Off The Beaten Track In Madrid: Private City Tour

Great couple of hours with Beatriz. Walking dictionary of Spanish history. Love learning about the Islamic component of Spanish culture. She is a better teacher than we are students. Will try to finish all the homework she set - lots more little places to explore in Madrid before we head home.

Knowledgeable and friendly guide, we enjoyed our time !! The guide was personable and we learned a lot !!

Elena was fantastic and really connected with our group of 6 first time Madrid visitors. She really took at lot of time to get to know us and our preferences, and to design a tour to fit our entire group. We loved the art & architecture focus and really appreciated some special "insider" surprises she provided. We're so glad to have a new best friend in Madrid. Highly recommended!!

I gave this tour one star-Not because the tour guide was bad- but the experience of getting on the tour was not up to what we used to on tours booked through Viator. We walked to the meeting place with our friends who had booked the same tour. Nobody from the tour company showed up until almost 10 minutes past the starting time. When the tour guide, Martel(sp?) arrived,he apologized for being late. He only had our friends’ names and not ours. He explained that we had booked private tours, so we each would have our own tour guide. However, our tour guide was not there. After I messaged through Viator, I received a phone 15 minutes after the tour was supposed to start from the tour company, Withlocals, advising me that our tour guide had an emergency and was not going to show up. They offered a refund (which we took) or rescheduling for the next day. I can’t help, but wonder if we would’ve been notified at all of the cancelled tour if we hadn’t reached out first. This is the first tour we have taken where the local tour guide did not contact us before the tour started. That should’ve been a warning sign. The tour guide that had been assigned to our friends kindly offered to allow us to go with them, which we did. While off to a very bad start, the tour accomplished what we had wanted-A glimpse into Madrid from a local’s point of view. The guide was personable and knowledgeable. While we won’t hesitate to book through Viator again-I cannot recommend the local tour company, Withlocals because of their poor communication and service.

Excellent tour from a friendly and engaging guide. Clearly Beatriz is an expert on the history of Madrid, and is well acquainted with Spanish and European history. We toured many sites and viewpoints. I had already visited One or two, and she expertly modified our route in the moment. She offered some recommendations for eating. Highly recommended.

Our guide Maria was fantastic. She was so personable and knowledgeable. We toured some very interesting neighborhoods and it was evident that she loves her job and sharing her city with others. Ty Maria!

There are tour guides and there is Bego! She is intelligent, interesting and friendly. She took the time to really cater the tour for us and we are so grateful. Off the beaten path is an essential part of seeing and understanding the city. Highly recommend!

Maria was an exceptional guide! Her knowledge of the areas, history, culture, and current life was interesting and helpful. I wanted to learn the area before exploring it further solo. Her willingness to share information and guidance was priceless. She even got me a map and we went for a sit down with coffee and talked through all of the different areas and what I could see and experience. 5 stars for Maria!

A perfect tour to learn just enough architectural history mixed with a real Emerson of the Madrid lifestyle.

Eva was great. She asked what types of things we wanted to see and asked about our other tours so as not to duplicate. We got to see neighborhoods and shops off the beaten path and away from the typical tourist spots.

Maria Augusta took us off the beaten path in a Madrid neighborhood. We really didn’t know what to expect but 2 1/5 hours flew by as she walked us through shops, museums and many quaint streets. Look up, look down - she pointed out things we would never have noticed. Her knowledge and stories were impressive. So glad we took the chance and did something very local and not typical!! Highly recommend Maria Augusta!

Julian was a friendly, entertaining, and knowledgeable guide, full of local tales, tips, and anecdotes, as well as personal stories. We would not hesitate to recommend him highly.

This is an excellent tour that takes you outside of the typical tourist area of the city. The guide was very knowledgable and entertaining.

Julio is a wonderful guide which I can recommend with all my heart. He took his time to get to know me (I booked a private tour) and to then cater the tour to my preferences. He knew so many little details and interesting stories at basically every corner that no regular tourist guide has time to provide. His English is impeccable but after hearing that I used to live in Madrid for a few months some 30 years ago he offered to do the tour in Spanish ( I booked English) which I gladly accepted, but he switched easily to English when I was a bit "lost". I had a really, really great evening that ended with a drink ( my request, my treat, not! included in the tour offer). Hasta la proxima, Julio 💛

Víctor is very knowledgeable and offered a great deal of wisdom of Madrid and all the sites he showed us throughout the city. He pointed out things and brought us to places we never would have noticed or seen on our own. He is passionate about history and ensuring we left his company with a greater understanding of the history of this area.

