I did two different tours with Devour during my trip to Madrid…read more The first was the Madrid Prado Museum Tour & VIP Botin Lunch. I highly recommend this if you are interested in a streamlined visit to the Prado really highlighting and focusing on particular noteworthy works. This worked well for me because I'm not as familiar with some of the artists whose work are showcased here, and I learned A LOT by taking this tour. You also stop for a little tapa and vermouth before having lunch at Botin, which was quite an experience. It's a tough reservation to get on your own, and enjoying it as part of this tour is well worth it. The second tour I did was the Ultimate Spanish Cuisine tour. This tour stopped at a variety of locations. We sampled porra (basically thick churros) and chocolate, "pregnant" sourdough buns stuffed with chorizo, a variety of olives, vermouth, boquerones, olive oil, several hams, some fruit, a cheese selection with wine pairing, and cake. It was a delicious and well-rounded food experience. Montse was my guide for both of these tours and she is absolutely fantastic! After meeting her on the first tour, I told her I was taking another tour and her office was able to schedule her to be my tour guide again for the second one. She actually studied art so she was extra knowledgeable at the Prado, but also had so much to share about Madrid and answered so many of our questions. I'm so glad I booked these tours with Devour on my trip. I would definitely consider their tours for other cities I visit in the future as well.

Dani was amazing! He was entertaining and knowledgeable about the taverns, tapas and history he…read moretook us to. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and highly recommend this tour group.

We wanted to do a "hop on/hop off" in Madrid; but apparently none of the tour bus companies have…read morethat option any longer. There were several different tour bus companies, all red and all with similar pricing. We went with Madrid City Tours on the recommendation of our hotel. It was €28 pp and the start/end location was right near the Prado Museum. The ticket price includes two separate loops, but we only went to the one that went through the historic District. We sat on the top floor, under the canopy, but being summer in Madrid it was still really hot. (Especially when the bus would be stopped in traffic.). The historic loop took just over an hour and there were plenty of sites on both sides of the bus. We saw the Prado, City Walls, parks, statues, and other areas of interest. I was kind of disappointed that we could not get off at any of the areas that looked interesting and get pictures, especially since the bus was moving and pictures didn't always come out great when the bus was in motion. As you board they give you a set of headphones; and the city narration is done in all of the most common languages. It was easy to hear and understand the information. We enjoyed our tour; but after 1 hour of sitting on a bus, we didn't really want to do the second loop that goes to the financial area and sit on a bus for another 2 hours. We really had no complaints about the bus. It was clean and had plenty of open seats. We would have preferred the "hop on/hop off" option.....hopefully they will be allowed to operate that way again in the future. Overall it's a good way to see much of Madrid without renting a car.

The bus is very hot with a cooling AC that can't be felt it's useless. No fan or mist. Your guide…read morestopped to use the bathroom and didn't offer anyone else an opportunity. No water or cooking relief, you're on your own while you are stuck for 1 hour and thirty to forty five minutes depending on traffic. You can really take time each day to explore the sites they drive you to. Never will be too soon for Thai again.

We used Madrid day tours (spain day tours) and had great guided tours. Martine our guide and driver…read morewas exceptional. Kind, friendly great driver, incredibly historically well informed. We had him for two days. He worked as fast or as slow as we wanted. Time to stop anywhere we wanted for photo opps (kept us safe from traffic) Highly recommended

Madrid Day Tours was fantastic to work with. Miguel was so helpful in working through the booking…read morelogistics of a day trip from Madrid for our group of 4 adults and 4 children. He was quick to respond to all questions, offered useful suggestions, and in general, was a pleasure to work with. We eventually booked a trip to El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen. Our guide, Corina, was at our apartment door ten minutes early and we were shortly picked up by a very comfortable minibus to get on the road to El Escorial. The drive was interesting and Corina told us quite a bit on the way. El Escorial was the highlight of the day and really a fantastic place. Corina's tour was really great and she was able to relate to both the adults and the children. Some guides are awful with children so this was especially appreciated. The Valley of the Fallen stop on the way back to Madrid was an interesting experience, but we all had mixed feelings about being there. Corina was again excellent though. The tour was great and a good value too. Sixteen thumbs up from us.

