What You Will Do
Our 3-hour cycle ride covers several of the city’s major landmarks, including the Plaza Mayor and the Almudena Cathedral opposite the Royal Palace, as well as some charming neighborhoods like La Latina and Barrio de Las Letras. Cycling across the historic city centre you get a glimpse of some off-the-beaten-track curiosities. With an in-depth commentary from your guide you’ll come away with a wealth of information about this wonderful city. Families with young children may be better advised to take our Parks and River Tour where there is minimal traffic. Alternatively, book a Private Tour.
Includes:
- Rental of Bike with handlebar bag, or E-bike, helmet (optional)
- English-speaking guide
- Water bottles and ponchos available for sale
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Itinerary
Meeting Point
We are located at Calle Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, 19 across from a school called Colegio Público Portugal. We're between Calle Luisa Fernanda and Calle Ventura Rodríguez with the closest Metro stations being Ventura Rodríguez (Line 3/Yellow) or Plaza de España (Line 3, Line 10/Dark Blue).
1
Bravo Bike
5 minutes
Bravo Bike has been providing bicycle tours in Madrid since 1999. As one of the most experienced bike companies in the city, we pride ourselves in our selection of Madrid City Tours, as well as guided cycling excursions to the surrounding regions including the historic cities of Segovia and La Granja, El Escorial and Ávila, Toledo, Aranjuez and Chinchón.
Our tours are highly suitable as corporate incentive events as well as excursions for multinational companies, schools and universities.
For all of our tours we've chosen the best hotels and the most attractive and interesting sites, cities and monuments to visit, paying attention to the individual needs and desires of our clients. Our tour guides, as well as our whole team, will spare no effort in ensuring that your only goal is to fully enjoy yourself.
2
Royal Palace of Madrid
5 minutes
The Royal Palace stands on the site of the former Alcázar of Madrid, a medieval fortress transformed into a lavish palace by Juan II, Carlos V and Felipe II who in 1561 made it the official residence of the Spanish Monarchy. The Alcázar was destroyed in a fire on Christmas Eve 1734.
Felipe V then decided to raise a new Royal Palace on this site, employing the best architect in Europe at the time, Filippo Juvarra. When Juvarra died in 1736, his pupil Giambattista Sacchetti made various changes to his grandiose project. The entire building is made of a series of domes built without a single piece of wood and it has multiple floors to accommodate all the administrative offices, Crown officials and servants.
- Patrimonio Nacional, Gobierno de España
3
La Latina
5 minutes
The narrow and winding streets of this irregularly laid-out area, mostly dating back to the Middle Ages, usually lead onto a square. Most of them lay outside the Medieval walled village and provided accommodation to a great many merchants who sold their goods at the market. This commercial tradition still echoes in several street and square names, such as Plaza de la Cebada (Barley Square), where the farmers’ market used to be held, Plaza de los Carros (Carriage Square), Plaza de la Paja (Straw Square), or even El Rastro (owing its name to the blood trail of the old slaughterhouse), the city’s best-known flea market.
- Official Tourism Website, Madrid
4
Barrio de Las Letras
5 minutes
In the seventeenth century, the Golden Age of Spanish Literature, Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Quevedo, Tirso de Molina and Góngora, among other authors, had their homes here – hence the name. Some of the streets in this neighbourhood pay tribute to this and other brilliant chapters of Spanish history, culture and art.
- Official Tourism Website, Madrid
5
Paseo del Prado
5 minutes
Paseo del Arte (Art Walk in English) is also known as the Golden Triangle of Art. Along a 2 kilometre stretch, three of the world’s finest art collections are to be found. This includes the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Collection, and the Reina Sofía Museum.
Paseo del Arte runs along the wide, tree-lined boulevard of Paseo del Prado and some of the streets that come out onto it. Together with Paseo de Recoletos and Paseo de la Castellana, Paseo del Prado forms a long line that flows north to south through the city.
Once an open green space close to the San Jerónimo el Real monastery – ‘prado’ means ‘meadow’ in Spanish –, the area of the long avenue that we can see today witnessed the construction of the Buen Retiro Palace, commissioned by King Philip IV.
- Official Tourism Website, Madrid
6
Parque del Retiro
30 minutes
The Retiro park is one of the most beautiful sites in central Madrid, a former royal garden built in the 17th century. We bicycle along the French parterre towards the Estanque, lake and further to the Crystal palace an elegant glass and iron construction where they first exposed exotic plants and flowers from the Philippines. An optional break at the lake for a refreshment makes it a memorable experience. Later we exit the Retiro park through the main entrance at Alcalá gate another important symbol of the Spanish capital.
7
Plaza Colon
10 minutes
Most of Madrid most fashionable shops are located on calle Serrano in the Salamanca district. One of the best food markets is the mercado de la Paz. Another interesting spot is the food market and tapas place of Platea on calle Goya 5-7 opposite Plaza de Colón.
8
C. de Manuela Malasaña, 20
5 minutes
This neighborhood owes its name to Manuela Malasaña, one of the heroines and victims of the historical events that took place in Madrid on 2 May 1808. Plaza del Dos de Mayo, at the heart of the neighbourhood, commemorates the rebellion against Napoleon’s occupation led by captains Luis Daoíz and Pedro Velarde, officers at the headquarters of the Monteleón Artillery Regiment.
In the festive 1980s, Malasaña witnessed the birth of the movida madrileña, an underground movement that revolutionised the arts, culture and Spanish society at large.
- Official Tourism Website, Madrid
9
Plaza de Chueca
10 minutes
Chueca became one of the liveliest districts after the Franco dictatorship with many boutiques and bars. San Antonio international food market attracts many visitors. From Chueca square, you will find Augusto Figuorea street with many, shoe shops, cafés and traditional taverns.
10
Templo de Debod
10 minutes
An ancient temple, a donation by the Egyptian government and reassembled at the beginning of the 70's in the Parque del Oeste park with excellent views towards the Casa de Campo parklands and the Sierra Guadarrama mountain range in the distance, one of the best sites for watching spectacular sunsets.
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