Madrid Essentials Free Tour

We start the tour in the most famous square in Madrid: Puerta del Sol. There is a lot of history in its floor, its statues and its balconies that you will love to know.

Next to “El Oso y El Madroño” we will wait for you to begin this tour. You will know everything that the square has lived throughout the history of Madrid.

Look for a yellow umbrella! This is how you can locate our TripTours guides. And now, the adventure begins…

The “Mercado de San Miguel” is a historical and monumental place, full of literary reminiscences. A market with a lot of history between its walls … And a perfect place if you want to have a drink and enjoy the ambient of Madrid.

It is located next to the Plaza Mayor, leaving one of its streets. In its origin it was a fish market, and has suffered several demolitions and modifications until get its current state. Currently, is the only market in the called iron architecture that has been preserved.

This square was one of the main points of Madrid in medieval time.Three small streets leave from the square, corresponding to the primitive layout of the city.

We can say that it is a square formed by a set of monuments. It is surrounded by important buildings of great historical-artistic value, which were built in different centuries. The oldest three are “La Casa y la Torre de los Lujanes”, “La Casa de Cisneros” and “La Casa de La Villa”.

Our cathedral is modern but has a lot of history. It began to be built as a pantheon for the queen Maria de las Mercedes but, after being consecrated by the Pope, the project became more ambitious and was redesigned in a Gothic-style cathedral with a large neo-romanesque crypt.

Finally, it was decided that a Gothic cathedral would not be built due to the contrast it produced in the environment, and the architects Fernando Chueca Goitia and Carlos Sidro finished the current design and construction of the Cathedral in the year 1950.

It is the largest palace in Western Europe, and one of the largest in the world. It was built on the ashes of the Old Alcazar where Carlos I and his son Felipe II resided permanently.

A fire ended the Alcazar in 1734 and, on his remains, Felipe V ordered the construction of the current palace.

The building is inspired by the sketches made by Bernini for the construction of the Louvre in Paris. It is arranged around a square courtyard and has a gallery and a Plaza de Armas.

An impressive building surrounded by dream gardens … We will tell you the history and anecdotes of the kings who lived in this fairytale palace.

The “Teatro real” or “Casa de la Ópera”, was declared as Spanish Historical Heritage in the category of monument. The theater is a project of the municipal architect Antonio López Aguado during the reign of Isabel I, and it was inaugurated in 1850.

For 75 years it was one of the main theaters in Europe, but in 1925 one of its parts sank and it remained closed for 41 long years. In 1966 reopened as an auditorium and headquarters of the Royal Superior Conservatory of Music and School of Dramatic Arts.

This is one of the most important theaters in Europe and the first performing arts institution in Spain. We could not finish this tour without seeing its impressive facade and tell you all about its history ..