Very competent and friendly tour of the city center and its history, with plenty of space for individual interests. It was a very nice and interesting tour. Many thanks for that!

Mateo was a very friendly and informative guide. Very easy going. We got to see parts of the city you normally may not see. Interesting sites and shops along the walk, also.

Great way to experience any city with local people! You have a better understanding of the culture and the local vibe.

Patricia gives the history and experience of living in Madrid from a local perspective. We really liked the niche neighborhoods we visited and the insights that were a break from all of the ancient Spain history that you get on mos of the other tours. Great conclusion to our Madrid visit!!

Our guide Mateo was fantastic!! He took us to where locals eat and hangout. We also went to some really interesting art galleries and gave us a great history lesson about the city as we were walking. I would definitely recommend this tour if you want something different from the usual tourist destinations. He was so good we invited him to have lunch with us.

My friend and I were visiting Madrid and hoping to get a feel for the different neighborhoods. Maria could not have been better! She understand just what we wanted and had wonderful anecdotes about the culture and history of Madrid that enriched our experience. She guided us through colorful neighborhoods, always sensitive to our needs and timing. I will definitely contact her again the next time we are come to Madrid and happily recommend her to others!

This tour shows you how Madrid residents really live. We enjoyed it very much. Mateo was the perfect guide for this tour. He was very knowledgeable and introduced us to hidden gems in the neighborhoods. He was laid back and let us spend all the time we wanted in shops and plazas. He even found us all seats in a busy plaza for drinks afterwards. I highly recommend him and this tour.

Worst tour ever. Tour guide had no apparent plan and just made random comments about buildings and plazas, including some which were inappropriate. Seemed to lack knowledge of area, as well as basic tour guide skills. Quiet voice hard to hear. At times was walking 30 ft ahead of our group and didn't seem to notice. We arrived at meeting place on time, but had to caller her twice and wait 10-15 min. before she showed up.

I would absolutely do this again. Great tour guide with nuggets of information! Walked around beautiful neighborhoods, went in and out of shops and restaurants and ended at a great market.

My daughter and I met Acsmiling Maria and straight away we were discovering new things about chocolate and Architecture. We visited so many amazing places and met some very interesting people along the way. Maria was the perfect host with stories and lots of information. Normally I would say do all your tours at the start of a trip but this is so different you could even go on the final day of your trip. Highly recommended.

Elena was a great guide and host helping us get to know the neighborhood. She showed us amazing independently owned shops that we enjoyed exploring from leatherwork to jewelry to pastries. We learned about architecture and the buildings while also exploring a museum in the neighborhood and learning about the art. She gave us great tips for the rest of our trip in Madrid. Elena was friendly and helpful and was a joy as a guide.

I had a lovely time wandering around the hipster neighbourhoods of Chueca & Malasaña in Madrid with Lucas. It was great discovering some cool street art, exploring the San Anton market, and popping in at vintage stores. We ended the tour with a drink in a very local bar. I would definitely recommend this tour to get a feel of local Madrid, away from the usual touristy places. Lucas is a fun guide & I really enjoyed the tour.

My daughter and I had a tour in Chueka and Malansana neighborhood s in Madrid. We liked every minute of it. Marianissa has a lot of knowledge and tells interesting stories, and actually lights the place while walking in the streets. In particular, we liked the vintage stores (thats a lot of socks!!) and the short tapas break. I highly recommend taking the tour

Elena made us feel at home in Madrid. She showed us the places of the city we didn't know existed and introduced us to the cultural scene of the city, the scene you wouldn't encounter on standard tours. Totally recommend Elena to everyone and anyone who wants to feel like a local in Madrid.

My husband and I have been to Madrid a few times and it's our favourite destination. Dino made it even better by showing us parts of Madrid we hadn't seen before. He's a wonderful guide - friendly, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about his city. We highly recommend this off-the-beaten-path tour. Thank you Dino for a great experience!

Very entertaining and informative local host. An interesting mix of the flamenco culture, Spanish music and performing arts, and the personal aspects of our new-found friendship. Muchas gracias Elena!

Maria Jose was an enthusiastic guide👍😃nicely paced walking tour thru 2 suburbs we would not have necessarily found ourselves. She knew heaps of history, the demographics of the area, secluded courtyards , eclectic shops and mini galleries. Highly recommend this tour to all ages.

