• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Welcome to Madrid! Want to know the best places to eat? Cool events in town? Which places to go to and which to avoid? Or simply get some help to navigate the city? Book this private tour with a local and get the perfect introduction to Madrid to start your city trip on the right foot.

Destination

Madrid, Spain

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

1.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Español, Nederlands, Português, Lietuvių, Deutsch, Italiano

Included

• Private Guide
• Local Tips & Tricks
• City Orientation
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to attractions

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 11 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at In front of the statue of Isabel II (Metro Station Opera) - Madrid to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. City Highlights

   See The Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, and more landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots of the city so you can get the perfect introduction to what makes Madrid so special

4. Local Hot Spots

   Along the way, your host will point out hangout spots and hidden gems that only the locals know about and will help you get acquainted with the city in the most local way possible

5. Food Recommendations

   Receive tailored recommendations according to your taste and where to go and what to eat while visiting Madrid. Avoid tourist traps thanks to your local host!

6. City Orientation

   Learn how to navigate the city, and get the answers to your Madrid questions that will help you in the following days making your time in the city much easier

7. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Alecia🇺🇸 United States

(About local Majo)

17 February 2025

Majo (Maria Jose) was pure joy and a beautiful welcome to Madrid for our first time in the city! Her communications leading up to our meeting were timely, the meeting location was discovered with ease, and her promptness of arrival was appreciated. From the moment we met Majo, we felt like family, especially after being greeted with a warm and welcoming hug. The tour highlights were wonderful learning a lot about hot spots of the city. My husband and I soaked up the history of the Monarchy of Madrid, the gastronomy culture, and were pleasantly surprised that we were able to attend 7pm mass at The Cathedral immediately following our tour. The timing of the tour was providential to allow for mass. Majo is quite the hidden gem of Madrid and definitely worth joining on one of her many tour offerings. You will part as family. Moments in Madrid

Dana🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mateo )

28 December 2024

Mateo did an awesome job introducing us to Madrid. He was knowledgeable and easy to converse with. Engaged with all four of us. Kick Start Madrid

Chris🇺🇸 United States

(About local Ariadna)

20 December 2024

Strolling the streets of with Ari felt like meeting a friend for a few hours to learn about the city. The food was a bonus! I thoroughly enjoyed our tour and the way Ari answered my questions. She was funny, knowledgeable, intentional and just an all-around great tour guide. Thank you for making my time in Madrid so memorable!The time really flew by!

Béla

(About local Mateo )

20 November 2024

A very pleasant experience tailored to our requests. Mateo was knowledgeable and knew lots of interesting facts about this beautiful city, made our stay in Madrid even more enjoyable. Thank you!Morning kickstart tour.

Jutta

(About local Beatriz)

6 November 2024

Beatriz showed us around Madrid. She showed us the most important buildings, she gave us an insight of the history of the city and gave some tips for drinks and food. Exactly what we where looking for in a kickstarter tour. Thank you, Beatriz! Great tour

Jean🇺🇸 United States

(About local Ariadna)

2 November 2024

We did the Kick Start tour of Madrid the first day we arrived. Great way to get a lay of the land. 90 minutes was perfect. Our guide Ariadna was wonderful. Energetic with an exuberant love of the city she has grown up in. We went by the major sights in the city center. She shared a wonderful street that is frequented by locals, which we ended up loving for dinner, or just stopping in for wine and tapas. Booking through withlocals is easy, and there’s great communication. I highly recommend this tour this company and especially Ariadna!Fabulous way to start the trip

SHARON🇺🇸 United States

(About local Majo)

25 October 2024

Majo was very flexible in tailoring the tour to my needs. She helped me get comfortable in my new neighborhood, took me to local shops and to Retiro Park. She really went above & beyond to make sure that I got what I wanted out of the tour. And afterward, she followed up with links to places we had discussed. I plan to use her again to tour a museum Wonderful afternoon with Majo

Maritha🇸🇪 Sweden

(About local Drica)

20 October 2024

Saturday morning we had a wonderful tour i Madrid together with Drica as our local guide. Drica was very knowledgeable and helpful. She took us to places of interest.We also got a lot of advice of restaurants, galleries and other interesting places to visit. We can hardly recommend Drica if you go to Madrid. 👍Amazing tour in Madrid!

