As self-guided excursions of Madrid have gotten increasingly common, this is a self-guided tapas tour of Madrid that will not disappoint!
With culinary influences pouring in from each nook of Spain and past, Madrid is a foodie paradise if there ever was one.
Throw in the truth that the sights alongside a median avenue within the capital—whether or not they be grand, wonderful buildings or charmingly quaint houses and outlets—are sufficient to take your breath away.
That is clearly a metropolis greatest found on foot, and it is simple to bask in a self-guided tapas tour of Madrid. However in between bites you will have to hold your eyes peeled for probably the most spectacular sights.
In any other case, you will by no means know what you are taking a look at—that unassuming constructing you did not give a second look might have been an 18th-century palace, for all you understand.
And, after all, and not using a little little bit of prior analysis, it is simple to fall into the vacationer traps and eat loads of mediocre meals alongside the way in which. This route for a self-guided tapas tour of Madrid will assist get you began.
The Final Self-Guided Tapas Tour of Madrid
With some assist from the gifted, passionate staff at Devour Excursions, I’ve put collectively a route that mixes the perfect of all worlds—meals, historical past, and tradition—that can take you additional than the everyday sights that everybody visiting the town desires to verify off their lists.
The one rule: begin hungry!
1. A No-Frills Spot with Madrid’s Most Well-known Sandwich
The route for our self-guided tapas tour of Madrid begins close to what many may contemplate the town’s high vacation spot for foodies. We can’t go inside, although. The San Miguel Market (Plaza de San Miguel, s/n) has its deserves, but it surely’s not precisely a part of the hidden Madrid this route goals to find.
As an alternative, flip round and enter the elegant Plaza Mayor. Within the far nook down a tiny cobblestone aspect avenue (Calle de Botoneras) you will discover La Campana. This humble bar is one in every of Madrid’s most well-known sandwich outlets. It is recognized for serving a implausible bocadillo de calamares (calamari sandwich).
From the second you go inside, you will really feel as if you happen to’ve been whisked to a different world removed from the vacationer heaven that’s the iron-wrought market solely steps away.
This can be a place the place Spanish abuelos pop in for a beer at any time of day and the place the family-like staff that runs the present will deal with you want a long-lost pal from the second you enter.
Suggestion: Be part of the cohort of locals propping up the bar and order an ice-cold caña and bocadillo de calamares. One can simply be shared if you wish to save area for the remainder of the route!
Estimated worth: Round €6 for a sandwich and a drink.
See Additionally: A Information to the Most Typical Spanish Tapas in Madrid
2. Good Wine & Good Vibes
As soon as you have devoured your bocadillo, enterprise again out to the sunny Plaza de San Miguel (the place the market is) and head north up Calle de Santiago.
From there, it is solely a fast two-minute stroll to Taberneros (Calle de Santiago, 9), one in every of Madrid’s high wine bars (and actually, what’s a self-guided tapas tour of Madrid with out at the least one actually good glass of Spanish vino?).
Suggestion: With greater than 300 references from round Spain and the globe out there of their cellar, you are spoiled for alternative at Taberneros. Nevertheless, right here in Spain, we are inclined to drink regionally, and you’ll’t go fallacious with a glass from Madrid’s very personal denominación de origen.
Estimated worth: A glass of wine begins at simply €1, and also you probably will not pay greater than €4 for a glass.
See Additionally: Amy’s roundup of the high wine bars in Madrid
3. A Saintly Beginning Level
Simply across the nook from Taberneros, you will come to the Iglesia de Santiago (Calle de Santiago, 24). Sure, Spain has numerous church buildings, however this one deserves some particular consideration.
It serves as the place to begin for the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route from Madrid, which takes intrepid trekkers 423 miles (681 km) northwest of the capital to the sacred metropolis of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
This self-guided tapas tour in Madrid would not contain almost as a lot strolling because the Camino, but it surely’s nonetheless attention-grabbing to get a take a look at the place the journey begins proper right here within the capital.
4. A Glimpse of Royalty
After marveling on the church, head just a bit methods west till you come throughout one in every of my private favourite sights in all of Madrid. Regardless of what number of instances I see the beautiful, grandiose Royal Palace (Calle de Bailén, s/n), it by no means fails to impress.
Whereas Spain’s royal household would not truly stay there, the subtle 18th-century construction is one in every of Madrid’s most breathtaking. Simply south of the palace is the equally beautiful Almudena Cathedral (Calle de Bailén, 10), a beautiful remnant from Madrid’s Hapsburg days.
What’s particularly attention-grabbing about this monumental church—Spain’s nationwide cathedral—is that it is nowhere close to as previous as you may anticipate.
Planning for its building solely began within the late nineteenth century, and because of setbacks starting from the Spanish Civil Conflict to a revamped structure committee, it wasn’t accomplished till 1993.
Nonetheless, it manages to carry its personal towards the tons of of church buildings and cathedrals all through Spain which are centuries older, and completely deserves a spot in your itinerary.
