# Madrid

Cooking classes, tastings, workshops, flamenco and behind-the-scenes visits in Madrid: plans of one to three hours for a Saturday or a weekend.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/madrid · Revisado: 2026-11-13

## Madrid for those who have already seen the Prado

Madrid lends itself to another way of spending the afternoon: signing up for something. A paella class that starts with shopping at the Antón Martín market, the technical visit to the Teatro Real stage, two hours making a silver ring in the Barrio de las Letras, a made-to-measure perfume in Chueca or dinner at the Corral de la Morería before the flamenco. The ones that follow have been checked one by one on each business's website, with what they cost, when they run and from what age.

Almost all take one to three hours; the cooking classes run to four because they end with eating what you have cooked. With the metro, you can link two in an afternoon.

## Stoves and drinks in the centre

In Las Letras, Cooking Point gives the paella class with shopping at the market from Monday to Saturday at 10:00 and the tapas and sangría class at 17:30, in English, from €85 and with a price for children aged 5 to 12. For desserts, Kitchen Club, in Cuatro Caminos, runs a cakes and desserts course on some Saturdays.

Each tasting has its own neighbourhood. In Lavapiés, La Fisna holds a wine tasting on Wednesdays for groups of six to eight, for €29. In Goya, Vinopremier has a vermouth tasting with appetisers. Further from the centre, but with a metro at the door, Hola Coffee gives a short coffee tasting on Thursdays for €20 and a three-hour workshop on Saturdays; Taller de Chocolate runs chocolate tastings and workshops with a children's version, and the brewer La Caníbal opens its San Blas factory on Fridays at 20:00, with a pint included for €10.

## With your hands: clay, thread, silver and scents

In Ciudad Lineal, Jandra Cerámica gives the introduction to the wheel on Saturdays in two two-hour sessions, for €43. In Arganzuela, Historias Hiladas teaches you to use a sewing machine in a three-hour afternoon. In Las Letras, El Puente Gallery organises the silver clay jewellery workshop on separate dates at 18:00, and in Chueca, Le Secret du Marais lets you compose your own perfume on weekdays.

## Behind the scenes

The Teatro Real shows the stage machinery and the stage every morning at 10:00 on its technical visit, from age 10. The Real Fábrica de Tapices opens its workshops from Monday to Friday: you see the weavers at the loom for €6, and on Monday at 10:00 it is free. Atlético's Metropolitano stadium has a tour every day. To close the night, the Corral de la Morería, on Calle de la Morería, serves dinner and flamenco every night; and for a group, the escape room El Misterio de Don Quijote, at Quevedo.

## The classics, with a trick

The Prado is free for the last two hours: Monday to Saturday from 18:00 to 20:00 and on Sundays from 17:00 to 19:00. The Royal Palace combines with the Teatro Real visit, which is opposite. And in the Retiro, a rowing boat on the big pond costs €6 on weekdays for 45 minutes.