Ivan

(About local Ariadna)

18 October 2024

I made the best decision picking Ariadna as my tour guide. She is very knowledgeable and very well articulated. You will feel at the end of the tour that you learned about Spain history and culture. A+, 5 stars to her. Thank you Ari, well done.Best Decision I made

Neil🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Julio César)

14 October 2024

Julio took us around for a short introductory tour of Madrid. We could’ve spent much longer with him as he was fun to be around and full of little tips and quirks of Madrid. Our teens had fun, and that’s saying something!! Thanks. Fantastic start to our trip.

valerio.valenti2

(About local Patricia )

12 October 2024

Patricia is simply amazing I strongly recommend her ! High Passion and great knowledge Thanks Patricia Great experience

bealefj🇺🇸 United States

(About local Dawinson)

9 October 2024

We arrive in Madrid on a Friday early morning and had Dawinson take us around to get initial looks at the city. It was a walking tour and I feel we covered a lot of territory in a short period of time. He was interesting and informative and offered suggestions for things to do and where to dine. Great tour guide and we highly recommend Great first impression of Madrid

Deborah🇺🇸 United States

(About local Julián )

7 October 2024

My husband and I highly recommend the Kick Start Tour of Madrid with Julián! Although Julián did not personally boast of being a historian, his passion and vast knowledge about the history of Madrid was evident. As we toured this city, he shared fascinating details to enhance our perspectives and experience. With each inquiry, he discussed aspects that only a studied historian would share. As we set out for the rest of our week in Madrid, we did so with the sense of familiarity and the necessary knowledge to better navigate the central area of this beautiful and historic city. We were truly sorry to see our time with Julián come to an end. Thank you, Julián and WithLocals for this unforgettable experience!Unforgetable!

Gabriele🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Majo)

4 October 2024

My sister and I had a great 1.5hr walk through part of Madrid with Majo. She showed us a few of the most important sights, neighborhoods, streets and squares. And she introduced us to a market, some history and current events. Very good communication before the meeting. Would definitely recommend. Great intro to Madrid

Ruth🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Julián )

20 September 2024

Totally recommend this tour of Madrid with Julian. His knowledge assisted us understanding the history. He guided us through many highlights together with spots we would never have seen. It was so enjoyable. Thank you Julian. Fantastic tour

Victor🇺🇸 United States

(About local Ariadna)

19 September 2024

Ariadna was amazing. Very knowledgeable and enjoyable to be around. Would definitely recommend. City Kickstart

Dana🇺🇸 United States

(About local Dawinson)

17 September 2024

I had such a good experience… Dawinson was prompt, informative and sweet! We hit all the major landmarks and even grabbed a bit to eat along the way. I was feeling a little intimidated by the city - I would have been very inefficient on my own. It was great getting a private tour from a local guide … and i would request Dawinson again in a heartbeat! I highly recommend:)Dawie is the best!

Jayson🇺🇸 United States

(About local Beatriz)

16 September 2024

I have done a couple With Locals tours now and in general, they will now be my go-to source for travel guides! Beatriz in particular was the perfect guide for what I wanted to experience. Her tour opened up many questions she answered and created a real conversation along the tour. I felt like I left the tour better informed and with a new friend in Madrid! Beatriz Gave Fascinating Insight to Madrid

Alex🇺🇸 United States

(About local Ariadna)

23 June 2024

My husband and I had a fantastic experience with Ari during our recent visit to Madrid. Throughout our time together, she was not only professional and informative - she’s a true expert on the city, its history and inhabitants - but also funny, warm and engaging as well! Taking a “kickstart” tour with her on the first day of our trip made us feel immediately comfortable and opened our eyes to so much the city has to offer that we’d almost certainly have missed! Ari also helped us map out the rest of our time in Madrid with invaluable recommendations for activities, restaurants and more - all tailored to our particular interests and preferences. She even listed out everything out for us in writing so we could refer back after our tour was over (for which we were especially grateful, since everything she had recommended ended up being incredible!). Thank you, Ari, for going above and beyond and making our visit to this magical city so special!!Incredible tour, amazing city!

