Many world travelers mention Spain as a gastronomical experience second to none. A Madrid tapas tour is the perfect way to travel in Spain while seated in a tapas bar with your guide. You’ll experience dishes from many of the country’s autonomous regions in one evening. Alongside a love for food is a passion for football. Expect to hear fans occasionally erupting from deeper in the bar.
You can fit historical sights, leisure, lunch, and a tapas tour into a 24-hour visit to the capital city of Spain. Consider staying in a minimalist room at this trendy hotel to be near the action.
We list various options perfect for backpackers looking to join a group or a couple hoping for a more private tour.
Highlights:
- Variety of locations and experiences offered
- A truly immersive tour
- Private bilingual guide available on some tours
Know before you book:
- Being timeous is important, arrive before the tour meeting time
- Tapas bars can be crowded during the evening
- People under 18 years cannot drink, but may accompany parents
On your first visit, you’ll quickly fall in love with the city’s museums, quaint bars, and statues which can give the city of Paris a run for its money. While Madrid is a very walkable city, you may decide to stay close to Plaza de Santa Ana, the starting point of three of the tapas tours in Madrid.
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Madrid Tapas Tour Prices
The cost of the tours starts at €37 ($43 USD) and goes up to €78 ($92 USD) depending on the offer, duration, and nature of the tour. Most tours offer a reduced rate when booking a group of more than five people.
While some tours offer a drink and tapas at each bar, you should be prepared to pay for additional items and gratuity for the staff and guide as you feel it is suitable.
Times
All of the Madrid tapas tours work around the timing of the local bars. Typically, these family-run and well-known spots serve tapas from midday until late into the night. The last tour starts at 8 pm during the week. Not all tours operate on a Sunday.
Monday – Sunday: 12pm – 8pm
Best Time to Go
Tapas tours in Madrid are worth doing all year round and on every visit. It’s a great way to warm up to any new neighborhood or city you may visit during your Spanish vacation. Visit during the summer in July for average temperatures around 26°C with the lowest relative humidity levels.
Top Madrid Tapas to Devour on Tours
A firm favorite is pincho de tortilla, a tortilla omelet from Basque Country easily found at bars in central Madrid and across Spain. However, if you are visiting Spain for a short time, make sure you try patatas bravas (potatoes), gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), and pulpo e faira (Galician-style octopus).
5 Madrid Tapas Tour Options
All of the great Madrid Tapas Tours we have recommended below take place in central Madrid near the LGBTQ-friendly Justicia area. You’ll feel the friendly energy in the air while wandering from world-class museums in the afternoon to the tapas bar in the evening. All of the tours take place on foot, with the starting points easily reached from the subway station.
Madrid Tapas Night Walking Tour
This walking tour takes place at night and shares a unique experience of the average Madrileno’s evening ritual. Head along a route of four hard-to-find tapas bars with your guide.
This is a small group tour and is ideal for anyone who wants to place an order at a Spanish bar. You’ll also enjoy the guide’s insightful commentary on Madrid’s history and traditions. Feast on snacks, including a blue cheese known as cabrales, meats, bread, and salad before chocolate churros for dessert.
- Welcome drink and tapas
- 4 hours
- Group no larger than 10
- Additional food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Not wheelchair accessible
Tapas and Wine Tasting Food Tour Madrid
Treat yourself and a partner to this group tour led by an expert local guide. You’ll receive Spanish wines to complement the Iberian ham, salted cod, chickpea stew, and other tapas dishes. As an evening walking tour, you’ll need to be in good physical condition to take part.
This is the ideal bar tour to find your feet in the city. It starts at a central and scenic plaza and ends at the famous Plaza Mayor, all while fitting four tapas bars in between. The group size is limited to a maximum of 13 persons.
- A drink at each of the tapas bars
- Taste 12 tapas
- Bi-lingual guide
- Not wheelchair friendly
- Minimum age for wine tasting is 18
- Transfer back to starting point
The 10 Tastings of Madrid with Locals
Set off on this 3-hour private tour to taste Spanish specialties like ‘croqueta’. Meet your guide in the atmospheric Chueca neighborhood before browsing the Mercado San Anton market. You’ll enjoy ten delicious dishes while visiting both hip and traditional bars.
Quick tip – To savor the evening, try food and drinks you would not usually order.
- Private guide
- 3-Hour tour
- Includes a drink at each stop
- Hotel pickup
- Not wheelchair friendly
- Gratuities
Wine and Tapas in Madrid Food Tours
Join a guide and group to tour some of the oldest bars in Madrid in search of tapas and Spanish culture. The knowledgeable guide can assist you in ordering from the bar and happily shares more than a dozen food tastings with you along the way.
This tour is suitable for couples who are happy to join a group for an unforgettable experience in Madrid.
- 2.5-Hour tour
- 12 food tastings
- Bilingual guide
- Not suited for children younger than 12
- Gratuities
- Not wheelchair friendly
2.5-Hour Tapas Tour through Madrid
Discover the Spanish cuisine and the basics of ordering from a Tapas bar during this excursion in Madrid. As a private tour, your guide can share the historical background of tapas and interesting anecdotes in an intimate setting.
Visit quaint bars to experience food and drinks while enjoying more freedom than a group tour.
- Entertaining guide
- 2.5-Hour Tour
- Lower price for more than 6 people
- Meals and drinks
- Transfer to hotel
- Gratuities
LEV –
We were extremely disappointed with this tour simply because it did not deliver what it advertised: three hours and ten tapas. Although Drica was great, she shortened the tour by an hour. Additionally, we did not have ten tapas. For the money, I would not recommend it. To the company's credit, they did refund us a third of the money back. However, we wasted our money on this tour overall.
Graham_M –
A very tasty and interesting tour. At first the various tastings seem small but there is plenty to eat. There is so much good food in Madrid and this is a great way to sample it. Our guide gave us lots of local info which was fascinating. I recommend this tour.
Linda_K –
This was a fun way to see Madrid. Our tour guide, Marri, was great. I recommend this trip for a new comer who wants to see the local scene.