Royal Palace & Prado Museum Tour
About this activity
Highlights
- Explore the opulent Royal Palace
- Admire masterpieces at the Prado Museum
- Skip-the-line access to both attractions
- Learn about Spain's rich history
- Enjoy a personalized experience with a private guide
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Guided tour of Madrid's Royal Palace
- Visit to the Prado Museum
- Skip-the-line access to both attractions
- Meals and beverages
Itinerary
You are now in the Calle Mayor area. One of the main streets of Madrid that will take you from the Puerta del Sol to the Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace.
This large square located in the heart of Madrid is one of the most famous places in the city. Semicircular in shape, it is the meeting point for many of the city's historic and busiest streets, such as Mayor, Montera, Carrera de San Jerónimo, Arenal, Alcalá and Preciados, as well as the starting point for the main radial roads in Spain.
The Plaza de Canovas del Castilla, known as Plaza de la Fuente de Neptuno, houses one of the most beautiful and majestic fountains in Madrid. Tribute to the God Neptune who occupies a great position within the Greek mythological hierarchy.
The Prado Museum is the jewel in the crown of one of the most popular tourist itineraries in the city: the Paseo del Arte, where you will also find the Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofía museums. The walls of the Prado are lined with masterpieces from the Spanish, Italian and Flemish schools, including Las Meninas by Velázquez and El tres de mayo by Goya from 1808. Its collection includes 8,600 paintings and more than 700 sculptures, so we recommend you Decide what you want to see before you step foot in the museum.
The Palacio de las Cortes Españolas, the parliament of Spain, in the Plaza de las Cortes, was built on the site of the former convent of the Holy Spirit. No longer occupied by the monks, it was used as the seat of the Congress between 1834 and 1841, before which the Congress had no fixed address. The tender called for the construction of the current building was awarded to the architect Narciso Pascual y Colomer, and the works were completed in 1850.
Home of the kings of Spain from Carlos III to Alfonso XIII, the Royal Palace of Madrid takes us on a journey through the history of Spain. Although it is no longer the home of the royal family, it is still their official residence.
After 4 hours walking through this Madrid de los Austrias filling us with history, you will end your tour in one of the most important squares in Madrid, the square dedicated to the 19th century Spanish queen, daughter of Ferdinand VII and mother of Alfonso XII, great-grandfather of the current king of Spain. This square was created under the impulse of King Philip III of the Habsburg dynasty and today houses the world-famous Royal Theater
Important information
Know before you book
- The tour is conducted in English; please ensure you understand the language.
- Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult; please inform the operator in advance if bringing children.
- The tour operates rain or shine; dress appropriately for the weather conditions.
Know before you go
- Wear comfortable walking shoes as the tour involves walking and standing for extended periods.
- Bring a valid ID or passport for entry into the Royal Palace and Prado Museum.
- Photography may be restricted in certain areas; please follow the guide's instructions.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Easy Public Transport
- Wheelchair Accessible
Good to know
- To speed up entry, rucksacks and large bags are not permitted.
Traveler reviews
Excellent
Excellent walking tour of the Prado Museum and the Royal Palace. We were lucky to have a very experienced guide and discover a side of Madrid that isn't accessible to all tourists. Thank you.
Highly recommend the private tour with Sara
Sara was amazing! We had a fabulous day visiting the museum and palace. She took her time and answered our questions. The walk between both establishments she pointed highlighted parts of the city and some businesses to potentially visit on our own later. Highly recommend the private tour with her.
Better Time Management is Needed for a 5 hour tour of these 2 sites!
Our group of 4 (two couples) hired a private guide for this walking tour. David tried to give us a good experience, but there were some logistical and organizational issues that posed a challenge. It was to be a 5 hour walking tour and we made clear that we did not have extra time because of a paella cooking class scheduled that same day. We needed to start and end on time. We got a note the night before our tour asking us to allow a start time of 30-40 minutes later. There did not seem to be an option, so we did that but as a result, our walking tour was squeezed and needed some revised planning to cover everything and finish on time. David is not a brisk walker. He saunters and strolls. I was getting anxious about how long it was taking to get from our hotel to the palace. Perhaps we should have been told to meet somewhere else (rathe than our hotel given the loss of time) so our guided time to the two points of interest would be used better - and not just strolling. The palace has certain rooms under construction and when we arrived, we wasted more time discovering that our private guide could not enter. Our small group of 4 had to be consolidates with a larger group and a different guide. She was an excellent guide, by the way. She made the palace stories and history interesting and fun but when we finished the palace, we only had 1.5 hours remaining (of our 5 hour tour) to go to the Prado! Not nearly enough time. David met us after the palace tour and sauntered leisurely for a while when I finally told him that we either needed to get in a taxi or walk much faster if we wanted to have any time at the Prado. Ours was a BRIEF Prado experience. Very disappointing. The museum was busy and crowded in the afternoon. We missed our early, quiet time entry because of the delayed start and we only saw a few highlights before having to leave. This tour needs to have excellent time management and a guide who is sensitive to that - in order to make it work. 5 hours is not very much time to cover 2 important sites on foot.
Excellent tour!!!!
Excellent tour. Jesus is very well prepared to answer all your doubts and makes the tour a very pleasant experience. I definitely recommend private tours, because you can understand much better everything you are walking and observing. Thank you so much!
Insightful and enjoyable
David was promptly at our hotel at 9am even though we booked this the day before in the late afternoon. He was very knowledgeable of the city, of history and dates, and answered every question we had with insight. We enjoyed the morning and afternoon with him and glad we did this private tour with him! Lots of walking so put your walking shoes on.