See another side of Madrid on a walking tour of the city with Lonely Planet guidebook author, Felicity Hughes.
This historic tour lasts two hours.
To book, contact Felicity by email.
Madrid, The Early Years
Covering the city’s origins as an outpost of Islam up until the end of the Habsburg dynasty, the tour reveals how a Protestant smear campaign still colours our view of the Spanish Inquisition and exposes a conspiracy to destroy the original royal palace that implicates the first Bourbon king himself. Along the way you’ll visit some of the few surviving medieval buildings in the capital, a secret garden and the remains of the original city wall.
The Manzanares River with Clare Starkie
Find out more about Madrid’s hidden gem: The Manzanares River. Flowing from the mountains in the north, this river runs through one of the city’s newest parks, yet has some of the oldest and most fascinating stories to tell.
Starting at the Matadero, a 1920s slaughterhouse and now a cultural centre, this 2.5km walking tour will explore prehistoric wildlife, Golden Age feats of engineering and the river’s role during the Civil War. The tour finishes at one of Madrid’s oldest bridges, the Puente de Toledo (near Marqués de Vadillo metro).
For this tour, your guide will be Clare, who has lived in Madrid for over 3 years after moving from England, where she was a museum curator for more than 20 years. She now teaches English to adults and researches Spanish history.