Start the tour

Self-guided free tour

Habsburg Madrid: From Puerta del Sol to the Royal Palace

Free · no booking Loop route

Duration
2 h 5 min approx.
Distance
3.5 km on foot
Stops
11 stops

A loop through the oldest Madrid: from Puerta del Sol to the Teatro Real, the Royal Palace and the Almudena cathedral, medieval Plaza de la Paja, Plaza de la Villa, San Miguel market and the Plaza Mayor, ending with hot chocolate and churros. Eleven stops, one map and a voice telling you why almost everything here arrived late or had to be built twice. About two hours, not counting time inside the buildings.

Start and end Puerta del Sol

Get there

The route

The 1 marks where the tour starts and ends.

The 11 stops

At each one, a story of about two minutes.

  1. 1

    Puerta del Sol Start

    390 m · 6 min on foot

  2. 2

    Convent of Las Descalzas Reales

    320 m · 5 min on foot

  3. 3

    Teatro Real & Plaza de Isabel II

    290 m · 4 min on foot

  4. 4

    Plaza de Oriente & the Royal Palace

    330 m · 5 min on foot

  5. 5

    Almudena Cathedral

    680 m · 10 min on foot

  6. 6

    Plaza de la Paja

    380 m · 5 min on foot

  7. 7

    Plaza de la Villa

    250 m · 4 min on foot

  8. 8

    San Miguel Market

    180 m · 3 min on foot

  9. 9

    Botín & the Cuchilleros Arch

    220 m · 3 min on foot

  10. 10

    Plaza Mayor

    190 m · 3 min on foot

  11. 11

    Chocolatería San Ginés

    320 m · 5 min back to the start

  12. Back at Puerta del Sol

    The tour ends where it started.

How it works

  1. 1. Get to the start

    Head to the starting point and tap “Start the tour”.

  2. 2. Listen

    At each stop, tap “I'm here” and listen to the story.

  3. 3. Follow the map

    Follow the map to the next stop. No rush.

Before you set off

Bring headphones and a charged phone: audio and map use up battery.

  • It is a loop: you finish where you started.
  • Stop whenever you like. Your progress is saved on this phone.
  • The route and the texts load when you start, so it keeps working with patchy coverage.
  • The walk stays outdoors. The time does not include going inside the buildings.
  • Available in Spanish and English.
Photo credits
  • 1. Puerta del Sol: Alfredo Urdaci / PromoMadrid · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 2. Convent of Las Descalzas Reales: Luis García (Zaqarbal) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 3. Teatro Real & Plaza de Isabel II: Fernando · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 4. Plaza de Oriente & the Royal Palace: Oliver Gargan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 5. Almudena Cathedral: Fernando · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 6. Plaza de la Paja: Jorgecft · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 7. Plaza de la Villa: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 8. San Miguel Market: Fernando · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 9. Botín & the Cuchilleros Arch: Tamorlan · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 10. Plaza Mayor: Sebastian Dubiel · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons
  • 11. Chocolatería San Ginés: Tamorlan · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons