Madrid's Best Walking Tours
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| Stephen Drake-Jones guides guests through the eclectic history of Madrid. |
By Rick Steves
With each visit to Madrid, I enjoy a visit with my friend, British expatriate Stephen Drake-Jones. A historian with a passion for the memory of the Duke of Wellington (the man who stopped Napoleon), Stephen is the founder and chairman of the Wellington Society. Stephen gives entertaining, informative walks of historic old Madrid almost nightly (along with more specialized walks, such as Hemingway, Civil War, and Bloody Madrid).
For €35, you become a member of the society for a year and get a free two-hour tour that includes a stop along the way for local drinks and tapas. Or you can go on a VIP tour for €50, which includes three stops for drinks and tapas and lasts more than three hours (day and evening departures).
Eccentric Stephen takes you back in time to sort out Madrid's Hapsburg and Bourbon history. Chairman Stephen likes his wine — if that's a problem, skip the tour. Tours usually start at the statue in Puerta del Sol.
Members of the Wellington Society can take advantage of Stephen's helpline (if you're in a Spanish jam, call him to translate and intervene) and assistance by email (for questions on Spain, your itinerary, and so on). Stephen also does private tours and day trips to great spots in the countryside for small groups (starting at €275 per couple; call 609-143-203 to confirm tour and reserve a spot, www.wellsoc.org, chairman@wellsoc.org).
LeTango Tourist Services offers private tours in Madrid and other parts of Spain with Carlos Galvin, a Spaniard who speaks flawless English (and who has led tours for my groups since 1998), and his American wife, Jennifer. Carlos mixes a market walk in the historic center with a culinary-and-tapas crawl to get close to the Madrileños, their culture, and their food. His walk gives a fine three-hour orientation and introduction to the fascinating and tasty culture of Madrid (€95 per person, 10 percent cash discount, includes tastes in the market and light tapas at the end, minimum 2 people, alcohol-free and gourmet versions available, family-friendly, price goes down with more people). They also offer tour packages, provide itinerary planning and hotel booking anywhere in Spain, and rent apartments in Madrid (tel. 913-694-752, mobile 661-752-458, www.letango.com, info@letango.com).
Updated for 2010. For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' Spain guidebook — or join us on one of our free-spirited tours in Spain.