5. Image-Good Views
As soon as you have been sufficiently awestruck by the palace and the cathedral, hold heading south alongside Calle Bailén. Take your time as you take pleasure in this stretch of the route (I promise there are extra tapas coming quickly!).
There isn’t any disgrace in stopping to take an image (or two… or a number of) of the sweeping views from the Viaducto de Segovia bridge, the place you possibly can see Calle de Segovia itself, the Manzanares river, Casa de Campo park, and the westernmost stretches of the town.
6. Drinks with a Aspect of Custom
Each Might, the fiestas de San Isidro take over Madrid within the type of huge avenue festivals, conventional music and dancing, and loads of typical sweets.
If you cannot make it in the course of the competition itself, get a style of it at Vistillas (Calle de la Morería, 15), probably the most emblematic spots in Madrid for a drink in the course of the San Isidro festivities.
Suggestion: Hold it easy with a beer, and seize a spot out on the terrace for unparalleled views throughout the Guadarrama mountains as you take pleasure in it.
Estimated worth: Round €3–5 for a drink.
7. A Residing Creative Masterpiece
It may be laborious to depart the spectacular views from the Vistillas terrace, however extra of Madrid’s beautiful structure awaits.
When you end your drink, make your method to the Actual Basílica de San Francisco el Grande (Calle San Buenaventura, 1), a real murals—and never simply because it homes a formidable assortment of works by Goya.
This church boasts the third-largest dome within the Christian world, and you do not should be an structure aficionado to admire the beautiful consideration to element that went into its 18th-century façade.
8. Cheese Paradise
Northern neighbor France might get a lot of the credit score relating to cheese, however right here in Spain, we’re rightly happy with our personal queso as effectively.
There isn’t any higher place to expertise this gastronomic jewel than Cultivo (Carrera de San Francisco, 14), dwelling to a curated choice of artisanal cheeses from all around the world, however primarily from Spain.
Suggestion: Everybody is aware of (and loves) manchego, however strive increasing your horizons with a distinct Spanish cheese. Mahón is one in every of my favorites, and Basque Idiazábal is a good alternative as effectively.
Estimated worth: €7–10 for ¼ kilo
9. Some Nicely-Deserved Carbs
This explicit stretch of our self-guided tapas tour of Madrid is a match made in heaven. Madrid’s high bakery, Obrador San Francisco (Carrera de San Francisco, 14), is true subsequent to Cultivo. That is the place to get the perfect artisanal bread on the town, which is effectively deserved after all of the strolling you have been doing.
Suggestion: Their baguettes are regionally well-known and an ideal alternative at any time of day, however if you happen to’re craving one thing candy, go together with one in every of their fabulous cinnamon rolls.
Estimated worth: €1–3 for baguettes and pastries; €3–7 for full loaves of bread.
See Additionally: Our full Madrid meals information has dozens of suggestions for the place and what to eat!
10. La Latina Tapas Crawl
Your self-guided tapas tour of Madrid has come to an finish, and there is no higher place to cap issues off than within the metropolis’s most well-known tapas district. La Latina is positively teeming with vigorous bars, making it an ideal spot to complete your route.
Suggestions: Tapas bars in La Latina are a dime a dozen, however some actually shine. Head to one of many following spots for a meal to recollect.
- Sanlúcar (Calle de San Isidro Labrador, 14)
- Juana La Loca (Plaza de Puerta de Moros, 4)
- Casa Gerardo (Calle de Calatrava, 21)
- Casa Lucas (Calle de la Cava Baja, 30)
- Taberna Almendro 13 (Calle del Almendro, s/n)
Need Extra Foodie Enjoyable?
A self-guided tapas tour of Madrid is an effective method to begin, however for the last word gastronomic expertise, Devour Excursions’ Tapas, Taverns & Historical past Tour is looking your identify.
When you’ll positively eat your fill of tasty native bites, meals is simply a part of the enjoyable—you will additionally get an up-close take a look at the previous and current of this fascinating metropolis together with your new native pal (AKA your skilled information).
Self-Guided Tapas Tour of Madrid FAQs
Essentially the most well-known avenue for tapas in Madrid is unquestionably Calle de la Cava Baja in La Latina. With actually dozens of tapas bars to select from, you may spend weeks right here with out ever going to the identical place! I particularly love Casa Lucas and Taberna La Concha.
Most of Madrid’s tapas bars provides you with a small snack, or aperitivo, whenever you order a drink, like olives or nuts. However for probably the most half, you will must order tapas individually. There are a number of locations that also offer you substantial free tapas with every spherical of drinks, however you must search them out particularly.
You’ll be able to both plan out all of the sights to see and locations to eat upfront, or select an space and make it up as you go alongside. However if you would like the perfect of the perfect, I counsel doing at the least slightly little bit of analysis. To make it simpler, comply with my prompt itinerary above!
Love Spanish meals? Join my free weekly e-newsletter and obtain a brand new Spanish recipe as soon as per week! Be part of at this time and get my FREE Spanish ingredient necessities information!
