old historic Madrid
with an architect
Would you like to discover the origins of the city in an architecture tour led by a local architect through the old historic Madrid, from the moment Arabs founded it till the Bourbons dinasty, crossing all the splendor of the Habsburg-Austrias period?
Old historic Madrid with an architect:
from the Arabs to the Bourbons dinasty, through the splendor of the Habsburg period
30,90
- WALKING TOUR
- duration
- 3h 30m
- languages
- english | spanish
- groups
- 4 to 10 people
- ages
- 12 and up
TRIPADVISOR 5.0/5.0*
Habsburgs
Austrias
We propose you a different architecture guided tour through the old Madrid and you will learn more about the origins of the city from the urban, historical and architectural point of view since the Arabs founded Madrid at the end of the 9th century, following with the conquest of the city by Alfonso VI of Castilla in the 11th century or the moment when Felipe II decided to fix the capital in Madrid. The Madrid of the House of Habsburg-Austrias will lead our journey, without losing the influence of the Bourbons from the 18th century to the present day.
arab madrid
We will start our guided tour of the old Madrid netx to the Royal Theater. We will review its history with a model of the city, since the Arabs built the Alcázar, the defensive castle when Madrid was founded, till the moment Felipe V decided to built the Royal Palace as we know today. On foot, we will review the history of the Royal Theater and Plaza de Oriente. From there, we will visit the oldest church in Madrid and we will look for the body of Velazquez. From there, you will learn more about the history of the Cathedral and the the new Gallery of Royal Collections designed by the architects Tuñón and Mansilla. . From there, we will continue our walk to enjoy the Arab Wall, built in the 9th century by the Arabs.
madrid
cornice
From the Viewpoint of La Cornisa, you will enjoy the views of the forest called Casa de Campo, the green lung of the city, the King’s private hunting site until 1931 and a Civil War front, whose effects on the city we will remember. Stopping at a this point from which you will enjoy the views of part of the cornice of Madrid, the Cathedral, the entrance of the new Gallery of Royal Collections projected by Tuñón y Mansilla, the Gardens of Campo del Moro and the mountains of Sierra de Guadarrama will be the perfect frame of your photos.
la latina
We will continue the walk trough La Latina where the Arabs called Mudejares lived for centuries. Walking throught these old small streets and squares we will arrive to Plaza de la Paja where we will find the Palace of the Vargas and the Church of San Andrés where San Isidro, the patron of the city were buried, close to the Museum of San Isidro. We will continue our walk discovering some of the rests of the Christian walls built in the 12th century.
Bourbons
Crossing Cava Baja full of old taverns and bars of tapas, we will arrive to the Square of the closed Gate, one of the old gates of the old city. San Miguel Market will be other of our stops where you could have a drink and tapas after visiting Plaza de la Villa where the old City Hall is located. From there you will learn about the history of Plaza Mayor, the best example of castillians squares, built 400 years ago and Puerta del Sol, totally renovated by the architects Linazasoro and Sánchez.
- group tour
- do you prefer a private tour?