David🇫🇷 France

(About local Mateo )

19 June 2024

Mateo was super-friendly, knowledgeable and interesting. A great way to get oriented in a city we didn't know. All round a great 90mins.Fabulous 90 minutes

Lisa🇺🇸 United States

(About local Beatriz)

11 June 2024

Our time spent with Beatriz was excellent. She is warm, knowledgeable and gives an excellent overview of the city! We highly recommend that you book with her, you will not be disappointed!Wonderful Introduction to Madrid

Ji🇺🇸 United States

(About local Dawinson)

10 June 2024

Dawinson was great from start to finish! Even before the tour date, Dawinson checked in with us to reconfirm and coordinate our meeting date, time, and location. The tour went by so fast! We went to the older parts of the city, the newer parts, some of the major landmarks, and everything in between. He provided information on history, local culture, tourist traps to avoid, and where to go for the best experience. He was so helpful in getting our visit started and would love to tour with him again in our next visit to Madrid.A great intro to Madrid

Geoffrey🇺🇸 United States

(About local Drica)

2 June 2024

We were in Madrid for less than 24 hours during a layover. We booked a tour with Drica and she was fantastic. Very knowledge and friendly. She also gave us some great recommendations for places to pop into for tapas and drinks without reservations. It was an all around great experience. Wonderful 90 minute overview tour!

Julia🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Julián )

26 May 2024

We had an excellent Madrid walking tour with Julián. He was punctual, friendly, spoke excellent English and was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the city. He also showed us little places off the tourist beaten track and made some great recommendations for places to eat. I would throughly recommend Julián to anyone looking for a guide to Madrid.Knowledgeable guide

Peachy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Majo)

16 May 2024

We had a great time with Majo. Everyone should have this kick start tour. Majo gave us a very good overview of Madrid and it’s history, it gave us a very good perspective keeping the knowledge that she gave us into account while we enjoyed the rest of our time in Madrid. We took the tapas tour with her as well and the Prado Museum. We tasted the best tapas while continuing to learn more about Madrid, the people, the customs etc. Majo had a real good knowledge of the PRADO museum. We hit the best paintings/ sculpture in the 3 hour timeframe. You can feel her passion for her work and her enthusiasm to share her knowledge. Would recommend Majo on any of her tours. Kick start Tour to take with Majo

Jill🇺🇸 United States

(About local Beatriz)

15 May 2024

We loved touring with Beatriz so much that we booked a second tour. She is so knowledgeable about Madrid and its history and she makes it easy to understand. We loved walking through all the interesting places and understanding what we were seeing, including places we would never have found on our ownMadrid and Its Rich History

Gail🇺🇸 United States

(About local Julián )

13 May 2024

Spending time with Julian was an excellent way to begin our Madrid vacation. Knowing very little about the city, Julian's wealth of knowledge and passion for the history of Madrid set the perfect tone for our explorations. Through his eyes, the old town of Madrid came alive. Julian showed us fascinating bits and pieces that would have eluded us otherwise. Icing on the cake was his excellent lunch recommendation where we ate the best potatoes bravas of our trip.Passionate Madrid Jumpstart

Sammy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Julián )

7 May 2024

Julian was an excellent guide for our City Kickstart Madrid tour. He gave us a wonderful history perspective with many of the city center highlights and information. His recommendations were spot on and very helpful. Thank you, Julian.Great tour guide

Regine🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Beatriz)