Had a great experience on this walking tour led by Jovan. He was engaging, energetic, and knew his…read moreway in and out of the city. Very knowledgeable about both history and food which was appreciated. This tour highlights historical aspects of Madrid's Plaza Mayor, theories behind the architecture of the city, the conquest and reconquest of the city, gastronomical highlights, and some fun trivia. The tour itself is 3 hours long with a break in the middle where the group stopped at a cafe to get drinks and use the restroom. Wear comfortable shoes! While the tour is officially free, tips are highly encouraged to continue the existence of the company and its excellent tour guides.

My husband and I signed up for the "Majestic Madrid Walking Tour" with Sandemans on the second day…read moreof our trip to Madrid. Our guide Mark did a great job showing us the city while giving us an entertaining history lesson. Not only was he very knowledgeable on the history and culture of Madrid, but he was also very friendly and took the time to get to know our group and answered any questions we had. The tour takes about 2.5 hours with a 10-15 minute coffee/bathroom break in the middle. Definitely plan to wear comfortable walking shoes, as the tour covers quite a bit of ground. Our tour started at Plaza Mayor (just took for the red Sandemans umbrella) and ended at Plaza de Isabel II. While it is free to sign up, remember to bring cash if you choose to tip your tour guides at the end. Overall, the tour was a great introduction to the city of Madrid. We learned a lot (always remember 1561!) and highly recommend the experience!

My mom and I did their 4:00 PM E-bike tour this past week. It was a great experience and our guide…read morewas excellent! I would recommend doing this tour on your first day/afternoon in Madrid so you can get acclimated to the city and see some of the main sites. Our guide, Fran, was knowledgeable, personable, and animated. The background he provided at each of the sites was interesting and helped us learn more about Madrid and Spanish history. He also had great tips and recommendations for where to go in Madrid. The tour was about 10-15 people I'd say. It was a good size to command enough attention to safely drive on the road in a lane but have everyone stay together. They provided a water bottle, helmet, bike. Fran even took us to a special "surprise stop" at the end (churros!). With the E-bike, you could adjust the assistance and you still pedaled to make the assist go, but it was a good choice to have some assist as there are hills and you don't want to worry about having to keep up on going when you're driving in a lane on the road. The shop also has bikes, roller blades, and skate/penny boards for rent.

Best way to spend 2 hours at Parque De El Retiro. The park is rather large but flat so exploring…read moreby bike is not only fun but makes for a fun way to see the park. Rental was quick and easy, you have to leave your ID and 2 hours was about $7.50 euros per person. We easily explored the parque in 1 hour with time for photos and admiring the beauty it offers. Definitely recommend!

TOLEDO SPAIN: While we were in Madrid we took a guided 1/2 day trip to Toledo Spain through Julia…read moreTours. I would highly recommend the guided tour for the information provided. The other issue is the meandering city streets could get incredibly confusing & too easy to get lost (also my GPS was practically non existent). Toledo is located about 1hr from Madrid. The city has an incredible history dating back over 2,000 years. The time span & empires that existed in Toledo are many & varied. Visigoths, Romans, Moors, Emirate of Córdoba, Christians to name a few. The city was an important center for many generations. The different empires, religions & architectural styles helped to develop Toledo's over 2,000 years into a unique city. In 1986 Toledo was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its many works of art and architecture are the product of three major religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Walking through Toledo is like walking through a time warp as the city sits surrounded atop a hill w/the river wrapping around it providing a natural defense & fortification. While there are many churches in Toledo the highlight of Toledo for me was the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Santa Maria de Toledo. This Church is mix of Gothic, Renaissance & Baroque styles. The construction started in 1226 & was completed in 1493. This church was absolutely stunning

We booked a full day Segovia and Ávila tour with this company. It was very disappointing. 50 people…read morewith one guide, who was doing the tour in both Spanish and English, which we expected. However, the Spanish commentary was two or three times as long as the English commentary. I do speak some Spanish and I knew that we were not getting all of the same information in English. We spent more time waiting around for the group to assemble then we did actually getting to see things. At every stop, we had to wait for people who were late showing up for the meeting time. They really need to have two guides for a group this size (50 people). I would not use this company again.

We did a private tour the first night. Our flight kept getting delayed but Luis was very…read moreaccommodating and flexible. He even picked us up from the airport and took us on the tour right after. We had garlic shrimp and chilled tomato with garlic soup at the first stop - amazing shrimp and wonderful balance with the soup. 2nd stop, we had Iberian ham and cheese plate - unique food source and experience. 3rd stop, Spanish omelette and peppers - both were excellent together. 4th stop, calamari sandwiches were my favorite. We topped off the evening with a delicious treat you can't get outside of Madrid - hot chocolate and crispy churros, a perfect combination as the weather became cooler at night. It was our first tapas tour and a wonderful experience - very knowledgeable on food and history. Definitely recommend this tour as your first stop. We even got great restaurant tips from Lius for the rest of the stay. All were great tips. When we went outside of his list based on a 4.5 star yelp review, it wasn't as good as his choices. He knows his food. And we are very picky.

