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
You cook your paella in the morning, row in the afternoon and enter the Prado free.
A paella class with market shopping and lunch, a rowing boat on the Retiro lake, the Prado's two free hours and an early dinner at Casa Alberto, in Las Letras.
Leaving from
Part of MadridUrban experiencesWalkable CitiesClassical music and opera in EuropeClassic film locations
Add to my trip
Total time11 h
By car0 min each way
Class4 h with lunch, in English
Boat45 min, €6 per boat
PradoFree from 18:00 to 20:00
Cost€125–150 pp
Getting aroundOn foot
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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1
Paella class with shopping at the Antón Martín market
Cooking Point · €85, children aged 5 to 12 €45 · lunch included · in English
+34 910 115 154
- 15 min on foot
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2
El Retiro and a rowing boat on the Great Pond
boat on the big pond · €6 per boat on weekdays · 45 min
- 15 min on foot
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3
Prado Museum, with a ticket or in the free last two hours
free 18:00 to 20:00 Monday to Saturday · queue at the entrance
- 10 min on foot
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4
Casa Alberto
early dinner · croquetas and tripe · open until 23:00
Calle de las Huertas, 18, 28012 Madrid · +34 914 299 356
Restaurant €€€Book
Approximate cost
About €120–150 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Paella class with shopping at the Antón Martín market
A long day but without the metro: Antón Martín, the Retiro and the Prado are less than twenty minutes' walk from each other. The children cook, row and, if they still have the energy, see Velázquez without your paying admission.
The day from start to finish
10:00 · Cooking Point. The morning starts with shopping at the Antón Martín market, 200 metres from the school. Then each pair cooks its paella, with sangria and a starter, and at the end you sit down to eat it. It is four hours, in English, for €85 for adults and €45 for children aged 5 to 12. You take the recipe booklet home.
15:15 · Retiro. Twenty minutes on foot, climbing towards the Puerta de Alcalá. The boats on the big lake go out from 15:15 until sunset, in 45-minute slots: €6 per boat on weekdays and €8 at weekends. Under-14s go with someone over 18.
18:00 · Prado Museum. Walk down the Cuesta de Moyano. From Monday to Saturday, the last two hours, from 18:00 to 20:00, are free. With children, choose a room or two: an hour and a half is enough.
20:00 · Casa Alberto. Ten minutes' walk to Calle de las Huertas. Early tavern dinner: home-made croquettes, tripe or cod. Closed on Mondays.
If tiredness comes sooner
The Prado can be skipped without guilt: it is a stroll away and the free hours repeat every day. If the children are worn out after the boat, come back another day just for the museum.
Time4 h
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, when the boat costs €6, the Prado is free from 18:00 to 20:00 and Casa Alberto serves dinner. Saturday works too, with the boat at €8. In winter, the jetty closes at sunset: do not be late.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Do not have a heavy breakfast
The class ends with you eating what you have cooked.
- 2Arrive at the boats at 15:15
In November the sun sets early and the jetty closes with it.
- 3Arrive at the Prado before 18:00
In the free hours a queue usually forms before opening.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
From what age can children do the paella class?
Cooking Point has a price for children aged 5 to 12; it does not publish a minimum age.
How much does the day cost?
€85 the class per adult, €45 per child, €6 the boat, the Prado free in those hours and between €35 and €60 dinner.
Does it work on Sundays?
No: the paella class is Monday to Saturday and Casa Alberto only opens on Sundays at midday.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/madrid/itineraries/paella-boat-and-free-prado
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.