Just spent 3 hours with Elena doing an off the beaten path tour of Chueca. It was a fantastic way to discover many places that one would never discover on their own. Elena is very passionate and knowledgeable about the city and neighborhood. We visited several artesanal shops producing authentic local products. As a learner of Spanish, it was a great opportunity to practice and learn. Elena was very helpful and patient. A great way to experience a different aspect of the city. Highly recommend Elena as your guide if you are visiting Madrid.

Elena is hands down, the best you will find in Madrid. Don't second-guess yourself, just choose her and you will not be disappointed - I promise! She sets the bar high for other “With Locals” guides. We customized our tour with Elena to include both a sampling of the more common city highlights mixed in with her favorite local neighborhoods and hidden gems. Her passion for the city and her knowledge of the history for the area and sites enhanced the tour above and beyond our expectations. She provided all kinds of recommendations for shopping and restaurants, then set up a private museum tour with another guide for the following day. We stopped for tapas and drinks during which time she marked up a map in great detail to help us navigate the city for the remainder of our stay. It was hard to say goodbye to Elena at the end of the tour as we had such a wonderful time. It really felt like we were strolling around with a friend. This was absolutely the right decision and the best way to kick off our vacation in Spain. Thank you Elena!! We look forward to returning and seeing you soon!

Pablo did an awesome job showing us a few neighborhoods of Madrid that we probably would have never gotten to. He has excellent knowledge of the city and shares it all in an articulate and interesting way. He pointed out excellent restaurants and sites. We also tasted a great vermouth and tortilla! We had diverse ability levels in our group and Pablo accommodated it very very well. Would definitely recommend Pablo and this tour. It's a great way to get acquainted with the city!

Very nice and well-informed guy . We enjoyed the hours with Pablo and got to know a lot of a part of Madrid, which we would not have found on our own.

Two and a half hours with Dino gave us a great insight into the area in Madrid where we would not have seen. Th museum of romanticism, the local market, streets with history and stories and importantly his terrific way of telling the story. Highly rec0mmended

We had a great time with Elena. She accommodated is with her perfect English and showed us great parts of Madrid. She answered all our questions thoughtfully and we had interesting discussions about Madrid history, art and culture/politics. Would definitely tour with her again.

My one-on-one tour with Dino was incredible. We met up and started walking around all the main points of interest. Dino spoke very good English, and he explained the history and local culture very well. We walked around the beautiful city of Madrid, experiencing two neighborhoods known for their cultural influence. We went to a fresh, local market and tried some local cuisine and then ended the tour at a bar trying tapas and paella. A truly spectacular experience for a first-timer to Spain!

Dino knows his neighborhoods and likes to tell stories about them - and it is stories, not just facts. He likes to converse, listens and engage. We learned a lot about his parts of Madrid, its plazas and its tapas

We had a very nice trip. Lucas was entertaining and very knowledgeable. He was aware of our desire to go most possible in the shade - and the pace was fine. We would like to book a trip with Lucas another time

We booked the “Me Gusta Madrid” walking tour in the areas of Chueca and Malasaña with Elena and had a great tour! We learned a lot about the neighborhoods and it’s culture, visited places that we would never have found on our own; nice areas to discover, small shops, bakeries and galleries, as well as recommendations for shopping, cafes and restaurants. Elena was prepared and had a full envelope for us, of folders, businesscards of places we visited on the tour and a map of Madrid, where she had highlighted exciting areas, experiences and sights, which may not be mentioned in the tourist guides. Actually we visited several of the sites later during our stay. We highly recommend Elena! However, the process of booking could be better. We booked the tour just two days in advance and even though Elena was listed as available and we had received a booking confirmation, it turned out that Elena had another appointment at the same time, and we had to do the tour in the morning instead, which was not optimal with our other plans for the day. Planning can be a bit of a puzzle when you only have a few days in Madrid…:-)

Great fun city walk with Julian our Guide, who showed hidden places where the atmosphere of old Madrid is still alive!

The guide Elena was great. We loved being able to talk to merchants who created their own products.

Yesterday we spent a sensational day with Beatriz learning about contemporary history and the Spanish Civil War, it was epic. Beatrice is entertaining and as a historian and educator she used everything in her power to make yesterday a unique experience. Our 16-year-old son learned to have fun and ended up happy and passionate about everything we live. It is worth mentioning that Beatriz designed ad-hoc this tour for us, based on the characteristics of our family and the topics we mentioned were of interest to us. You cannot miss a day with Beatriz in Madrid.