Madrid Walking Tour: Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor and the Almudena in One Loop

The route, stop by stop

A loop through the old royal quarter, starting and finishing at Plaza de Oriente beside the Royal Palace. We didn’t measure the distance on this one. The film runs 2 hours 16 minutes at an easy pace, with stops inside two markets, a church, the crypt and the cathedral. It opens with a short preview, and the walk begins at 1:40. Tap a time to jump to that moment.

Plaza de OrienteThe formal gardens between the Royal Palace and the Teatro Real, laid out in the 1840s, with stone kings standing along the paths. We parked underneath and started here.
▶ 1:40
The Philip IV monumentA bronze king on a rearing horse in the middle of the square, cast in the 1600s by Pietro Tacca from a design by Velázquez. Galileo advised on how to keep it balanced.
▶ 4:27
Plaza MayorBuilt between 1580 and 1619, a closed rectangle of red fronts with 237 balconies and Philip III on horseback in the middle. We came in under the arches.
▶ 14:20
Mercado de San MiguelAn iron-and-glass market from 1916, restored and reopened in 2009. Today it’s mostly tapas counters, and we walked it end to end.
▶ 21:40
Cava de San MiguelThe lane that curves down below Plaza Mayor, with old taverns built into the square’s retaining walls.
▶ 24:30
Sobrino de Botín, Calle de CuchillerosGuinness World Records lists Botín as the oldest restaurant in the world. The street is named after the knife makers who worked here, and tour groups gather outside the restaurant’s wooden front.
▶ 28:30
Plaza de Puerta CerradaNamed after a gate in the old city walls. Several of Madrid’s oldest streets meet here around a stone cross, with Cava Baja leading off to the south.
▶ 29:10
Mercado de la CebadaOne of Madrid’s biggest neighborhood food markets, on Plaza de la Cebada in La Latina. Many of the stalls were shut when we walked through in August.
▶ 41:10
Plaza de San Andrés and Plaza de la PajaTwo connected squares at the top of La Latina, with the Museo de San Isidro on one side and medieval lanes running off in every direction.
▶ 1:04:40
Jardín del Príncipe de AnglonaA small walled garden off Plaza de la Paja, one of the few noble gardens from the 1700s still left in Madrid.
▶ 1:09:30
Basílica de San MiguelA Baroque church on Calle de San Justo with a curved stone front. We went in for the gold altar and the organ above the entrance.
▶ 1:16:50
Plaza de la VillaOne of the oldest corners of the city. The Torre de los Lujanes dates from the early 1400s, and the Casa de la Villa across the square was Madrid’s city hall into the early 2000s.
▶ 1:21:10
Calle MayorThe old main street, running from Puerta del Sol down to the Cuesta de la Vega. Souvenir shops and tour groups for most of the way.
▶ 1:23:30
The Arab WallWhat’s left of the wall Emir Muhammad I built in the 800s, probably the oldest structure still standing in Madrid. A garden runs alongside it, below the cathedral.
▶ 1:34:30
Almudena CryptA forest of stone columns under the cathedral, lit in warm gold, with its own entrance on the street below. Entry is a €1 donation.
▶ 1:35:50
Almudena CathedralBegun in 1883 and finished more than a century later; Pope John Paul II consecrated it in 1993. We went inside.
▶ 1:42:30
Plaza de la Armería and the Royal PalaceThe open square between the cathedral and the palace’s south front, finished in 1892. With more than 3,400 rooms, the palace is the largest royal palace in Europe. From the railings on the far side the view runs west over the treetops.
▶ 1:50:40
Plaza de Isabel IIAlso called Plaza de Ópera, with the Teatro Real on its west side. From here it’s a few steps back to the gardens.
▶ 2:05:00
Back to Plaza de OrienteThe walk ends where it began, in the shade of the trees between the stone kings, with the palace’s east front ahead. The film ends at 2:16:35.
▶ 2:09:00

Open this route in Google MapsWalking directions from Plaza de Oriente through the main landmarks. Our film takes a few extra turns.

The royal quarter in one loop

We started in the gardens of Plaza de Oriente, with the Royal Palace at one end and the Teatro Real at the other. Philip IV rides a rearing bronze horse in the middle, and the statues of old kings stand along the paths. ▶ watch at 4:27

The Royal Palace of Madrid at the end of a garden path in Plaza de Oriente, with the bronze equestrian statue of Philip IV in front of it and clipped hedges on both sides Plaza de Oriente, looking toward the palace.

From there the streets run downhill to Plaza Mayor. You come in under the arches and the square opens up all at once: red fronts on every side, rows of balconies, the painted Casa de la Panadería, and Philip III on his horse in the middle. ▶ watch at 18:34

Plaza Mayor in Madrid on a sunny morning, with red arcaded buildings, the painted Casa de la Panadería with its two spires, and the bronze statue of Philip III in the center Plaza Mayor, mid-morning.

The Mercado de San Miguel is just around the corner, an old iron market that is now mostly tapas counters. We walked it end to end, then followed the Cava de San Miguel down past the taverns built into the square’s walls, past Botín on Calle de Cuchilleros, and out into Plaza de Puerta Cerrada. ▶ watch at 22:43

The long hall of the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid, with glass food counters on both sides and an iron roof lit warm orange overhead Inside the Mercado de San Miguel.

The middle of the walk is La Latina, the oldest part of Madrid: the Mercado de la Cebada, then quieter residential streets, then the little squares at the top of the hill. ▶ watch at 1:05:10

Plaza de San Andrés in La Latina, Madrid, with the brick and stone Museo de San Isidro behind a terrace of café umbrellas and tall dark trees on the left Plaza de San Andrés, with the Museo de San Isidro.

