Free walking tours in Madrid
Below you can find 5 of the best free tours in Madrid.
1. Free Walking Tour of Madrid, a must if you visit the city
This free tour is the most basic of them all and the one that any tourist who comes to the city should book, since it includes the main tourist attraction of Madrid. In this way, you will be able to visit the highlights of the city while learning about its history, legends and fun facts. This free guided tour of Madrid has a total duration of 2 hours, is available in English and reservations can be made for up to 6 people.
Thanks to this tour you will be able to visit the following places:
– Puerta del Sol
– Plaza Mayor
– Plaza de Oriente
– Palacio Real
– Plaza de la Villa
– Ópera
– Mercado de San Miguel
At the end of the tour you will be given a bracelet to go out partying in Madrid (for those over 18 years of age). It allows free entry to 4 downtown party bars and includes a shot at each bar and a cocktail at one of the bars.
Tour rating: 9.5/10
You can book this free tour of the essentials of Madrid HERE.
2. Free tour of Barrio de las Letras, one of the best free tours in Madrid
Another very interesting free tour that you can do in Madrid is the one that takes you through the Barrio de las Letras. It is an hour and a half tour in Spanish thanks to which you will be able to discover the most interesting points of this emblematic neighborhood of Madrid. It is a recommended tour for anyone but especially for those who love literature, as they will tell you a lot of curious facts about the writers of the Golden Age, such as Cervantes or Lope de Vega.
Thanks to this tour you will be able to visit the following places:
– Plaza de Santa Ana
– Teatro Español
– Calle Huertas
– Parroquia de San Sebastián
– Calle Cervantes
– Calle Lope de Vega
– Convento de las Trinitarias
– Estatua de Miguel de Cervantes
Once the tour is over, they will give you a bracelet to discover Madrid’s nightlife (for those of legal age). The bracelet allows you free entry to 4 bars in the center and includes a shot in each bar and a cocktail in one of them.
Tour rating: 9.4/10
You can book the Cervantes free tour HERE.
3. Free walking tour of El Capricho Park
This free tour in Madrid is not as popular as the two that I have already mentioned, but if you are going to spend several days in the city, I am sure that you will love it. In this case, the guided visit is to Parque El Capricho, one of the most beautiful parks in Madrid. This tour is 2 hours and 15 minutes and is done in Spanish.
This park is located in the Alameda de Osuna and is the only garden of romanticism present in the Spanish capital. It was ordered to be built by the Duchess of Osuna in 1784. Construction took place between 1787 and 1839. The Duchess of Osuna died in 1834, without seeing the work completed.
The most emblematic and photographed place in El Capricho Park is the Temple of Bacchus. However, this park is full of hidden treasures. Apart from knowing this temple, thanks to this tour you will be able to appreciate the English, French and Italian style gardens and visit the Casa de la Vieja, the labyrinth, the palace and the Dance Casino, among other places.
Tour rating: 10/10
You can book the free tour of Parque El Capricho HERE.
4. Free walking tour of Madrid at night
Another very cool fee tour in Madrid is booking any night tour of the city. Madrid looks just as beautiful, or even more, at night than it does during the day. Stroll through the streets of the city once the sun has set and discover all its secrets and legends thanks to this free guided tour. This tour is 2 hours long and is available in English.
After contemplating the beautiful sunset from the Temple of Debod, these are the places you will visit during the free tour:
– Plaza de España
– Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición
– Casa de las Siete Chimeneas
– Gran Vía
– Antigua muralla de Madrid
Tour rating: 9.5/10
You can book a free night tour HERE.
5. Free walking tour in Madrid of the Bourbons
Lastly, I propose a free guided tour of the Madrid of the Bourbons. Thanks to this visit you will be able to learn facts about the expansion of Madrid and the influence of Carlos III through the monuments and its architecture. The tour lasts 2 hours and a half and is available in English. At the end of the visit, they offer a free drink.
Thanks to this tour you will be able to visit the following places:
– Puerta del Sol
– Metrópolis
– Calle Alcalá
• Palacio de Buenavista
• Palacio de Linares
– Banco de España
– Fuente de Cibeles
– Puerta de Alcalá
– Parque de El Retiro
– Iglesia de san Jerónimo el Real
– Fuente de Neptuno
– Congreso de los Diputados
Tour rating: 9.3/10
You can book a free tour of the Bourbons HERE.
TIP: How much money should you donate to the tour guide in a free tour in Madrid? Free tours do not have a fixed cost, but at the end of the visit, you pay the guide the money that seems fair to you. Sometimes I have doubts about how much money should donated. The truth is that it all depends on how good an informative the tour was, the duration of the tour, your personal situation or even the country you are in. To serve as a guide, I think a minimum of €8-10 per person is fair.
Other guided activities in Madrid
If you are going to spend several days in Madrid and enjoy booking tours of the places you visit to learn about the history of each place, here are some of the best guided tours in Madrid. These are not all free but they have a low and fair cost. You can take a look at all the tours in Madrid here.
↠ Madrid Mysteries and Legends Walking Tour. Discover the city’s secrets on a 2-hour walking tour in which you learn about the legends of ancient Madrid. Places such as the Church of San Ginés, the Plaza de Oriente, the Plaza de la Villa, the San Isidro Museum, the Plaza de Puerta Cerrada and the Plaza Mayor are visited. Rating: 9.3/10. Price: €7.
↠ Madrid night tour. The tour last 1 hour and 45 minutes and takes you to the most important squares and monuments of Madrid at nightfall. Score: 9.4/10. Price: €7.
↠ Guided tour of Chueca and Malasaña. Get to know Chueca, the LGTBQI+ neighborhood of Madrid and one of the favorite areas for locals by booking this 2 hour guided tour. Score: 9.4/10. Price: €8.
↠ Guided Tour of Lavapies and La Latina. If you want to get to know the most multicultural neighborhoods of Madrid in depth, don’t miss this 2-hour tour of Lavapiés, El Rastro and La Latina. Score: 9.2/10. Price: €8.
↠ Madrid Ghost Tour. This is a 2-hour guided night tour that takes you through some of the most mysterious places in the capital. The tour begins in Plaza de Cibeles and takes you to places such as the Palacio de Linares, the House of the Seven Chimneys and the Plaza de Santo Domingo. Score: 9.3/10. Price: €9.
↠ Spanish Civil War Tour. 2-hour tour in which the day-to-day life of the people of Madrid during the tragic civil war will be explained. Score: 9.1/10. Price: €10.
↠ Madrid Graffiti Tour. 1 hour and 45 minute tour that covers the best urban art in Madrid. Graffiti from the neighborhoods of Lavapiés and Embajadores are visited. Score: 9.9/10. Price: €20.
I hope that this article about the best free walking tours in Madrid has been helpful to you in planning your trip to the Spanish capital. If you want to tell me about your experience in this city or have any questions, I encourage you to leave a comment. Until next time, traveler!