## Getting there and getting around

By train you arrive at Atocha, with metro line L1 towards Sol and Antón Martín. From Barajas, the Línea Exprés drops you at Cibeles or Atocha for €5, 24 hours a day; metro line 8 is the other option. In the centre, everything is on foot or a metro ride away.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Urban experiences, Walkable Cities, Classical music and opera in Europe, Classic film locations
- Cerca: Alcalá de Henares: university, Cervantes and Complutum (a 29.6 km), Manzanares el Real and La Pedriza (a 38.9 km), Chinchón (a 38.9 km), San Lorenzo de El Escorial (a 42.3 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Prado Museum, with a ticket or in the free last two hours** (2 h 30 · All ages; with children, a short visit to a few rooms is better · €15 general; €7.50 reduced (over-65s, Carné Joven, large families); free in the last two hours): You enter from Paseo del Prado, choose a handful of rooms, for example Velázquez, Goya or Bosch, and stay with them. A good two hours is enough for that and for leaving wanting to come back. If you live in Madrid, the trick is not to try to see it all at once: the Prado is better enjoyed in short, repeated visits.
The last two hours, without paying
From Monday to Saturday entry is free from 18:00 to 20:00, and on Sundays and public holidays from 17:00 to 19:00. It covers the permanent collection. Many people know this and a queue usually forms before the hour: arrive with time to spare and go straight to what you want to see, because at eight it closes. That way you can go in on a Tuesday to see only Las Meninas and come back another day for another room.
If you come at the weekend and want calm, buy a timed ticket on the museum's website and enter in the morning. General admission costs €15; reduced, €7.50, for over-65s, Carné Joven holders and large families. The audio guide is €5 extra, and the guided visit of the collection €10 extra per person: in Spanish at 10:30, 11:00, 12:30, 13:00, 15:15 and 17:00, and in English at 11:00 and 13:00.
Hours, closures and how to get there
It is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00 and on Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 19:00; the ticket office opens at 9:45. On 6 January and on 24 and 31 December it closes at 14:00, and it does not open on 1 January, 1 May or 25 December.
By metro, Estación del Arte (L1) leaves you five minutes away and Banco de España (L2) ten.
- **Royal Palace of Madrid, with the Wednesday and Saturday changing of the guard** (1 h 30 · All ages; access for reduced mobility and wheelchairs on loan · €18 basic; €9 reduced; €24 with the Royal Collections Gallery; children under 5 free): You enter by the Almudena esplanade, cross Plaza de la Armería and climb the main staircase towards the state rooms: the Throne Room, the Hall of Columns, the state dining room, the Royal Chapel. The Royal Armoury is also there; the Royal Kitchen has its own ticket. When you leave, the Campo del Moro, the gardens below the west façade, is free.
Free on weekdays if you live in the European Union
Resident EU citizens, those with a work permit in the EU and Ibero-Americans go in free from Monday to Thursday from 16:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:00; from April to September, from 17:00 to 19:00. You must show proof at the ticket office. The free entry covers the self-guided visit; the guided one is paid separately. During all opening hours, children under 5, large families, serving teachers and unemployed people go in free, always with their document.
If you come on a Saturday, buy beforehand on the Patrimonio Nacional website: capacity is limited and few tickets are sold at the ticket office. The basic ticket costs €18 and the reduced one €9. With the Royal Collections Gallery, next door, they are €24 and €12. The audio guide adds €5 and a guide €8. The Royal Kitchen has its own rate.
Changing of the guard, hours and closures
On Wednesdays and Saturdays there is a changing of the guard at the Puerta del Príncipe, on Calle de Bailén, from 11:00 to 14:00 (in July and August, from 10:00 to 12:00). On the first Wednesday of each month, except in January, August and September, the solemn relief takes place in Plaza de la Armería. Both are free and are cancelled for official events or bad weather.
The palace closes for official events: on 17 and 18 November it is closed. You get there by metro to Ópera (L2 and L5), five minutes away.
- **El Retiro and a rowing boat on the Great Pond** (1 h 30 · All ages; under-14s in a boat with someone over 18 · Park free; boat, €6 Monday to Friday and €8 Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; over-65s, €1.80 on weekday mornings): You enter by the Puerta de la Independencia or the Puerta de Felipe IV, go down to the Great Pond, hire a rowing boat and go round in front of the Alfonso XII monument for three quarters of an hour. Then you carry on on foot to the Palacio de Cristal. The park is free and opens at six in the morning.
The boat: 45 minutes, four seats and booking
The landing stage hires boats every day from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 15:15 until a closing time that ranges from 17:15 to 20:30, depending on the light and the time of year: in November, the afternoon is short. Each boat costs €6 from Monday to Friday and €8 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, for 45 minutes and up to four people. Under-14s must go with someone over 18. Over-65s pay €1.80 per boat on weekdays until 14:00, showing proof of age.
To avoid depending on the weekend queue, you can book on the Madrid Móvil app or at deportesweb.madrid.es, in the open classes section, choosing the pond facility. The landing stage closes on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January.
Park hours and alert days
El Retiro is open from 6:00 to 22:00 from October to March and from 6:00 to midnight from April to September. In strong wind, snow or extreme heat, the City Council cordons off areas or closes the park: it announces this on its X account @MADRID and on screens at the gates about two hours beforehand.
By metro, Retiro (L2) comes out at Plaza de la Independencia, a few minutes from the pond. Ibiza (L9) is to the east and Atocha (L1) to the south.
- **ChocoMaster chocolate workshop and tasting in Delicias** (1 h 45 · Adults; there is a 75-minute version for children aged 2 to 9 with an adult · €49.50 one person; €79.50 two; €119.50 three; premium ticket from €75. Kids: from €39.50 (child with an adult free)): More than twenty chocolates on the table and hands covered in it: at Taller de Chocolate's ChocoMaster you tour the cocoa-producing countries tasting professional-grade chocolates, white, milk and dark, and then prepare four chocolatier creations that you take home in a tub. At the end of the tour comes the so-called fourth chocolate, the variety the house keeps as a surprise. It is a fun workshop, more about laughing than taking notes, led by a chocolatier with more than twenty years in the trade.
First you taste, then you get your hands dirty
The adult session lasts 105 minutes. The standard ticket costs €49.50 for one person, €79.50 for two and €119.50 for three; there is a premium ticket at €75 (€129 for two). For families there is the ChocoMaster Kids, 75 minutes, for children aged 2 to 9 with an adult who goes in free: twelve chocolates are tasted and five or six recipes made to take away, from €39.50.
The purchase comes first and the date afterwards
The system is unusual: you buy the ticket on the website, with no date and no expiry, and receive an email with a link to the session calendar, where you choose day and time. If no date suits you, they open new groups and let you know. The Madrid workshop is held at Calle de Juan de Mariana, 15, in the Delicias neighbourhood, near Atocha. The nearest metro is Méndez Álvaro, on line 6, with a Cercanías station and intercity buses, about seven minutes' walk; Palos de la Frontera, on line 3, is a little over ten.
- **Coffee tasting workshop at the Hola Coffee academy, Carabanchel** (3 h · Coffee enthusiasts, no experience needed; there is also a short one-hour tasting on Thursdays · €70 the tasting workshop; €20 the one-hour tasting with the team): In the classroom of the roaster Hola Coffee you learn to taste coffee the way professionals do, across three tables. At the first you train your nose with a box of more than 36 aromas; at the second you tell apart in water the five basic tastes and the types of acidity that appear in a coffee; at the third you do a Brazilian-style tasting or cupping, with the guidelines for scoring and several origins and varieties in the cups. You leave with a sharper sense of smell and a new way of looking at the bag of coffee at home.
Three tables to train your nose and palate
The workshop lasts three hours and costs €70. The published dates are mostly Saturdays from 10:00 to 13:00, from 21 November to 19 December 2026 and others until February 2027; some fall on a Sunday, and the February ones are in the afternoon, from 15:00 to 18:00. No experience is needed: sensory analysis can be trained. If you only want a peek, on Thursdays from 18:00 to 19:00 the team opens its weekly quality-control tasting to the public, with all the coffees on the menu and one or two still to arrive, for €20.
Next to the roastery, near Oporto metro
The sessions are held in the training classroom, in the same building as the roastery and the Roastery café: Avenida de Pedro Díez, 21, in Carabanchel. The nearest station is Oporto, on lines 5 and 6, about five minutes' walk; Urgel, on line 5, is also close. You buy in the online shop by choosing the date. Watch out for the cancellation terms: full refund only up to 21 days before, half up to 48 hours before, and nothing after that.
- **Desserts and cakes course at Kitchen Club, Cuatro Caminos** (4 h · Adults who enjoy baking, with no previous experience · €78 per person): Kitchen Club devotes some Saturday mornings to baking, in two four-hour courses that share out the winter dates. In the cakes course you make four: a red velvet, a chocolate one, a lúcuma one and a cheese and pistachio one, working on sponges, creams and finishes. In plated desserts and ice creams you move on to restaurant-style presentation: cheesecake, a tres leches torrija, pear with mascarpone and walnuts, chocolate in textures with coffee ice cream and a sacher served on the plate with raspberry sorbet. In both you eat at the end and drinks flow all morning.
Sponges, creams and a torrija with a Latin accent
Neither requires experience. They cost €78 per person, with ingredients, lunch, wine, beer, soft drinks, coffee and an apron as a gift. The published dates are few and fill up: the cakes course on 21 November 2026 and 23 January and 20 March 2027; the plated desserts on 13 February and 17 April 2027, always at 11:00. If the date you want is full, join the waiting list on the listing.
Cuatro Caminos: the venue on Calle de Orense
Both courses are held at the Orense venue, at Calle de Orense, 12. Get off at Nuevos Ministerios (lines 6, 8 and 10, and Cercanías) and walk about five minutes north. Book place by place on the website and pay when you do; if something comes up, you can change or cancel up to 48 hours before and the place becomes a voucher for another date.
- **Dinner and flamenco show at Corral de la Morería** (Couples and groups who want to dine and see flamenco up close; from age 7 · Show ticket according to the booking calendar; dinner menus from €49.95 to €79.95, added to the ticket): Table first and then the tablao: at the Corral de la Morería you dine in the same room where, when the lights go down, song, guitar and dance take to the stage. You buy the show ticket and add a restaurant menu, a three-course one at its simplest or a tasting menu at its longest, with vegan and gluten-free options. You leave with dinner done and the flamenco seen from a few metres away, in a venue open since 1956 that a good part of the great names in dance have passed through.
Menu and show: two bills that add up
The website separates the ticket and the dinner. You can go to the show only, with a drink or with dinner. The menus cost €49.95 the Soleá, €59.95 the vegan Taranto, €65.95 the Alegrías and the gluten-free Bulerías, and €79.95 the Degustación, and in all of them the show ticket is extra; its price only appears in the purchase calendar, depending on the day and area. At the second show, dinner begins at 21:10 and the dance at 21:30. If your dinner drags on and overlaps with the dance, you are seated in the preferred area with a table, but with no service while the show lasts. The website does not say how long the show lasts.
From La Latina metro to Calle de la Morería
The tablao is at Calle de la Morería, 17, behind Plaza de la Paja, next to the Segovia viaduct. The nearest station is La Latina, on line 5, about five minutes on foot; Ópera (lines 2 and 5) is a little further. Buy on the official website: there you choose the day, show, location and menu, and see the line-up of artists for that week.
- **Escape room The Mystery of Don Quixote at The Rombo Code** (1 h · Friends, couples, families and large groups; up to 14 playing the same story in two rooms · Per group: €84 (2–3 players), €100 (4), €125 (5), €150 (6), €175 (7); in two rooms, from €225 (8–10) to €300 (13–14)): You are locked in during a guided tour of a house museum in Alcalá de Henares with an assignment: to find the lost chapter of Don Quixote, which according to the story is missing from the first edition of 1605, and get it out of there before the guide notices your absence. In The Mystery of Don Quixote, by The Rombo Code, you have 60 minutes to solve the puzzles, open whatever is locked and leave with the chapter. And the guide may not be the only thing you need to worry about.
Two twin rooms for large groups
The room exists in duplicate: two identical spaces with the same story. Up to seven players use just one, and from eight the group is split between the two and plays in parallel, which allows up to fourteen people. The price is per group: €84 for two or three players, €100 for four, €125 for five, €150 for six and €175 for seven; in both rooms, from €225 to €300. The house rates its difficulty at 6.5 out of 10, and considers it suitable for all audiences. For children, it recommends its games from about eight or ten years old.