29 April 2024

Beatriz provided an exceptional experience during our kickoff tour in Madrid! Offering historical insights, personal engagement, and authenticity, this was truly valuable. The discussion and interaction gave us a vivid picture in a short time. We are all 4 very satisfied. Thank you very much indeed Beatriz!Best choice

Randal🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mateo )

25 April 2024

Matao was super nice and knows his way around Madrid. He had a depth of knowledge on the history of Madrid, current and cultural information! Would highly recommend him for getting to know Madrid!! Excellent overview

Greg🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mateo )

2 April 2024

Mateo is so pleasant and knowledgeable. The pace and level of depth was laid back, informative and fun. We would gladly book with Mateo again!Perfect tour for our family!

Mike🇺🇸 United States

(About local Dawinson)

17 March 2024

We had a fantastic tour with Dawinson. Time flew by as we saw many interesting areas in Madrid and he gave us many finer details. We can’t say enough about how awesome the experience was. Fun, Engaging, and Informative

Gabriella🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Mateo )

15 March 2024

We decided it would be fun to see Madrid through the eyes of a young person and this walking introduction was a great way to do it. We found Mateo to be a calm, engaging person who was very amenable to tailoring things to what we wanted to see. Just the right touch with historical facts, enough but not too much. Great mix - historical and local knowledge

Theodore🇺🇸 United States

(About local Dawinson)

14 March 2024

Dawinson was always responsive, gave information and suggestions freely, even on not guide-specific issues, e.g., dining. Finally, he is quite knowledgeable about Madrid and the important activities to do. We were totally happy with our experience!Best guide experience!

Michael🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mateo )

6 March 2024

Had a great Kickstart tour of Madrid loved it .Mateo is very knowledgeable Mateo rocks

Arnis🇺🇸 United States

(About local Dawinson)

10 January 2024

Dawinson was engaging and interesting. He showed us plenty of local spots ,including the oldest restaurant which we visited later, and his barber shop. He also left us on a street where locals go for tapas so we spent a good bit of time there.Seeing the local sites

Katie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Julián )

8 January 2024

Julian was a great guide. In our 90 minute walk around Madrid, we saw many key sights and learned a lot about the history of the city. Julian is very knowledgeable, and it's clear he loves his city. Our two teenage boys were very jet lagged, but he kept them engaged and entertained. I would definitely book with Julian again!Great Intro to Madrid

Mike🇺🇸 United States

(About local Patricia )

29 December 2023

Patricia was great to spend time with and learn from. She knew a lot about the history of Madrid, the architecture, the people, and spots that weren’t as “touristy” as some of the other popular areas visitors might check out. We ended near the market which was a great place to eat after the tour. Informative and interesting

maura🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Julián )

19 December 2023

Thank you Julian for guiding us through Madrid yesterday; we covered so much ground and in a most relaxed way. Your local knowledge was encyclopaedic. You gave us a fabulous flavour of this most beautiful city. Enormous thanks to you! Wishing you a wonderful festive time. Maura and Flo. Julian was fabulous!

judi

(About local Mateo )

11 December 2023

Mateo was very pleasant and full of historical knowledge. He filled us in on all the interesting sections of the city. He shared historical antidotes and made us feel very welcome. Mateo is a good choice if you are looking for a hip, knowledgeable and kind guide. We highly recommend him.Great tour

Patrick🇺🇸 United States

(About local Ariadna)

2 December 2023

Ari was friendly and very relatable during our kickstart walking tour, providing many honest local tips of the city. I would recommend her to my friends who would visit Madrid in a heartbeat.Knowledgeable and friendly

Pallavi

(About local Julián )

23 November 2023

Julián is a great storyteller who knows his history! This was a fantastic, quick overview of the city and its history. We enjoyed our time with him and every food and drink recommendation he gave us was incredible!! I give him my highest recommendation!Wonderful, knowledgeable guide!

