Madrid Itinerary 2023

Madrid Trip Details

Please note that we may make changes to this itinerary in response to unexpected closings, road conditions, weather, or other unforeseen events. And, although this is a very full itinerary, remember that you always have the choice to take a day or part of a day off to pursue your own interests, or just to stroll the beautiful streets of Prague.  In addition to our planned activities, you’ll have plenty of time to explore Madrid on your own. You might simply stroll along Grand Via, stopping every now and then for coffee, or churros, or tapas and visiting the bustling Mercado de San Miguel. You can stroll through Retiro Park, or sip a glass of cava lakeside and watch the boaters.

 

Day 1 - Friday
- Depart from home for your overnight fight to Madrid. (Airfare not included in the trip price.)

 

 

Day 2 - Saturday
- Arrive in Madrid following your overnight flight. It’s an easy 30 Euro fixed-fee taxi ride from the airport to the Vincci Soho hotel.

- Depending on the timing of your flight, you might want to grab lunch, take a nap, or start exploring the enticing Las Lettres neighborhood.

- At 18:00 we will meet in the hotel’s courtyard bar for wine and snacks and to review tomorrow's itinerary.

 

 

Day 3 - Sunday

- Gather in the hotel lobby at 09:15 for a walk to the Porta del Sol, the center of Madrid, and then to Plaza Mayor, the most important plaza in Madrid. You will have time to explore the fun shops in and around Plaza Mayor. There are many shops and cafes here to explore, including the nearby bustling food market Mercado de San Miguel. The building, designed by architect Alfonso Dube y Diez, is an excellent example of Iron Architecture. Nearby is the Chocolateria San Ginés, where the main attraction is a thick cup of hot chocolate into which to dip churros, an old Madrid tradition. We will explain how the line for ordering works!

 

- We will meet in the north central gate of Plaza Mayor at 12:30 to stroll to La Latina neighborhood for the famously large and rambling El Rastro street market, a pop-up market that is only open on Sundays and holidays. You can find all sorts of vintage and local goods at El Rastro. The market wraps up around 3pm. We recommend having a foldable tote bag in your purse or backpack for purchases–all week!

 

-Gather in the lobby at 18:00 for wine and snacks and to discuss the next day’s itinerary; then we will walk to Flamenco show–a wonderful art dance and percussion art form famous in Madrid. Tickets to the show (with a free glass of wine!) are included.

 

 

Day 4 - Monday

- Gather in the lobby at 09:15. We will take a stroll to the Museo del Prado, the most famous art museum in Madrid, which contains the work of great European artists such as Velázquez, El Greco, Goya, Tiziano, Rubens, and El Bosco. Entry into the museum and audio guide are included. We recommend the museum cafe for lunch. You may want to stay all day! If not, you are close to Retiro Park and the Cibeles fountain.

 

-Gather in the lobby at 18:30 for wine and snacks and to review the next day’s itinerary.

 

Day 5 - Tuesday

- Gather in the lobby at 08:30.

- We will take a full day trip to the walled city of Toledo, a Unesco World Heritage site, where Christians, Muslims, and Jews have lived together in peace for centuries. Toledo is known for its special steel that is used to make knives, swords , and armor.

 

- We will tour the Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo with our guide, where you can view El Expolio (The Disrobing of Christ), a famous painting by El Greco depicting the moment before Christ was stripped for crucifixion. We will include a ticket for you to visit El Greco’s largest painting at Santo Tome. The masterpiece depicts the burial of Count Orgaz; we recommend you visit during the afternoon.

 

- You will have several hours to dine, shop, and  explore on your own before we meet in the afternoon to return to Madrid. Round-trip transportation (about an hour each way), the guide, and tickets to the Cathedral and Santo Tome are included. 

 

- Review of the next day’s itinerary will be on the trip back to Madrid.

 

Day 6 - Wednesday

- Gather in the hotel lobby at 09:15. We will take the Metro to the Palacio Real, the Royal Palace of Spain, and enjoy the stunning views of the city looking west from the courtyard. The Palace is lavishly decorated, and the audio tour will explain the history of Spain’s Royal Family. Admission to the Palace and the audio tour are included; before you turn in your audio guide you may wish to purchase tickets for the separate tour of the Armory or the Kitchen. No photography is allowed inside the Palacio. Tickets for the main Palacio tour and the audio guide are included.

 

- Afterwards you may wish to dine at one of the lovely outdoor cafes around the Opera House. Optionally, you may tour the Catedral de Santa Maria across from the Palacio Real or stroll through the Campo del Moro gardens on your own.

 

- Gather in the lobby at 14:00 for a short walk to the Lope de Vega House-Museum. The writer lived in the home from 1610 to 1635, and the home is a beautiful example of a typical home from that period.

 

- Gather in the lobby at 18:30 for wine and snacks and to review the next day’s itinerary.

 

Day 7 - Thursday 

- Gather in the lobby at 09:30 for the short walk to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The museum hosts a one-private collection of works with an emphasis on impressionist works, including major works by lesser-known artists and minor works of well-known artists, including many Rodin statues. The museum cafe is a lovely spot for lunch.

 

- Gather in the lobby at 14:00. DeAnne will take you via Metro to visit the Reina Sofia museum to see Picasso’s Guernica, one of the most important of his works here in Spain. It’s the enormous painting he created as a protest of the Spanish Civil War. There are many other Spanish artists here, plus a central garden space. If you love cubist and other modern art, don’t miss this! 

 

- If you’ve had enough of art museums, we will help you with a custom plan–let us know a few days before. If you haven’t been to Retiro Park, you might want to go this morning. Or, you may wish to hop on the Metro to visit the Templo de Debod—an Egyptian temple donated to Spain in thanks for relocating treasures when the Aswan dam was built; it is located just north of the Palacio Real. There’s also an interesting Naval Museum near the hotel.

Gather in the lobby at 18:30 for our wrap-up wine session!

 

Day 7 - Friday
- Everyone leaves the hotel, either for your journey home or onward.