Chamberí, between Quevedo and Argüelles
The Rombo Code is at Calle de Meléndez Valdés, 18, in Chamberí. The nearest stations are Quevedo, on line 2, and Argüelles, on lines 3, 4 and 6. If you go by car, there are public car parks on Calle de Galileo and on Rodríguez San Pedro. Book on the website, where you see the free slots; with less than four hours' notice you have to phone. Allow about 75 minutes in total, with the initial briefing and the exit.
- **Free Walking Tour from Plaza Mayor to the Royal Palace, with SANDEMANs** (2 h 30 · All ages · Free; voluntary tip at the end): What it is
A free route of about two and a half hours from SANDEMANs NEW Europe, with freelance guides: you don't pay at the start and the tip at the end is voluntary. It leaves from Plaza Mayor, in front of the Tourist Centre, and usually ends at Plaza de Isabel II, next to Ópera metro station.
What it covers
According to the company, it passes Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, the Teatro Real, the San Miguel Market, Plaza de la Villa and the Almudena Cathedral. It also tells the story of the memorial to the attack on a king on his wedding day and of the oldest restaurant in the world. It pairs well with a later visit to the Royal Palace or the technical tour of the Teatro Real.
How to book
Online at neweuropetours.eu or by turning up at the starting point on the day of the tour. The company says it runs in any weather and is wheelchair accessible; dates can be checked on its calendar. It runs in Spanish and English.
- **Guided tour of Atlético de Madrid's Metropolitano stadium** (2 h · Football fans and families; children always with an adult · Adult €32; child (4 to 13) €25; without a guide, Tour & Museum from €25 adult and €18 child): You step into the first-team changing room, walk through the tunnel the players come out of, sit on the bench at pitch level and go up to the presidential box; if it is free, you also pass through the press room. The guided tour of the Riyadh Air Metropolitano lasts an hour with an official club guide, and then you have another hour for the Atlético de Madrid interactive museum at your own pace. You take away the club accreditation hung round your neck and a 5% discount in the shop.
Official guide or audio guide, depending on budget
The guided tour costs €32 for adults and €25 for children aged 4 to 13, who always go with an adult. If you prefer to go independently, the Tour & Museum covers the same areas, plus the mixed zone, for €25 and €18, with an optional audio guide in Spanish or English (€5 if bought online). In November reception is open from 11:00 to 19:00 and the last entry to the stadium is two hours before closing. Sessions are bought in the calendar on the club's website; the guided tour starts at the exact time and waits for nobody. On match weekends the schedule may shift because of the game or training, and if the club cancels the visit it exchanges your ticket for another day.
By metro to Estadio Metropolitano
Estadio Metropolitano station, on line 7, leaves you at the foot of the stadium, in the San Blas-Canillejas district, next to the M-40. The tour reception is on the shopping concourse, next to the official shop and gate A, on the west façade. If you go by car, the west car park is free except on match days.
- **Guided visit to the workshops of the Royal Tapestry Factory** (45 min · Lovers of crafts and textile art; groups of 5 to 15 people · €6; reduced €5 (under-18s, students, over-65s, pensioners, unemployed and people with disabilities); free on Monday at 10:00): At the Real Fábrica de Tapices the looms are not museum pieces: they are still at work. The 45-minute guided visit takes you through the historic workshops where tapestries are woven and carpets made by hand, with the staff working in view, and through the galleries where antique tapestries hang. You leave understanding the slow work behind every piece.
No online sales: you request a place by email
There is no ticket office on the website. You write to the factory's email with the name, ID number and telephone of each person, choose a session and pay by bank transfer. In the morning there are sessions Monday to Friday at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays also at 9:00; in the afternoon, Monday to Thursday at 16:00, only if eight people get together. Groups are of five to fifteen. The ticket costs €6, €5 reduced, and the Monday 10:00 session is free. It is given in Spanish and English, except in July and August. Groups of six can request an exclusive visit that enters restricted areas.
Next to El Retiro, at Menéndez Pelayo
The factory is at Calle de Fuenterrabía, 2, in the Pacífico neighbourhood, between Atocha station and the southern end of El Retiro. The nearest metro is Menéndez Pelayo, on line 1, a couple of minutes' walk. Come in closed, sturdy footwear: you pass through work areas and flip-flops, unstable sandals and very high heels are not allowed.
- **Introduction to the sewing machine at Historias Hiladas** (3 h · Beginners with no experience who want to lose their fear of the machine; small groups · €50 per person, materials included): You sit down at the machine, learn how to set it up, try its different stitches and sew until the pedal stops being frightening. Historias Hiladas's introduction to sewing workshop is a three-hour afternoon designed for anyone who has never sat at a machine, or who has one in a cupboard, unused. Through practical exercises you learn how it works, which stitch is for what and how to fix the most common jams. You leave with enough confidence to start your own mending at home.
Three hours, one price and the machine set up
It costs €50 with materials included. You do not need to bring anything: the academy has machines for those without one, although if you bring your own you learn directly on it, and that is an advantage. Groups are small so that the teacher can spend time with each person. The dates are individual and published on the website: the next are Saturdays 14 November and 12 December 2026, from 16:00 to 19:00. If you get hooked, the same academy has workshops for sewing a first bag and ongoing sewing and pattern-cutting classes.
A bright space near Acacias
The academy is at Calle de Arganda, 14, in the left-hand unit, in the Las Acacias neighbourhood, in the Arganzuela district. The nearest metro is Acacias, on line 5, about six minutes' walk; Pirámides, on the same line, is a similar distance. You buy on the website by choosing the date from the dropdown, and the confirmation arrives by email.
- **Introductory pottery wheel workshop at Jandra Cerámica** (2 h · Beginners with no experience, as a couple or with friends; larger groups in the hand-building workshop · Wheel pottery €43 per person; hand-building €37; 4-hour wheel intensive, €80): You sit at the wheel, wet the clay and learn the first and hardest thing: centring it. Then, with Jandra beside you, you open it and raise it to make a small souvenir piece, a bowl or a cup up to twelve centimetres tall. In two hours you do not learn pottery, but you do understand why it gets you hooked. The piece stays at the workshop to dry and be fired, and you collect it about two weeks later.
Wheel or hands: two workshops of the same length
The pottery workshop costs €43 per person and admits four at most. If you prefer to work without a machine, the hand-building one costs €37: you make a cup, a bowl or a mug by hand with pinch or slab techniques, and decorate it with coloured clays. In both, the clay, tools and firing are included. For those who want more, there is a four-hour intensive on the wheel for €80.
Saturday in Ciudad Lineal
Weekend sessions are on Saturdays from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 12:00 to 14:00; if there are more than six of you, they also open from 16:00 to 18:00 for hand-building. On weekdays, Tuesday to Friday, one or two people fit depending on availability. The workshop is at Calle de la Virgen del Val, 17, a stone's throw from Barrio de la Concepción station, on line 7. Booking is by WhatsApp or email, and the place is held for 48 hours until you pay by Bizum, transfer or in cash.
- **La Caníbal brewery tour in San Blas, with a pint** (45 min · Adults who enjoy beer; can be combined with dinner in the brewery dining room · €10 per person, with a pint): On Fridays at eight in the evening, La Caníbal shows the brewery where it has made its beer since 2023, in a former brewing building on Calle de Julián Camarillo, in San Blas. For three quarters of an hour you walk round the facilities while they explain how their lagers and IPAs are made, and you do it with a pint in your hand, the one you choose from the house menu: from the San Blas Lager or the Simancas Dunkel to the Camarillo IPA, named after the street. Afterwards, if you like, you stay for dinner in the dining room of the same brewery.
Three quarters of an hour among the tanks, with the pint poured
The visit costs €10 and lasts from 20:00 to 20:45. Dates are chosen on the website listing itself and are the Fridays of each week. If you are going to have dinner afterwards, book a table in the La Fábrica section: the house applies a 10% discount to those who come from the tour. For groups, write beforehand to fabrica@lacanibal.com. The website gives no minimum age, but the ticket includes a beer.
Getting to Julián Camarillo on a Friday night
The brewery is at Calle de Julián Camarillo, 19, in the industrial estate of the same name, to the east of the city. The nearest stations are García Noblejas, on line 7, and Suanzes, on line 5, both about seven or eight minutes' walk. From Callao or Gran Vía, line 5 takes you to Suanzes without changes. Buy your ticket on the website; if you cannot go, cancel at least 48 hours ahead and you get the amount back. If you would rather stay in the centre, La Caníbal also has its wine bar on Calle de Argumosa, in Lavapiés.
- **Paella class with shopping at the Antón Martín market** (4 h · Adults with no cooking experience; children aged 5 to 12 at a reduced price, accompanied by an adult · €85 adults; €45 children aged 5 to 12): The morning starts with a basket in your hand at the Antón Martín market, 200 metres from the school: vegetables, seafood and whatever the cook finds good that day. Back in the Cooking Point kitchen, in the Barrio de las Letras in Madrid, you prepare the sangria and a starter (gazpacho in the warm months; in winter they swap it for a warm salad) and then your own paella of rice, seafood and chicken, one for each pair. At the end you sit down to eat it with the rest of the group and take home the printed recipe book.
From the vegetable stall to the paella pan
The class lasts four hours, from 10:00 to 14:00, Monday to Saturday. It is given in English and you do not need to know how to cook: each pair has its own burner and the cook tells you where paella comes from and which tricks stop the rice from overcooking or sticking. If you come alone, you are paired up. Up to 24 people fit in the kitchen. Lunch, drinks, ingredients and the market shopping are included in the price: €85 per adult and €45 per child aged 5 to 12, who can come with an adult looking after them the whole time.
Moratín 11, a stone's throw from Antón Martín
The school is at Calle de Moratín, 11. Get off at Antón Martín, on line 1, and come out by Calle de Amor de Dios; the market and the school are a couple of minutes' walk away. You book on the school's website, which asks for card payment to confirm your place and refunds everything if you cancel 24 hours ahead. If you have a diet or allergy, say so when booking: since you cook in pairs, both of you have to agree on the alternative.
- **Perfume-making workshop at Le Secret du Marais** (2 h · Perfume enthusiasts, couples and gifts; no prior knowledge needed · €118 per person, with the perfume created included): You smell, choose and blend until you find a scent that nobody else wears. Le Secret du Marais's perfume-making workshop begins with a talk on the history of perfume, its raw materials and how a fragrance is structured; then you move to the essences table and, guided by the shop team, compose your own. The bottle goes home with you, and so does the formula, which you should keep.
Two hours in a signature perfumery
The workshop costs €118 per person and the perfume you create is included. The Spanish listing says two hours; the English one stretches the session to two and a half, so do not rush off. It is a session for one to four people, which makes it good for a couple or friends. There is no public calendar: you buy your place on the website and receive an email with the upcoming dates, always Monday to Friday, to choose from. The place is valid for three months from purchase. To cancel you must give 48 hours' notice by email; otherwise it is lost.
On Calle de Hortaleza, between Chueca and Alonso Martínez
The shop is at Calle de Hortaleza, 75, on the stretch that climbs towards Alonso Martínez. The nearest station is Alonso Martínez, on lines 4, 5 and 10, about five minutes away; Chueca, on line 5, is a similar distance. If one day you want to repeat the perfume, the shop refills it in 30 ml bottles on presentation of your formula: they do not keep it on file.
- **Photoshoot with a photographer in El Retiro, beside the Crystal Palace and its pond** (15 min · Couples, families and friends travelling in Madrid; also solo travellers · Standard, 15 min and 10 photos, €89; Premium, 30 min and 25 photos, €149; VIP, 60 min and 50 photos, €249; golden hour, €35 more): The Palacio de Cristal, with its iron and glass dome over the pond, is the corner of El Retiro that works best in a photo. A Madrid photographer waits for you at the edge of the park, takes you to the water's railing and in a quarter of an hour, half an hour or a full one takes your trip photos. Two days later you have them edited. It is run by Smiler, a travel photography company with its own team in the city, and the price is per group: €89 for the short session, for two.
Three session sizes