group tour
info
- duraTIOn 3h 30m
- languages español inglés
- groups 4 to 10 people**
- ages 12*and up
- *younger than 12
- only IN PRIVATE architours oR TAILORED Architours
- **if the minimum of four people is not reached,
- we will offer you another day or cancellation with refund
starting times
- monday to sunday
- 10:00AM
- 11:00AM WINTER | thursday 1 SEP – 31 JUl
- tuesday to sunday
- 04:00pm 1 sep – 31 may
- 05:00pm 1 jun – 30 jun
- 06:00pm 1 jul – 1 sep
prices
- 1-4 persons
- 49.00€/p
- 5 persons
- 45.90€/p
- 6-7 pERSONS
- 39.90€/p
- 8 pERSONS
- 35.90€/p
- 9 persons
- 32.90€/p
- 10 persons
- 30.90€/p
- 12-15 YEARS
- 39.00€/p
- VAT INCLUDED
- tickets rooftops not incluided
private tour
info
- duraTIOn 3h 30m
- languages español inglés
- groups 1 to 10 people
- ages 0*and up
- *younger than 18 with an adult
starting times
- monday to sunday
- 10:00am | 10:30 | 11:00
- tuesday to sunday
- 04:00pm | 05:00pm | 06:00pm
- contact us if you need other starting time
prices
- from
- 249.00€
- 1P x 249.00€/p……. 249€
- 2P x 124.50€/p……. 249€
- 3P X 83.00€/p……… 249€
- 4P x 62.25€/p……… 249€
- 5p x 51.80€/p……… 259€
- 6p x 44.80€/p……… 269€
- 7p x 39.85€/p……… 279€
- 8p x 36.12€/p……… 289€
- 9p x 32.22€/p……… 299€
- 10p x 30.90€/p……. 309€
- vat included
- tickets rooftops not incluided
info
- monday to sunday
- 10:00AM
- 11:00AM WINTER | thursday 1 SEP – 31 JUl
- tuesday to sunday
- 04:00pm 1 sep a 31 may
- 05:00H 1 jun – 30 jun
- 06:00pm 1 jul – 1 sep
- WALKING TOUR
- duraTIOn 3h 30m
- languages español inglés
- groups 4 to 10 people**
- ages 12*and up
- *younger than 12
- only IN PRIVATE architours oR TAILORED Architours
- **if the minimum of four people is not reached,
- we will offer you another day or cancellation with refund
book now
meeting point
plaza de Isabel II, 4
in front of the Starbucks
metro
ópera L5
royal theater
other related architours
FAQ
No. Our architours are guided by a local architect, but they are offered in a colloquial language that will help you understand each style in its historical context, in a didactic way, whether you are an architect or a mere amateur.
If you are an architect, student of architecture or work in the field, let us know with your booking. In that case, we can propose you a tour in which we go deeper or use a more technical language. We recommend you book a private or tailored tour, just for you, adapted to your interests.
The visit led by a local architect who will give you the artistic historical context of the buildings, accompanied by plans and historical photos to understand the urban development of the city in each period.
No, we will not enter to the interior of the Royal Palace but we will examine it from its exterior and we will show you the history of the building.
On our tour you will learn in detail the history of the Royal Palace, the projects that were considered before its construction and many other details with historical plans.
Should you wish to learn more about the interiors of the Royal Palace, please contact us.
We offer you schedules based on the weather of each season.
If the starting times that appear on the tour page do not adapt to your availability, contact us with your proposal.
We ask you to be on time at the meeting point, at least 5 minutes before the architour starts.
Our architour ends at Puerta del Sol, although sometimes we end up at Plaza Mayor.
Most of our architours are led in English but also in Spanish.
The tour will be led in the language that most of the attendees speak. If you do not speak one of the two languages, we will always offer you an alternative in the language you chose when you booking.
We do not do group tours in two languages on the same tour to avoid the experience taking too long and not enjoying it as we want.
Unfortunately, some parts of the routes are not always wheelchair accessible. The routes may include narrow sidewalks and cobblestoned streets. Please contact us to discuss in more detail your mobility concerns so that we can best advise and we will try to design an adapted route in a tailored tour.
“I would describe this trip as perfectly meeting my expectations. A 10 out of 10. The tour was amazing. He connected the Spanish history (which sometimes can be complicated) to the architecture in a way that made it come alive, added all kinds of other interesting stories to the tour. He gave us lots of time to look and ask questions, take a coffee break, and walk at a reasonable speed to be able to look up at the buildings. We have been on many different types of tours during our travels, and as I am very interested in architecture (but I am not an architect) I looked through the internet for a tour with a “real architect”. Your website was great and my only regret was that we were not able to take another tour during our time here. Highly recommended for people who want a highly knowledgeable person giving a tour of history and architecture of Madrid. Our thanks”.
Helle | Canada
2024
architoursmad *****
“We had a brilliant time with Emilio. He was so knowledgeable, a great story-teller and an engaging man. We learned so much about Madrid and enjoyed how he tailored the tour to our interests. Three hours very well spent. I would HIGHLY recommend any tour with him”.
Matt | London
2023
airbnb experiences *****
“It was obvious from the very beginning that Emilio wasn’t the standard tour guide. His love for his native city and his knowledge of its history are both extremely deep, and they enabled his tour to be better than the common walk around the city with a tour guide. It was a pleasure to learn about the city from someone with such passion”.
Douglas | USA
2022
tripadvisor *****
