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
geocalia
Day itinerary · 40.42° N · 3.70° W
The Teatro Real backstage at ten, the Palace opposite and a cocido two streets away.
The technical tour of the Teatro Real stage, the Royal Palace across Plaza de Oriente and a cocido at Taberna La Bola, all within a five-minute walk.
Leaving from
Part of MadridUrban experiencesWalkable CitiesClassical music and opera in EuropeClassic film locations
Add to my trip
Total time5 h 30
By car0 min each way
Teatro Real60 min, ages 10+
Palace90 min
Spend€75–100 pp
Getting aroundOn foot, 15 min in total
BookingTheatre and Palace
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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1
Technical backstage visit to the Teatro Real
technical visit · €23, reduced €18 · no rucksacks or photos
+34 915 160 695
- 5 min on foot
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2
Royal Palace of Madrid, with the Wednesday and Saturday changing of the guard
via the Plaza de Oriente · €18, reduced €9
- 8 min on foot
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3
Taberna La Bola
cocido on Calle de la Bola · booking
Calle de la Bola, 5, 28013 Madrid · +34 915 476 930
Restaurant €€€Book
Approximate cost
About €60–85 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Technical backstage visit to the Teatro Real
Plaza de Oriente has an opera house on one side and a palace on the other. One morning is enough to see how a stage works from the inside and how a royal court lived, and to finish with a spoon in your hand.
From ten o'clock to the long lunch
10:00 · Teatro Real. The technical tour goes where the public never does: the backstage machinery, the stage and the equipment that changes the sets. It lasts an hour, costs €23, or €18 with a discount, and is for over-10s. Bags and loose rucksacks are not allowed in and photos are not permitted. If there is a rehearsal, the route may change.
11:30 · Royal Palace. Cross Plaza de Oriente. Basic entry costs €18 and reduced €9; under-5s go free. Allow an hour and a half for the state rooms.
13:30 · Taberna La Bola. Eight minutes on foot. It opened in 1870 and is run by the fourth generation of the family: here you order cocido, and apple fritters with ice cream for dessert.
Better this way for teenagers
The order matters: the theatre first, while they are fresh and the machinery grabs them; the Palace afterwards, shorter than they fear if you stick to the main rooms; and lunch as the reward.
Time1 h
Change the route
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
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
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
Any day: the technical tour runs every day at 10:00 and the Palace is open on Sundays too, until 16:00. The Palace closes for official events, such as 17 and 18 November 2026.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Buy the Teatro Real ticket days ahead
There is a single tour a day, at 10:00.
- 2Leave the rucksack at the hotel
They won't let you into the theatre with it.
- 3Book La Bola
For the midday cocido at weekends.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
From what age?
The Teatro Real technical tour is for ages 10 and over.
How much does it cost?
€23 for the theatre, €18 for the Palace and between €35 and €60 for lunch.
Does it run on Sundays?
Yes: the technical tour runs daily and the Palace is open from 10:00 to 16:00.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/madrid/itineraries/teatro-real-royal-palace-and-cocido
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.