Standard: 15 minutes and 10 photos, for one or two people, €89.
Premium: 30 minutes and 25 photos, up to six people, €149. With half an hour there is time for photos at the palace and at the pond.
VIP: one hour and 50 photos, up to twelve people, €249. For a large family or to cover more of the park.

The golden hour costs €35 more. The calendar on the website shows sunrise and sunset for each day and has morning and afternoon slots. The photographer picks the photos in the package; if you want more, they are bought afterwards. He helps you pose if you never have.
The meeting, on Paseo de Cuba
The meeting point given by the website is Paseo de Cuba, 4, a few steps from the Palacio de Cristal; the photographer fixes the place through the app after you book. El Retiro opens at 6:00 and in autumn and winter closes at 22:00, so there is room for an early session. If afterwards you want to row, the boats on the Great Pond leave from 10:00.
If you prefer more time and more photos
Flytographer, a network of holiday photographers, has El Retiro as Madrid's most booked route. Its sessions run from 30 minutes to three hours, are paid in dollars (from $325 for half an hour and 20 photos) and the gallery arrives in five working days. You choose the photographer by their photos.
- **Photoshoot with a photographer in front of the Royal Palace, between Plaza de Oriente and the Sabatini Gardens** (15 min · Couples, families and friends; Madrid's most solemn setting for a travel photo · Standard, 15 min and 10 photos, €89; Premium, 30 min and 25 photos, €149; VIP, 60 min and 50 photos, €249; golden hour, €35 more): The white façade of the Royal Palace, the iron and gold railings and the hedges of the Sabatini Gardens are enough for a whole session without repeating a backdrop. A Madrid photographer waits for you in Plaza de Oriente and in a quarter of an hour, half an hour or a full one photographs you around the palace. In two days you have the photos edited. Smiler sells it from €89 per group, in three sizes.
How much time and how many photos

Standard: 15 minutes and 10 photos, one or two people, €89.
Premium: 30 minutes and 25 photos, up to six people, €149. Enough for Plaza de Oriente and the railings.
VIP: one hour and 50 photos, up to twelve people, €249. Enough to go down to Sabatini and back.

