Spain
WALKING TOUR OPTION 1
Old Town Madrid
It was not until 1561 that Madrid became the center of power and politics of Spain that it is nowadays. With the arrival of the courts, the small village that Madrid was during the Middle Ages will become the residence of the Royal family and a constantly growing city that, by the end of the XX century, has become one the most populated urban areas of the entire Europe.
Within the streets of the area known as Madrid de los Austrias, nowadays it is possible to find the influence of those days in which the fate of the city changed forever.
This route covers: Plaza Mayor, Botín (oldest restaurant in the world), the caves of Luis Candelas, Mercado de San Miguel, Plaza de la Villa, Cathedral of Almudena, Royal Palace, Plaza de Orienta and the Opera House.
WALKING TOUR OPTION 2
East side Madrid
The growth of the spanish capital after the XVI century will expand the limits of the city towards the East creating new neighborhoods which nowadays are the essence of Madrid’s downtown. From Puerta del Sol to Parque del Retiro, it is possible to find unique places like Barrio de las Letras (the area where the most distinguished writers of the Golden Age lived), the Prado Promenade (the distinguished boulevard that was the place of leisure of the madrilenian aristocracy back in the XVIII century), the triangle of Art (that includes the Prado Museum, The Reina Sofía Museum and the Thyssen Museum) and, finally, Parque del Retiro.
This route covers: Plaza de la provincia, Puerta del Sol, Plaza de Santa Ana, Miguel de Cervantes’ House, Felix Lope de Vega’s House, Spanish Parliament, Paseo del Prado, Museo del Prado outsides, Cibeles fountain, Madrid’s city hall, Alcalá gate, Parque del Retiro.
WALKING TOUR OPTION 3
Spanish Inquisition
For more than three centuries, the Inquisition was the terror of all inhabitants of Spain: an office inside the church in charge of keeping the orthodoxy of the kingdom with unorthodox methods. Imprisonment, torture, public humiliation and death by bonfire became common in between the fanatics in charge of the Holy office. The traces of the darkest past of Madrid are still visible in the streets of the city and they tell a story of religious persecution that lasted until the first decades of the XIX century.
This route covers: Plaza de Santiago, Plaza de Isabel II, Convent of Encarnación, Spanish Inquisition headquarters, Convent of Reales descalzas, Plaza Mayor.
WALKING TOUR OPTION 4
Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter
Born as a Roman settlement, the old Barcino grew from what is nowadays the Gothic Quarter to become the colorful Barcelona of the present time.
From the Ramblas until the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia it is possible to find the inheritance of the Roman and the Visigothic period, as well as some of the most interesting highlights of the vibrant Catalan capital.
This route covers: Columbus monument, Ramblas boulevard, La boquería market, Canaletas fountain, ancient Roman cemetery, Plaza de Sant Jaume, Plaza del Rei and Cathedral de Santa Eulalia.