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Madrid tours and excursions

Madrid tours

Bus tours

Take an open top city bus tour, with recorded commentaries available in 14 languages. There are two routes available, both taking in sights, and places of interest, including shopping districts. Tours run throughout the year.

Tel: +34 913 69 27 32
Website: http://madrid.city-tour.com/en

Gastronomic Tours

Antociano organise wine and tapas tasting tours of Madrid. Each lasts two hours and there are five different routes around the city to choose from. Participants stop at various bars and restaurants where they are taught about food and wine pairings.

Tel: +34 91 551 8985.
Website: http://www.antociano.com

Madrid excursions

Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial

This monastery lies just 50km (31 miles) northwest of Madrid, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The extraordinary rectangular edifice with four spired towers was built by Philip II, as a memorial to his father, Charles V, and is a combination of monastery, church and palace. It contains numerous artistic treasures, an austere 17th-century church and a beautifully decorated library with vaulted, painted ceiling. Trains depart from Atocha and other stations.

Tel: +34 91 890 5903.
Website: http://el-escorial.com

Segovia

North of the Sierra de Guadarrama, 90km (55 miles) north of Madrid, easily reached by train (there are regular departures from Chamartín Station and Atocha Station), by bus (from Estación Sur de Autobuses), or by road (along the A6 and the AP61), lies Segovia. Once an important Roman city, evidence of its splendour is the magnificent 2,000-year Augustan aqueduct which remains intact to this day. The Alcazar (dating back to the Middle Ages) was originally a Moorish castle, later the residence of the Catholic Kings. Along with the aqueduct, it is the most distinctive landmark.

Tel: +34 92 146 6070.
Website: http://www.segoviaturismo.es

A digital image at https://illuminoto.com

City Highlight: Madrid

Madrid is vibrant, creative, and has a regal vibe with grand architecture befitting an ancient empire that once gripped the Iberian Peninsula

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Featured Hotels

Hotel AC Santo Mauro

This small luxury Madrid hotel, part of the Marriott Autograph Collection, is situated in a leafy corner of the historic Chamberí neighbourhood and is housed in a 19th-century palace that once served as an embassy. It has been reconstructed in a tasteful combination of neoclassical and avant-garde styles. The lounges, ornamented with stucco mouldings, mirrors and fluted pilasters, evoke the refinement of a bygone age and are the perfect setting for entertaining clients. Other facilities include business services, six conference rooms (occupying the former ballrooms), interpreting services, multilingual staff, an indoor swimming pool and a fitness centre.

Casual Madrid de Teatro

It’s not just the location that makes this a great value hotel, although being a stone’s throw from Plaza Santa Ana and Plaza del Angel doesn’t hurt. The building is a lovely 1920s throwback, and the rooms are bright and airy, with high ceilings. Many hotels are charging much more for way less. One of the best cheap hotels in Madrid.

Petit Palace Ducal Chueca

Located close to the Gran Via, this Madrid hotel can truly boast 'all mod cons'. Part of the state-of-the-art High Tech hotel chain, its 58 boutique rooms are full of electronic knobs and whistles, including a flat screen TV and a hydro-massage shower. That doesn't impinge on comfort levels, though, and the red and black décor gives it a classy feel.

Vincci Soma

The location is one of the main attractions of this 170-room boutique hotel in Madrid, opposite Goya Metro station in the upmarket Salamanca district, 1km (0.6 miles) from Retiro Park and the chic shops of Calle Serrano. There are a few forays into the realm of luxury service, with a pillow menu and a book delivery service. The restaurant serves creative Mediterranean dishes.

Hotel Trafalgar

Less than 10 minutes from the centre of town by metro (Iglesia or Bilbao), the Trafalgar is a modern hotel that is popular with both tourists and businesspeople. It lies in a residential neighbourhood, well provided with shops, restaurants and other amenities. The 48 en-suite rooms, while unexceptional, are air-conditioned and have direct-dial telephones and TV. There is also a laundry service and currency exchange. The English-speaking staff are friendly and helpful.

Hotel Paris

One of the popular cheap options in Madrid’s Puerta de Alcalá area, Hotel Paris' 120 rooms are surprisingly spacious, decorated in classic style – this was one of the first luxury hotels in Madrid at the start of the 20th century. It was only when the Ritz was established in 1910 that it was relegated to a more modest category. Its main attraction is its location, right on the Puerta del Sol, with the main cultural stops right on its doorstep.

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