Casa Alberto
What to order: at the bar, a house vermouth with a slice of omelette or the squid bocatín; in the dining room, tripe or braised oxtail
geocalia
Day itinerary · 40.42° N · 3.70° W
Photos by the Palacio de Cristal in the morning, flamenco at La Morería at night.
A photographer session by the Palacio de Cristal, a rowing boat on the pond, the looms of the Real Fábrica de Tapices, Casa Alberto, the Prado's two free hours and flamenco with dinner.
Leaving from
Part of MadridUrban experiencesWalkable CitiesClassical music and opera in EuropeClassic film locations
Add to my trip
Total time14 h
By car0 min each way
PhotosSession of 15 to 60 min
VisitsTapestries with a place booked by email, free Prado
DaysTuesday to Friday
Getting aroundOn foot and by metro
SpendFrom €150 pp plus the tablao
BookingSession, tapestries, lunch and tablao
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
-
1
Photoshoot with a photographer in El Retiro, beside the Crystal Palace and its pond
Smiler · from €89 per group · meet at Paseo de Cuba, 4
- 8 min on foot
-
2
El Retiro and a rowing boat on the Great Pond
boat on the big pond · €6 on weekdays
- 15 min on foot
-
3
Guided visit to the workshops of the Royal Tapestry Factory
12:00 slot · €6 · place requested by email
+34 914 340 550
- 30 min on foot
-
4
Casa Alberto
dining room 13:30 to 16:00 · tripe, oxtail · booking
Calle de las Huertas, 18, 28012 Madrid · +34 914 299 356
Restaurant €€€Book - 8 min on foot
-
5
Prado Museum, with a ticket or in the free last two hours
free 18:00 to 20:00 · arrive with time to spare
- 30 min by metro
-
6
Dinner and flamenco show at Corral de la Morería
second show: dinner at 21:10, flamenco at 21:30 · menu from €49.95 plus the ticket
+34 913 651 137
Activity company With Corral de la MoreríaBook
Approximate cost
About €130–160 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Photoshoot with a photographer in El Retiro, beside the Crystal Palace and its pond
A day in Madrid done on foot from the Retiro to the Barrio de las Letras, with a hop on the metro to La Latina for the evening. It begins with someone taking the photos of your trip and goes on with things done at an easy pace: rowing, watching a tapestry being woven, choosing four paintings at the Prado.
Morning in the Retiro: glass, water and oars
9:00 · Photo session by the Palacio de Cristal. A Smiler photographer waits for you at Paseo de Cuba 4, a few steps from the palace. Fifteen minutes and 10 photos for €89 for two, or half an hour and 25 photos for €149, up to six people. The edited gallery arrives within 48 hours. At this hour the park is quiet.
10:00 · Rowing boat on the big pond. A few minutes on foot to the north. The boats open at 10:00, cost €6 on weekdays for up to four people and give you 45 minutes in front of the Alfonso XII monument. Then you leave the park on the Atocha side.
Looms at work and a tavern stew
12:00 · Real Fábrica de Tapices. About twenty minutes on foot, downhill towards Atocha. The 45-minute guided visit goes into the workshops where tapestries and rugs are woven by hand, with the looms working. There is no online sales: request a place by email a few days ahead, with each person's name, ID number and phone number. It costs €6.
13:45 · Casa Alberto. Twenty-five minutes on foot to Calle de las Huertas, or the metro from Atocha to Antón Martín. A tavern from 1827 with its own vermouth; in the dining room, tripe, oxtail or Madrid-style salt cod. Book.
Between lunch and the Prado you have the afternoon free in the Barrio de las Letras: a siesta at the hotel or an unhurried stroll.
Afternoon at the Prado and night at La Morería
18:00 · Prado Museum, free. Eight minutes on foot down Huertas. From Monday to Saturday admission is free from 18:00 to 20:00. A queue forms before the hour: arrive with time in hand and go straight to two or three rooms, Velázquez and Goya, for example.
21:10 · Corral de la Morería. Metro or taxi to Calle de la Morería, beside the Vistillas. On the second sitting you have dinner at 21:10 and the flamenco starts at 21:30, in the same room. The simplest menu costs €49.95 and the show ticket is added on top, according to the calendar on their website.
Time15 min
Change the route
On 25 November or 3 and 16 December 2026, at 18:00: silver ring in Las Letras, €75, instead of the Prado:
Silver clay jewellery workshop at El Puente Gallery
If you prefer the façade of the Royal Palace and Sabatini: session on Plaza de Oriente, near the tablao:
Photoshoot with a photographer in front of the Royal Palace, between Plaza de Oriente and the Sabatini Gardens
To eat quickly and cheaply: battered cod next to the Plaza Mayor:
Casa Revuelta
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Casa Revuelta
What to order: 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
What to order: garlic prawns and a chato of the house sweet wine; if there are more of you, langostinos in batter and red-prawn croquettes
Café de Oriente
What to order: before the performance, rabas and croquettes to share; afterwards, the pintxo-style hake or the creamy rice, and the house torrija
Taberna La Bola
What to order: 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
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Madrid
Tuesday to Friday: the Real Fábrica de Tapices only opens in the morning on weekdays and Casa Alberto is closed on Mondays. In autumn the trees round the Palacio de Cristal pond turn reddish; in July and August the heat bears down on the Retiro at midday.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Ask for the tapestry place first
It is the only stop with no online sales and fixed tour times.
- 2If it falls on a silver date
The silver-clay jewellery workshop in Las Letras has three afternoons between November and December: swap the Prado for it and do the museum another day.
- 3Wear comfortable clothes underneath
For the session, something you like in a photo; for the rest of the day, shoes for walking about five kilometres.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
From about €150 per person: the photo session split between two, the boat, the tapestries, lunch, the free Prado and the tablao menu, plus the show ticket.
Can it be done at the weekend?
Not as it stands: the Real Fábrica de Tapices doesn't open on Saturdays or Sundays. Swap it for the session at the Royal Palace or for the inside of the Palace.
Do I need to bring anything for the photos?
Nothing: the photographer brings the equipment. Just the clothes you want to be seen in.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/madrid/itineraries/crystal-palace-looms-and-flamenco-madrid
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.