After four days in Barcelona, the wife suggested a tapas tour in Madrid. I said, "Isn't that all…read morewe've eaten since we got here? What do we need a tour for?" Happy to admit I was wrong. Luis is a knowledgeable bloke with an amazing understanding of where to get the best of so many different delicious dishes, some traditional and some a bit modern. And we were with two lovely retired couples so the size of group felt just right. We both loved the historical insights, the food and Luis' enthusiasm. We ate tapas before coming to Spain but the tour will be a happy memory.

We took a wine tour to Toledo. Ignacio is an excellent guide. The tour is well organized and his…read morepassion for both wine and for Spain are evident throughout the tour. He tells entertaining stories about the both the history of wine and the history of Spain. Toledo is a beautiful historical town and I highly recommend a visit. He took us to a lovely small winery where the owner toured and told us about the winery's history. It was a great day!

The best guided experience to discover wineries and wine regions in Spain. A true professional,…read morefocused on every little detail to make the experience unforgettable. We explored the regions of La Rioja and Ribera del Duero, including the beautiful towns of Logroño, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Burgos. And the best part -- drinking lots of wine with a driver!

Carlos was awesome !!! We really got lucky we found him and…read moreim writing this review hoping more people will do so as well. Everything was amazing, Starting with the segway trip around town which was lots of fun and took us to all the nice places worth seeing. After finishing our obligation seeing all the "must see" places in Madrid with the segway, Which saved us a lot of time and Carlos was super knowledgeable and loves his city, We were off for a tour at local restaurants and bars. Obviously Carlos took us to all the local trendy places where true Spaniards are going, I will not mention names and leave it for you to find out. We finally went our separate ways after Seeing and tasting all the good places, Leaving with all the good tips we needed to continue our journey. I truelly recommend everybody to try this tour company, there are many options to all ages. Also i recommend trying to catch a soccer game if there is one while you are staying in Madrid.

From the owner: Madrid Plus Tours es una empresa de gente enamorada de la ciudad de Madrid, que disfruta como nadie…read moreenseñando los secretos, curiosidades y anécdotas de una de las mejores ciudades del mundo

Great. Wonderful. FUN! I don't know where to start for this review. Madrid Tapas Trail was a last…read moreminute addition to our Madrid trip, as our initial tapas tour guide "wasn't sure there would be enough people to do a tour." I suppose it fell into the 48 hour "cancellation" . Frantic, we scurried to find a new tour, as a tapas tour was a highlight of our stay in Madrid. Not the best way to begin our Spain adventure. However, Emily responded within HOURS of my request for a tour during our stay. We made arrangements for a tour in two evenings. Emily took us to tapas locations off the beaten path and also great social, traditional locations. Emily chose locations that would serve pescetarian dishes, accommodating my dietary needs. We sampled amazing wine, but also fabulous beer and sangria. She was great to talk to and easy going, making the night light, enjoyable, and memorable. Emily went above and beyond the call of "tour guide". She emailed us great restaurant recommendations, directions, even a reminder about the Madrid marathon and possible road closures before and during our stay! Unbelievable! (And quite useful!) The irony- the other travelers scheduled on the tour that night had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances. Emily still ran the tour for the two of us. Professional indeed! Madrid Tapas Trail is a must do in Madrid!

We spent our honeymoon in Spain in Sept 2012 and at the last minute, decided to take a tapas tour…read morein Madrid. I emailed the tour and Emily (our tour guide) got back to us right away and was very accommodating. Initially we wanted to take the tour on a Sun but they didn't have availabilty so she added us to the Fri tour. Emily and Juan (co-tour guide) were very knowledgable about the various types of tapas, wine and cerveza that we enjoyed. They took us to multiple tapas bars and knew exactly what to order. Each bar had a special dish and we tried them all. Our first stop was a place that specializes in ham and fried egg "nachos"....need I say more? Absolutely delicious! We had a great tour group and interacted very well with each other and our tour guides. We still keep in touch with Emily and Juan to this day. Buena suerte amigos!