply with all local government regulations. Please refer to local government guidelines for the most up to date information.
- Please note: This tour offers multiple options. Take a moment to choose the one that best suits your interests.
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en.
Meeting point
- Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour, your guide will be holding a yellow WalksDevour sign. This tour meets at Monumento a Goya, C. de Felipe IV, s/n, Retiro, 28014 Madrid, outside the entrance to the Prado Museum at the statue of Goya.
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