Guided tour of historic Almagro

An official guide walks you round Almagro's old town for two hours: the Plaza Mayor, the streets of the grand quarter, the history of the city and the Corral de Comedias, with historical rigour and anecdotes. The tour includes entry to three monuments, the Corral among them, and costs €16 per person, Tuesday to Sunday. If you prefer something more fun, the roving theatrical comedy, with a guide-actor and five characters, costs €22 and runs Friday to Sunday; it also includes three monuments. There are also private-guide tours for small groups, tailor-made.

What you see

Almagro was the head of the Order of Calatrava, and the tour explains how that shaped the city. It starts at the Plaza Mayor, with its Tuscan-columned arcades and glazed galleries, which served as stands for festivals and bullfights until 1785. The highlight is the Corral de Comedias, built in 1628 by Leonardo de Oviedo and the only one preserved intact and in use since the 17th century: the guide explains where the men of the courtyard sat, the women of the cazuela and the wealthy families in the boxes, and what the trapdoor beneath the stage was for.

Next you walk the streets of the grand houses, with their coats of arms over the doorways, and two other sites with entry. The website does not say which they are; among the municipal ones are the palace house of Juan Jédler, the former Fúcares Palace, the Lace and Blonde Museum and the Mirador del Silo, so ask when you book.

The formats

The company Visitas Guiadas Almagro offers three formats for individuals:

• Historic Almagro: a cultural tour with an official tourist guide, €16 per person, Tuesday to Sunday, with access to three monuments.
• Roving theatrical comedy: the city is the stage, with a guide-actor and five characters; €22 per person, Friday to Sunday, also with three monuments.
• Luciana's Dream: a night-time dramatised tour of the exterior, on Friday and Saturday at nightfall, at €22; no monument entries and announced as coming soon.

For groups of 1 to 14 people there is a private-guide tour: you choose the day and time and the meeting point is agreed. The price is not published.

Booking

You book on the company's website or on 926 121 008, or by email at [email protected]. The website does not publish a child rate, languages or cancellation policy; ask when you book. The town council lists other guide companies in Almagro on its website, in case you want to compare.

To round off the day

If you stay overnight, the best way to end the tour is to see a classical theatre performance in the Corral itself, which in autumn programmes shows Thursday to Sunday. The next morning, the excursion to the Calatrava la Nueva castle-convent, the order's former seat, half an hour away by car, fits well. For lunch, the Parador restaurant is open at midday every day.