Vivienne🇺🇸 United States

(About local Majo)

19 November 2023

Majo gave us a perfect tour to start the trip. She was attentive and easy to talk to. She gave us great tips and kept us all engaged (even the teenagers). It was the perfect start with it being our first day. We were worried about jet lag but 1.5 hours was perfect. We would highly recommend and would use her again.Great way to kick start our holiday

Mary

(About local Majo)

6 November 2023

After booking our tour weeks prior to our trip and organizing our limited time accordingly, we were contacted two days before to see if we could change our time to earlier in the day. I explained we were arrivig in Madrid that morning and it wouldn't work. We were then offered a later time, which conflicted with other plans we had already scheduled. With much back and forth- I said if they needed to cancel that would be OK, but I would like a refund because it was their scheduling issue that necessitated the cancellation. We then received an email saying our tour was "on" with a new guide, at the original time. We were a bit frustrated because one of the things that attracted us to "Withlocals" was selecting your guide to fit your personal preferences. It also felt that they wanted "us" to "Cancel" because we were beyond the refund timing, but if they cancelled we would get our full refund. We were then set to meet at 1pm, but at the last minute, Majo pushed our time back because she was "at a doctors appointment that was taking longet than expected"..... we agreed to the change and adjusted to meet at 2pm. Then another message saying the trains weren't running and was stuck in Toledo an 1-1/2 hrs away but could re-schedule for the next day!!! OR cancel and refund. Not able to do the next day, we asked what time she could be in Madrid, and AGAIN, rescheduled for 5pm. Fortunately, we worked in a museum during the wait and FINALLY met Majo! Majo did a great job and is very knowledgeable about history, architecture and food (she even had to sidetrack us into a cafe for a sangria while the skies opened for a 20 minute windy downpour), yet it was hard to shake off the numerous changes and re-scheduling during a vacation with limited time in Madrid.Madrid tour.........finally! October 2023

Lisa🇸🇪 Sweden

(About local Marianissa)

2 October 2023

Marianissa greeted us with a smile, and that’s how the kickstart Madrid tour ended as well. 😀 A very informative and fun 1 1/2 hour walk through the city highlights with a professional guide makes all the difference to a city weekend. Highly recommended!Great experience

Shannon🇺🇸 United States

(About local Dawinson)

2 October 2023

Dawinson was the perfect host/guide for our first afternoon in Madrid. We had a short amount of time and he made sure we were oriented to the area and could plan out the rest of the trip. Perfect local recommendations for shopping food and wine, what more could you need !Perfect first afternoon in Madrid

keith🇺🇸 United States

(About local Majo)

2 October 2023

I had a great tour with Majo. She was very knowledgeable, provided a lot of historical information and showed me what I wanted to see. She also suggested other areas for me to visit on my own.Very infornative experience

rv22.13

(About local Julián )

30 September 2023

Fantastic introduction to the history of Spain and Madrid. We felt our subsequent walks around the city were so much richer for having spent 2 hours with Julian! He also left us with great recommendations for places to go/ where to eat. All in all, I would wholly recommend starting your trip with a tour with Julian. Highly recommended!

Brian🇭🇰 Hong Kong

(About local Ariadna)

27 August 2023

Was a great initial immersion into the city of Madrid. It was super hot there but my guide Ari was conscious to minimise the amount of time in the sun. Having a 1 on 1 tour was definitely worth it as I had tried a group tapas tour (10) the day before and the experience was totally different. Learnt a lot of things and a great way to start my trip in Madrid. Madrid city tour

Daniel🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Patricia )

29 July 2023

Thanks to Patricia, we had a very kind and nice introduction to the lovely city of Madrid. She did not only give us personal advices for the kind of vacation we were looking for, she also gave us information about that beautiful city and showed us locations we would have never discovered without her. We really enjoyed the time walking around the centre of Madrid and talking to her. I guess it was not only us, forgetting about time, because our trip lasted longer than we expected, we were walking around nearly 30 minutes longer than we „should“. Again, thank you very much!! :-)Really warming and personal experience