The golden hour is paid separately, €35 more, and is when the palace stone takes on colour. The photographer selects the photos and edits them; any extra ones you want are bought afterwards.
From Plaza de Oriente to Sabatini
The meeting is in Plaza de Oriente, between the palace and the Teatro Real; the photographer fixes the exact point through the app. From there you move along the façade facing the square, the railings and, if there is time, the Sabatini Gardens, to the north, with their pond and clipped hedges. The session is on the street and in the public gardens: to enter the palace you need the visit ticket, bought separately.
With more time: Flytographer
Flytographer, a network of holiday photographers, has two routes here: the Royal Palace one, through the gardens and with the Opera opposite, and another that links the palace with La Latina. Sessions run from half an hour to three hours, cost from $325 for 30 minutes and 20 photos, and the gallery arrives in five working days.
- **Silver clay jewellery workshop at El Puente Gallery** (2 h 30 · Adults with no experience who want to make themselves a silver jewel; small groups · €75 per person, with 5 g of silver, a stone, tools, firing and coffee or tea): Silver clay is worked like a soft dough and, when heated, turns into metal. In El Puente Gallery's silver clay jewellery workshop you shape your piece with textures and tools, decide whether it has a stone, dry it and, with the help of the person running the workshop, fire it with a torch until it comes out silver. It can be a ring, a pendant, earrings or a keyring.
Five grams of silver and a stone
The workshop costs €75 and includes 5 grams of silver clay, a decorative stone, tools and textures, firing and coffee, tea or water. If your design needs more metal, each extra gram costs €5, and additional stones, €3 to €5. No experience is needed. It is for adults only, is given in Spanish and English and has room for six people at most, so there is space to ask questions and make mistakes. It lasts two and a half hours, from 18:00 to 20:30. The next sessions are 25 November and 3 and 16 December 2026.
A gallery in the Barrio de las Letras
El Puente Gallery is at Calle de Lope de Vega, 31, a few streets from Paseo del Prado, in a room that is both an art gallery and a jewellery studio. The nearest metro is Antón Martín, on line 1, about five minutes' walk. You book and pay on the website, on the listing for each date. If you are a group and no date suits you, the gallery organises private sessions: write by email or WhatsApp.
- **Tapas and sangria class in the Barrio de las Letras** (4 h · Adults and couples with no experience; children aged 5 to 12 at a reduced price, accompanied by an adult · €85 adults; €45 children aged 5 to 12): Seven recipes in an afternoon and then you eat them for dinner: in this Cooking Point class you cook in pairs potato omelette, garlic prawns, chorizo in cider, patatas bravas and bread with tomato and ham, finish with a crema catalana and wash it all down with a jug of sangria made by you. While the potatoes fry, the cook talks about ham, olive oil and why the tapa began as a cover for a glass. You leave with the recipe book and dinner done.
An afternoon at the stove with the omelette as the acid test
The session starts at 17:30, Monday to Saturday, and lasts four hours. It is in English and for all levels. Each pair works at its own burner; if you come alone, you are assigned a partner. The price, €85 per adult and €45 per child aged 5 to 12, covers ingredients, drinks, dinner and the recipe booklet. If there are intolerances or special diets, the school prepares alternative ingredients or recipes if you tell them when booking.
The school on Calle de Moratín
Cooking Point is at Moratín, 11, in the Barrio de las Letras. The nearest stop is Antón Martín, line 1; the Amor de Dios exit leaves you a few steps away. The place is paid for when you book on its website and refunded in full if you cancel 24 hours ahead. You finish around 21:30, in good time for a last drink in the surrounding streets. If you like the idea but prefer the morning, the same school gives a paella class with market shopping.
- **Technical backstage visit to the Teatro Real** (1 h · People curious about theatre and stagecraft, from age 10 · €23; reduced €18 (over-65s, under-26s and large families)): The Teatro Real shows every morning the side the public does not see. On the one-hour technical visit you enter the stage box to understand how the floor platforms move and the battens hanging from the grid, how a set is built and assembled, and what it takes to put up and take down a whole opera. The visit also includes the acoustic shell, the structure that transforms the stage for concerts. You take away a very concrete idea of the machinery that supports every performance.
An hour beside the machinery
It starts every day at 10:00 and costs €23, or €18 at the reduced rate for over-65s, under-26s and large families. For safety reasons, only over-10s may go. Inside you follow the staff's instructions at all times: you do not cross the safety line on the floor, you do not lean on the railings and you do not carry bags, rucksacks or pockets with loose items; anything that could fall is left before entering. Taking photos is forbidden. As the theatre is in full season, rehearsals may change the route, and the guide tells you at the start.
Punctuality at Plaza de Isabel II
The theatre is between Plaza de Isabel II and Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace. The metro stop is Ópera, on lines 2 and 5 and the branch to Príncipe Pío; Sol (lines 1, 2 and 3) is also close. Arrive ten minutes early: five minutes after the time they no longer let you in and there is no refund. Buy on the theatre's website; tickets are also sold in the foyer on visit days.
- **Vermouth tasting with snacks at Vinopremier Goya** (2 h · Adults; introductory level, no prior knowledge · €30 per person (offer price; usually €55)): An aperitif with an explanation: in the Vinopremier wine shop on Calle Goya, the shop's team serves a selection of vermouths in different styles and explains which botanicals they contain, how sweetness and bitterness are balanced and why each glass tastes different. Between glasses there are snacks chosen to go with them, because the idea is to try vermouth where it works best: at aperitif time and with something to nibble.
Botanicals, bitterness and what is in the glass
It is an introductory tasting, designed for people who drink vermouth but have never stopped to compare it. The shop's listing gives it as two hours, and the description speaks of two and a half hours, so allow a bit more than the bare minimum. There are sessions at midday and in the afternoon; the specific dates appear in the calendar on the listing itself. Capacity is 20 people and the venue is accessible. At the time of this check the ticket cost €30, on offer, against the usual price of €55. The website sells only to over-18s.
Goya 118, between O'Donnell and Manuel Becerra metro
The wine shop is at Calle Goya, 118, in the Salamanca district. The shop itself recommends O'Donnell metro, on line 6, about five minutes' walk; the shop mentions a car park at Goya, 115. Buy your ticket on the tasting's listing: it arrives instantly by email, with one QR code per attendee that you show on your phone. If you do not know which day suits you, you can buy a voucher and redeem it later for a date. With six or more people you can ask for a private session.
- **Wednesday wine tasting at La Fisna, Lavapiés** (1 h 45 · Groups of friends or colleagues of 6 to 8 people, beginners or more advanced · €29 per person for the introductory tasting; the others depending on the theme): On Wednesdays, La Fisna closes off its private room for tastings: the team of sommeliers opens five bottles for a group of six to eight people in the Sala de Sed, a private room with a table and low chairs surrounded by bottles, in a former tavern in Lavapiés. You choose the approach: an introductory tasting to learn to look, smell and taste, a themed one or a comparison between regions or grapes. Afterwards you can stay for dinner at the bar.
Five bottles and you set the theme
The session lasts an hour and three quarters and starts between 17:30 and 18:30. The introductory one costs €29 per person; the website does not publish the price of the themed and comparison ones, which you ask for when you request it. The house works mostly with small wineries and minimal-intervention wines, imports French wine with Burgundy as a speciality and has more and more Spanish wine, so a comparison between a local region and one from abroad is easy to set up. It is not a tasting with individual places: you need to gather the group.
Request it by email and find Calle del Amparo
Write to vinoycata@lafisna.com with the day, the start time, how many of you there are, the type of tasting and whether you will stay for dinner; they reply within 24 to 48 hours. You can also call 915 395 615. The venue is at Calle del Amparo, 91. The nearest metro is Lavapiés, on line 3, two minutes away; Embajadores is also close. For a full afternoon, start with the tasting and leave the table booked for dinner.

