Tour meeting place, Plaza Mayor

I know it goes against some blogger rules to use words like “hate”, “best”, “worst”, “hottest”, etc. because they are terms that are impossible to measure (seriously PR people, how do you KNOW that your hotel is the “hottest”?), but when I come across a service that happens to be free AND good, I like to call it the best. Which leads me to SANDEMANs NEW Europe walking tours.

Calle Cuchilleros, the start of the tour

Although I’ve been in Madrid for a bit over a month, I felt like between finding an apartment, starting a new job and trying to navigate the pressures of daily life in a new country, I had barely learned anything about Madrid. Every day I get to walk past and stare at beautiful buildings, fountains, gardens and statues, but I had no idea what they were or their place in history. I was ready to go against my anti-tourist ways and board one of those terrible double-decker buses when my dear and equally wanderlust-y friend, Siraad, mentioned that I should try SANDEMANs. I was a bit skeptical of a walking tour because they can be super tiring and expensive, but when she told me that it was free, I knew I had to give it a try.

The entrance to Restaurant Botin, est. 1725. It has never closed.

My group of hip, 20-something travelers assembled in Plaza Mayor for a free tour of what is referred to as “Habsburg Madrid”, meaning the oldest part of Madrid that was established during the House of Habsburg (mid-16th century). I don’t want to ruin the tour for all of you travelers that will come to Madrid to try it, but here’s a brief synopsis. After exiting Plaza Mayor, we made stops at Restaurante Botin, the Guinness World Record-certified oldest restaurant in the world, and the Plaza de Puerta Cerrada, or “Closed Gate” named after the city gate that once stood there to protect Madrid. At the plaza, there is a colorful mural of the motto of Madrid: ” Fui sobre agua edificada mis muros de fuego son”/ “I was on water built, my walls are fire”.

Motto of Madrid!

After an explanation of the motto from our guide, we sat down for a brief lesson of the history of Spain. Now…some may not have liked this part of the tour but I was literally OVERJOYED.  The day before, I had spent 8 euro on a book about the history of Spain and I clearly could have saved it because our guide explained everything we needed to know in ten minutes. I’m a giant history nerd so I was in heaven. We acted out the reigns of different kings and I played the role of Felipe IV who was apparently a terrible king but that’s neither here nor there.  It was fun!

The Royal Palace

We kept on our trek and checked out the typical sites like the Royal Palace, Teatro Real (the Royal Opera House), Catedral de Almudena, the Viaducto de Segovia bridge and much more.  I seriously couldn’t have asked for a better tour. Combining interesting and interactive history with the stunning beauty of Madrid FOR FREE was more than I could have hoped for. Our guide was friendly, and originally from Madrid (he had insider secrets), energetic, creative and adorable.  It is expected that guides are tipped at the end of the tour, so that’s your only cost. If you go, ask for Pablo. He definitely sings for his supper!

Catedral Almudena

Viaducto de Segovia bridge

Fountain of Felipe IV (terrible King, he didn’t deserve a fountain)

Plaza de la Villa

The free SANDEMANs Madrid tour occurs daily at 11am and 2pm, departing from Plaza Mayor. SANDEMANs also offers free walking tours in 17 additional cities across Europe, the US and the Middle East. This is a great, immersive activity to add to your itinerary when you’re planning your next trip!

SANDEMANs also offers a “Majestic Madrid” tour for 12 euro that covers “Bourbon Dynasty” Madrid, which essentially means modern Madrid under the current Bourbon royal family. I plan to try that one next. Join me!

Have you ever done a SANDEMANs tour? What did you think? Have you done an awesome walking tour in a different city? Let me know below, would love your suggestions!