Plaza de la Villa is where old Madrid feels oldest: the Torre de los Lujanes from the 1400s and the old city hall facing each other across a small garden. ▶ watch at 1:21:10

Plaza de la Villa in Madrid on a sunny day, with the brick Torre de los Lujanes, the slate spire of the Casa de la Villa, and a tour group gathered in the square Plaza de la Villa. Our own photo from the same morning.

Calle Mayor brought us down to the remains of the Arab Wall and the door of the Almudena Crypt. Inside it was quiet, with rows of stone columns and soft gold light. ▶ watch at 1:37:27

The crypt of the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, with rows of thick stone columns, wooden pews and a gold-lit altar at the end of the nave The Almudena Crypt.

Then up to the cathedral and out onto Plaza de la Armería, the wide, bright square between the cathedral and the palace. ▶ watch at 1:51:27

The Royal Palace of Madrid seen across the open Plaza de la Armería, with visitors crossing the pale stone square under a clear blue sky Plaza de la Armería and the Royal Palace.

What the camera doesn’t tell you

This wasn’t our first time in Madrid, but it was the busiest we’d seen it. Wherever we went, it felt like most of the people around us were seeing the city for the first time: maps out, phones up, tour groups all around Plaza Mayor. Madrid still looked as colorful as we remembered, the red of Plaza Mayor, the gold of the crypt, the blue sky over the palace.

The north front of the Royal Palace of Madrid behind the formal pool, hedges and tall dark trees of the Sabatini Gardens The Royal Palace from the Sabatini Gardens, just past the end of the loop. Our own photo.

We ate patatas bravas, our favorite thing in Madrid, and finished with churros con chocolate. If you only try one thing here, make it the bravas.

How to walk royal Madrid

Park under Plaza de Oriente.If you’re driving, the public car park under the square sits right at the start and the end of the loop. We paid $13.24 for the morning.
Start early in summer.We filmed in early August under a clear sky, and by late morning Plaza de la Armería had almost no shade. The markets, the church, the crypt and the cathedral break up the heat.
Go to the palace when it’s free.The Royal Palace is free Monday to Thursday in the last two hours before closing, 5 to 7 pm from April to September and 4 to 6 pm from October to March. The royal kitchen and pharmacy stay closed during those hours.
Use the crypt’s own door.The crypt has a separate entrance on the street below the cathedral, open every day, and entry is a €1 donation.
Don’t count on every stall in August.Many stalls in the Mercado de la Cebada were shut when we walked through. The Mercado de San Miguel was open and full.
Eat patatas bravas.Our favorite thing to eat in Madrid. Finish with churros con chocolate; Chocolatería San Ginés, a short walk from Plaza Mayor, has served them since 1894.

What it costs

This walk: the squares, the streets and the markets	Free
Parking under Plaza de Oriente	$13.24
Almudena Crypt	€1 donation
Almudena Cathedral museum and dome, if you go up	€8 (€5 reduced)
Royal Palace, if you go in	€18 (€9 reduced)
Our hotel room in Valdebebas, three nights	$79.92 a night

Ticket prices are from Patrimonio Nacional and esMadrid, the city’s official tourism site, checked October 2026, and can change. Dollar amounts are what our card was charged.

Where to stay for this walk

We stayed three nights in a hotel room in Valdebebas, next to the airport in the Hortaleza district: $79.92 a night all in. We had a rental car, so we drove in and parked under Plaza de Oriente. Without a car, stay closer in. Good bases:

How we did itValdebebas (Hortaleza)Next to the airport. Good value, and easy if you have a car or an early flight.

Closest to the routePalacio, around ÓperaThe district around the Royal Palace and Plaza de Oriente. You walk out of the door onto the route.

For evenings outLa LatinaOld streets and tapas bars around Cava Baja, right inside the loop.

Worth paying to go inside

The Royal PalaceThe state rooms of the largest royal palace in Europe. €18, €9 reduced. Free Monday to Thursday in the last two hours before closing.Official site ↗
Almudena Cathedral museum and domeThe museum, sacristy, chapter house and the dome. €8, €5 reduced. Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 2:30 pm, closed Sundays.Official site ↗
Almudena CryptRows of columns and chapels under the cathedral. A €1 donation. Open every day, 10 am to 2 pm and 4:30 to 8 pm.Official site ↗

Questions people ask

How long does this Madrid walk take?

The film runs 2 hours 16 minutes, start to finish, at an easy pace with stops inside the markets, the Basílica de San Miguel, the crypt and the cathedral. If you skip the insides, it goes much faster.

Is the Almudena Crypt free?

Almost. Entry is a €1 donation, and it’s open every day from 10 am to 2 pm and 4:30 to 8 pm.

How much does the Royal Palace cost?

€18, or €9 reduced for ages 5 to 16, over 65s and students up to 25. It’s free Monday to Thursday in the last two hours before closing. We didn’t go in on this walk.

Where can you park near the Royal Palace?

We used the public car park under Plaza de Oriente, which is right at the start of this loop, and paid $13.24 for the morning.

Is Madrid busy in August?

It was busier than we remembered from earlier visits, and it felt like most people around us were seeing Madrid for the first time. Plaza Mayor and Calle Mayor were the busiest stretches.

Where can you get churros near Plaza Mayor?

Chocolatería San Ginés, in the Pasadizo de San Ginés just off Calle del Arenal, has served chocolate con churros since 1894. It’s a short walk from Plaza Mayor.

Facts and prices checked October 2026. Opening hours and ticket prices change, so check official sites before you go.