## Dónde comer
- **Café de Oriente** (Restaurant, Madrid, €€€). Qué pedir: before the performance, rabas and croquettes to share; afterwards, the pintxo-style hake or the creamy rice, and the house torrija
- **Casa Alberto** (Restaurant, Madrid, €€€). Qué pedir: at the bar, a house vermouth with a slice of omelette or the squid bocatín; in the dining room, tripe or braised oxtail
- **Casa Revuelta** (Bar, Madrid, €). Qué pedir: a slice of battered salt cod with a small beer or a vermouth; if you stay, a half portion of tripe and some croquettes
- **La Casa del Abuelo** (Bar, Madrid, €€). Qué pedir: garlic prawns and a chato of the house sweet wine; if there are more of you, langostinos in batter and red-prawn croquettes
- **Taberna La Bola** (Restaurant, Madrid, €€€). Qué pedir: the cocido, which comes in two servings (soup first, then chickpeas, vegetables and meats); if there are two of you with small appetites, one cocido and some tripe

## Car-free: Atocha, metro and a centre you can walk
Madrid is done without a car: the centre, from Plaza de Oriente to El Retiro, can be crossed on foot in half an hour, and what is further out, such as the Metropolitano or the tastings in Carabanchel and San Blas, has a metro stop at the door. You arrive by train at Atocha and by Cercanías or metro line 1 you are at Sol.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–150 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Gran Hotel Inglés** (Hotel): The oldest hotel in Madrid, on Calle de Echegaray
The Gran Hotel Inglés opened on 27 July 1886 on Calle de Echegaray, in the heart of the Barrio de las Letras, and boasts of having been the first hotel in Madrid with a restaurant and one of the first buildings with electric light. After a full restoration with the Rockwell Group studio, it is now a five-star hotel with Art Deco interiors that belongs to the Hidden Hotels group. Plaza de Santa Ana is two streets away and Puerta del Sol five minutes.
For a weekend treat in Madrid, the advantage is the neighbourhood: taverns at the door, the Prado and the Thyssen a stroll down Las Huertas and the theatres of Plaza de Santa Ana next door.
Rooms from 27 to 125 square metres
The deluxe, interior, is 27 m². The grand deluxe is 30 m² with a freestanding bath and views of the courtyards. The preferred rooms, from 30 to 33 m², are exterior with balconies; the premium, of 40 m², have up to three balconies. The executive rooms face inner courtyards and stand out for their sound insulation. Upstairs are the suites: the Meller, of 50 m², with a private terrace and jacuzzi; the Echegaray, of 60 m², with two bedrooms; the presidential, of 93 m², and the Royal Suite, of 125 m², with a butler.
The hotel does not publish fixed prices on its website: you see them in the booking engine when you choose dates.
Eating, drinking and going down to the bar
On the ground floor is Lobbyto, a restaurant serving updated Madrid cooking, with cocido on Saturdays and Sundays, and a cocktail bar with its own menu. On Thursday nights there is flamenco, on Fridays and Saturdays swing and rock and roll, and at weekends a brunch with live jazz. For wellbeing, a treatment area under old vaults. The concierge is part of Les Clefs d'Or, and the hotel offers chauffeur transfers and a parking service.
By metro, Sevilla (L2) and Sol (L1, L2 and L3) are a few minutes' walk.
- **Hotel Liabeny** (Hotel, desde 90 € / night): Seven floors between Sol and Callao
The Liabeny is a large, classic four-star on Calle de la Salud, 150 metres from Puerta del Sol and 100 from the Gran Vía. It has seven floors, four lifts and renovated rooms with individual air conditioning. It suits a weekend of theatres, shopping and museums, with Plaza de Callao four minutes away.
On its website, the economy single, interior and small, is advertised from €90 a night; the standard single, from €98; the double, from €122, interior or exterior; and the deluxe double, with a 2.10 metre bed and coffee machine, from €146. There are doubles with an extra bed and family rooms with a sofa bed for two children. No room has a balcony or terrace, and the whole hotel is smoke-free.
If you come by car
It is one of the few hotels in the centre with its own car park. If you book on its website, the garage rate is discounted, and electric-car charging, which otherwise costs €10, is free. Keys are left with the garage staff. Ask beforehand how to enter the central low-emission zone with your car: the hotel has a page about it.
What is included and how to get there
Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00. If you book on its website they may let you in earlier and out as late as 14:00 at no cost, depending on occupancy. Reception and concierge are open 24 hours, in Spanish, English and French, and will store your luggage. There is a gym with a sauna and the restaurant Lya67, serving Mediterranean cooking.
By metro you have Sol, Callao and Gran Vía. From Sol, take the Calle del Carmen exit: the hotel is about 75 metres away.
- **Hotel Ópera** (Hotel, desde 84 € / night): Leave the Teatro Real and be in bed in five minutes
Hotel Ópera is on Cuesta de Santo Domingo, 100 metres from the Teatro Real, 150 from the Royal Palace and 400 from Puerta del Sol. It is a four-star in the Austrias district, and its appeal is that: if you come for a performance, the Palace visit or a stroll round Plaza de Oriente, everything is just round the corner. Ópera metro station (L2 and L5) is 140 metres away.
On its website, the single is advertised from €84 a night and the standard double from €95. The doubles are all exterior, with one or two beds depending on availability. There are doubles with an extra bed from €128, triples from €187 and quadruples from €215, with separate bath and shower and views of the Teatro Real and the Palace. On the eighth floor are the rooms with a terrace and whirlpool bath under a glass dome, with views over the centre.
Dinner at the hotel or next door
The hotel has its own café, the Café de la Ópera, with a coffee shop and terrace. Room service runs from 13:00 to 16:00 and in the evening until 22:30 from Sunday to Thursday, and until 23:30 on Fridays and Saturdays.
The gym and Finnish sauna, paid and by reservation, are not in this building but in another hotel of the same company, about 50 metres away; for over-18s only.
Practical details
Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00; for a later departure, ask at reception, where they speak Spanish, English, German, French and Italian. There is left luggage and adapted rooms, which you request when booking. Pets are not allowed, though small ones should be enquired about. If you come by car, the hotel has no garage: it refers you to the Descalzas Reales car park, with a discount for guests, and the Plaza de Oriente one, for about €27 a day.
- **The Hat Madrid** (Hostel): Sleeping cheaply a hundred metres from Plaza Mayor
The Hat is on Calle Imperial, between Plaza Mayor and Calle de Toledo, about four minutes' walk from the arcades and six from Puerta del Sol. It is a hostel with the air of a small hotel: it has private doubles, loft doubles, apartments and dormitories of 4, 6, 8 and 10 beds, with and without bathroom, and women-only rooms, which always have a bathroom inside. For a weekend without a car it is practical: La Latina is eight minutes' walk, the Royal Palace eleven and the Prado about twenty.
It does not publish fixed prices: you see them in its booking calendar according to date and room. Sheets are included; a towel can be rented for €3 and a locker padlock for €2. Breakfast, in the rates that include it, is served from 7:30 to 10:30, with coffee, toast, fruit and yoghurt.
The rooftop and what goes on below
At the very top there is a covered terrace with views over the rooftops and domes of the centre, with a bar, cocktails and a menu of dishes to share; it also opens to outside guests, who can book a table for lunch or dinner. Reception works 24 hours, there is a washing machine and dryer, an iron and a hairdryer, and the staff organise outings to meet people and see the city.
If you travel with children, only minors accompanied by adults are admitted, in a room with a private bathroom, not shared with other guests.
Arrival, departure and luggage
Check-in is from 15:00. If you arrive earlier, they keep your suitcase free in a locker room. After check-out, storage is free until 14:00 and then costs €3 per person. Late check-out depends on occupancy and has a small charge that reception will tell you. There is no car park of its own, but an arrangement with one 1.2 km away.
From the airport, metro line 8 takes you to Nuevos Ministerios; there you take Cercanías to Sol and walk six minutes.
### Servicios
- **Airport Express Line, from Atocha and Cibeles to Barajas**: EMT express bus 203 between Atocha, Cibeles and terminals T1, T2 and T4 at Barajas · 24 hours, all year · €5 · 30 to 40 minutes
- **Madrid Puerta de Atocha Almudena Grandes Station**: The great station of southern Madrid: high-speed, long- and medium-distance trains and Cercanías, with metro L1 and the express bus to the airport at the door

## By plane: From Barajas to the centre by express bus or metro
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport has direct flights from the islands and the main Spanish cities. From the airport to the centre you do not need a car: the Express Line reaches Cibeles and Atocha in 30 to 40 minutes, 24 hours a day, and metro line 8 connects with Nuevos Ministerios.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Gran Hotel Inglés** (Hotel): The oldest hotel in Madrid, on Calle de Echegaray
The Gran Hotel Inglés opened on 27 July 1886 on Calle de Echegaray, in the heart of the Barrio de las Letras, and boasts of having been the first hotel in Madrid with a restaurant and one of the first buildings with electric light. After a full restoration with the Rockwell Group studio, it is now a five-star hotel with Art Deco interiors that belongs to the Hidden Hotels group. Plaza de Santa Ana is two streets away and Puerta del Sol five minutes.
For a weekend treat in Madrid, the advantage is the neighbourhood: taverns at the door, the Prado and the Thyssen a stroll down Las Huertas and the theatres of Plaza de Santa Ana next door.
Rooms from 27 to 125 square metres
The deluxe, interior, is 27 m². The grand deluxe is 30 m² with a freestanding bath and views of the courtyards. The preferred rooms, from 30 to 33 m², are exterior with balconies; the premium, of 40 m², have up to three balconies. The executive rooms face inner courtyards and stand out for their sound insulation. Upstairs are the suites: the Meller, of 50 m², with a private terrace and jacuzzi; the Echegaray, of 60 m², with two bedrooms; the presidential, of 93 m², and the Royal Suite, of 125 m², with a butler.
The hotel does not publish fixed prices on its website: you see them in the booking engine when you choose dates.
Eating, drinking and going down to the bar
On the ground floor is Lobbyto, a restaurant serving updated Madrid cooking, with cocido on Saturdays and Sundays, and a cocktail bar with its own menu. On Thursday nights there is flamenco, on Fridays and Saturdays swing and rock and roll, and at weekends a brunch with live jazz. For wellbeing, a treatment area under old vaults. The concierge is part of Les Clefs d'Or, and the hotel offers chauffeur transfers and a parking service.
By metro, Sevilla (L2) and Sol (L1, L2 and L3) are a few minutes' walk.
- **Hotel Liabeny** (Hotel, desde 90 € / night): Seven floors between Sol and Callao
The Liabeny is a large, classic four-star on Calle de la Salud, 150 metres from Puerta del Sol and 100 from the Gran Vía. It has seven floors, four lifts and renovated rooms with individual air conditioning. It suits a weekend of theatres, shopping and museums, with Plaza de Callao four minutes away.
On its website, the economy single, interior and small, is advertised from €90 a night; the standard single, from €98; the double, from €122, interior or exterior; and the deluxe double, with a 2.10 metre bed and coffee machine, from €146. There are doubles with an extra bed and family rooms with a sofa bed for two children. No room has a balcony or terrace, and the whole hotel is smoke-free.
If you come by car
It is one of the few hotels in the centre with its own car park. If you book on its website, the garage rate is discounted, and electric-car charging, which otherwise costs €10, is free. Keys are left with the garage staff. Ask beforehand how to enter the central low-emission zone with your car: the hotel has a page about it.
What is included and how to get there
Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00. If you book on its website they may let you in earlier and out as late as 14:00 at no cost, depending on occupancy. Reception and concierge are open 24 hours, in Spanish, English and French, and will store your luggage. There is a gym with a sauna and the restaurant Lya67, serving Mediterranean cooking.
By metro you have Sol, Callao and Gran Vía. From Sol, take the Calle del Carmen exit: the hotel is about 75 metres away.
- **Hotel Ópera** (Hotel, desde 84 € / night): Leave the Teatro Real and be in bed in five minutes
Hotel Ópera is on Cuesta de Santo Domingo, 100 metres from the Teatro Real, 150 from the Royal Palace and 400 from Puerta del Sol. It is a four-star in the Austrias district, and its appeal is that: if you come for a performance, the Palace visit or a stroll round Plaza de Oriente, everything is just round the corner. Ópera metro station (L2 and L5) is 140 metres away.
On its website, the single is advertised from €84 a night and the standard double from €95. The doubles are all exterior, with one or two beds depending on availability. There are doubles with an extra bed from €128, triples from €187 and quadruples from €215, with separate bath and shower and views of the Teatro Real and the Palace. On the eighth floor are the rooms with a terrace and whirlpool bath under a glass dome, with views over the centre.
Dinner at the hotel or next door
The hotel has its own café, the Café de la Ópera, with a coffee shop and terrace. Room service runs from 13:00 to 16:00 and in the evening until 22:30 from Sunday to Thursday, and until 23:30 on Fridays and Saturdays.
The gym and Finnish sauna, paid and by reservation, are not in this building but in another hotel of the same company, about 50 metres away; for over-18s only.
Practical details
Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00; for a later departure, ask at reception, where they speak Spanish, English, German, French and Italian. There is left luggage and adapted rooms, which you request when booking. Pets are not allowed, though small ones should be enquired about. If you come by car, the hotel has no garage: it refers you to the Descalzas Reales car park, with a discount for guests, and the Plaza de Oriente one, for about €27 a day.
- **The Hat Madrid** (Hostel): Sleeping cheaply a hundred metres from Plaza Mayor
The Hat is on Calle Imperial, between Plaza Mayor and Calle de Toledo, about four minutes' walk from the arcades and six from Puerta del Sol. It is a hostel with the air of a small hotel: it has private doubles, loft doubles, apartments and dormitories of 4, 6, 8 and 10 beds, with and without bathroom, and women-only rooms, which always have a bathroom inside. For a weekend without a car it is practical: La Latina is eight minutes' walk, the Royal Palace eleven and the Prado about twenty.
It does not publish fixed prices: you see them in its booking calendar according to date and room. Sheets are included; a towel can be rented for €3 and a locker padlock for €2. Breakfast, in the rates that include it, is served from 7:30 to 10:30, with coffee, toast, fruit and yoghurt.
The rooftop and what goes on below
At the very top there is a covered terrace with views over the rooftops and domes of the centre, with a bar, cocktails and a menu of dishes to share; it also opens to outside guests, who can book a table for lunch or dinner. Reception works 24 hours, there is a washing machine and dryer, an iron and a hairdryer, and the staff organise outings to meet people and see the city.
If you travel with children, only minors accompanied by adults are admitted, in a room with a private bathroom, not shared with other guests.
Arrival, departure and luggage
Check-in is from 15:00. If you arrive earlier, they keep your suitcase free in a locker room. After check-out, storage is free until 14:00 and then costs €3 per person. Late check-out depends on occupancy and has a small charge that reception will tell you. There is no car park of its own, but an arrangement with one 1.2 km away.
From the airport, metro line 8 takes you to Nuevos Ministerios; there you take Cercanías to Sol and walk six minutes.
### Servicios
- **Airport Express Line, from Atocha and Cibeles to Barajas**: EMT express bus 203 between Atocha, Cibeles and terminals T1, T2 and T4 at Barajas · 24 hours, all year · €5 · 30 to 40 minutes

## As a family: Looms, rowing boats and a paella made by them

Madrid has plans for children that are not a theme park: seeing how a tapestry is woven, rowing in El Retiro or cooking their own paella. Split the day between one of these and a walk round the centre, which is flat and easy with a pushchair.

### What works best
The Cooking Point paella class, with a child price for ages 5 to 12

The Royal Tapestry Factory, with the weavers working at the loom

A rowing boat on the pond in El Retiro: under-14s, with someone over 18

The chocolate workshop for children aged 2 to 9, 75 minutes

### Where to sleep
Hotel Ópera, with family rooms that look onto the Teatro Real and the Palace

### Where to eat
Taberna La Bola, traditional cocido two streets from the Teatro Real

### Bear in mind
The Teatro Real technical visit is from age 10

The Royal Tapestry Factory is only open Monday to Friday

The Cooking Point classes are in English

### Qué hacer as a family
- Prado Museum, with a ticket or in the free last two hours
- Royal Palace of Madrid, with the Wednesday and Saturday changing of the guard
- El Retiro and a rowing boat on the Great Pond
- ChocoMaster chocolate workshop and tasting in Delicias
- Dinner and flamenco show at Corral de la Morería
- Escape room The Mystery of Don Quixote at The Rombo Code
- Free Walking Tour from Plaza Mayor to the Royal Palace, with SANDEMANs
- Guided tour of Atlético de Madrid's Metropolitano stadium
- Guided visit to the workshops of the Royal Tapestry Factory
- Paella class with shopping at the Antón Martín market
- Tapas and sangria class in the Barrio de las Letras
- Technical backstage visit to the Teatro Real

## With teenagers: The Real's stage, a stadium and an escape room

From age 12, Madrid gets interesting: the backstage machinery of an opera house, the changing room of a stadium, an escape room with Don Quixote in the middle. They are plans of one or two hours that leave no time for boredom.

### What works best
The Teatro Real technical visit, from age 10, through the backstage machinery and the stage

The Metropolitano tour of Atlético de Madrid

The escape room The Mystery of Don Quixote, at The Rombo Code

The flamenco at Corral de la Morería, from age 7

### Where to sleep
The Hat Madrid, hostel with shared rooms next to Plaza Mayor

### Where to eat
La Casa del Abuelo, garlic prawns eaten standing at the bar

### Bear in mind
The Vinopremier vermouth tasting is for over-18s only

The Metropolitano is far from the centre: give it half an afternoon with line 7

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Prado Museum, with a ticket or in the free last two hours
- Royal Palace of Madrid, with the Wednesday and Saturday changing of the guard
- El Retiro and a rowing boat on the Great Pond
- Dinner and flamenco show at Corral de la Morería
- Escape room The Mystery of Don Quixote at The Rombo Code
- Free Walking Tour from Plaza Mayor to the Royal Palace, with SANDEMANs
- Guided tour of Atlético de Madrid's Metropolitano stadium
- Guided visit to the workshops of the Royal Tapestry Factory
- Paella class with shopping at the Antón Martín market
- Tapas and sangria class in the Barrio de las Letras
- Technical backstage visit to the Teatro Real

## With friends: Bar-Counter Vermouth, Escape Rooms and Flamenco with Dinner

Madrid is enjoyed as a group with the bar and the table at the centre: vermouth before lunch, a tasting among friends, an escape room, flamenco with dinner. These are plans designed for four or more.

### What works best
The free tour from Plaza Mayor, two and a half hours, to get your bearings on the first day

The vermouth tasting with snacks in Goya, about two hours and for over-18s only

The La Fisna wine tasting in Lavapiés, on Wednesdays: five wines for groups of six to eight in a private room

The tapas and sangria class or the paella class with a market shop: you cook together and have dinner or lunch with what you made

The escape room El Misterio de Don Quijote: 2 to 14 players, 60 minutes, and the price is per group (€150 for six)

The visit to the La Caníbal brewery, on Fridays at 20:00, with a pint included for €10

The Metropolitano stadium tour, with dressing room, dugout and museum, if there are fans in the group

Flamenco with dinner at Corral de la Morería for the big night: the menu, from €49.95, is added to the entrance fee

### Where to sleep
The Hat Madrid, a hundred metres from Plaza Mayor: dormitories of 4 to 10 beds, apartments and a rooftop with a bar

### Where to eat
Casa Alberto, a tavern from 1827 with its own vermouth at the bar

Casa Revuelta, with slices of battered cod at €5.10 next to Plaza Mayor

La Casa del Abuelo: garlic prawns, standing up and without booking

Café de Oriente, dinners until midnight opposite the Royal Palace

### Keep in mind
La Fisna only holds tastings on Wednesdays and La Caníbal only shows the brewery on Fridays: fit those days in first

Casa Alberto is closed on Mondays and Casa Revuelta on Mondays and Sunday evenings

La Casa del Abuelo does not take bookings: go early or in small groups

The Hat does not publish fixed prices: you see them in its booking calendar depending on date and room

### Qué hacer with friends
- Dinner and flamenco show at Corral de la Morería
- Escape room The Mystery of Don Quixote at The Rombo Code
- Free Walking Tour from Plaza Mayor to the Royal Palace, with SANDEMANs
- Guided tour of Atlético de Madrid's Metropolitano stadium
- La Caníbal brewery tour in San Blas, with a pint
- Paella class with shopping at the Antón Martín market
- Tapas and sangria class in the Barrio de las Letras
- Vermouth tasting with snacks at Vinopremier Goya
- Wednesday wine tasting at La Fisna, Lavapiés

## Consejos

### Take the cooking class on an empty stomach
Cooking Point's classes end with eating what you cooked: don't book a restaurant afterwards.

### Workshops with separate dates fill up
The silver jewellery, the sewing and the dessert course have few dates a month.

### Teatro Real and Palace, the same morning
The theatre at 10:00, the palace at 11:30: they are separated by Plaza de Oriente.

### The Prado at the end of the day
Go in at 18:00 with a clear plan of which rooms to see: two hours cover the essentials.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### What can I do in Madrid on a Saturday afternoon?
Cooking Point's tapas class at 17:30, or the Jandra Cerámica wheel in the morning and the Retiro by rowing boat in the afternoon.

### What plans are there with children?
The technical visit to the Teatro Real from age 10, the Real Fábrica de Tapices, the Metropolitano tour, the children's chocolate workshop and the paella class, which has a children's price.

### What do I do if it rains?
All the workshops, the tastings, the Teatro Real, the Real Fábrica de Tapices and the Prado are indoors.

### Where can you see flamenco with dinner?
At the Corral de la Morería, every night; the second dinner session is at 21:10 and the show starts at 21:30.

### How much does a plan like this cost?
From €6 for the Real Fábrica de Tapices to €118 for the perfume workshop. Most are between €30 and €85 per person.

### Do you need a car?
No. Everything is on the metro, and from the airport you arrive by the Línea Exprés or line 8.