Madrid Royal Palace & Retiro Park Tour with Optional Tapas

Posted By : LYDIA_B
They were 2 different visits in Spanish with 2 different guides.the complaint for both was that we were asked to be 15 mn before the start of the trip and the guides only turned up for the start;it was difficult to identify them without a sort of uniform (a top with the company name and a matching umbrella would do ) Now I’d like to comment on each one separately
The morning one of the Retiro became a “private tour” as only us 2 turned up. Benito our guide was able to demonstrate his knowledge,was very helpful in answering our questions and made this tour the best one we’ve ever made.
Unfortunately the Royal Palace visit booked for 3:30pm was disappointing due to the lack of organisation of the afternoon guide(not sure,Manuel or Manolo?)
We didn’t know why we had to wait or had to leave a room without having looked at it .the different groups of tourists were getting mixed up and we struggled to keep concentration while fighting for some space and preventing for being pushed.Maybe it is the fault of the Palace organisation to admit so many people at once.
We expect the standard of a paying guided visit to be as professional and organised as the freetours,if not more.
Sorry we won’t recommend Viator to others and we’ll look for some reduced groups.this review shouldn’t be published because you can’t judge 2 different tours as one.good luck if you are considering making some changes.,one is to expect to write 1 review for 2 different tours -this won’t help the readers at all but I hope Viator will get some ideas.

Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-04 18:40:28

Posted By : Anthony_M
Alex Tour Guy , he was very attentive,knowledgeable and explained every stop in detail. The best of the whole experience. Tapas was not good experience, very small place,crowed and didn't have a seat for me. Restaurant was empty but I can't sit there.I finished leaving the place without having the "tapas".
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-12-28 03:57:13

Posted By : Joe_B
The trip started at one of the entrances of Retiro park. Despite getting a bit lost on the way, Lydia kindly waited for me. A leisurely hour or so exploring Retiro park. Then an hours break before reconvening in front of the opera house outside the metro station. Larger group in the afternoon. Great tour of the palace. Be aware quite a few rooms you aren’t allowed to take photos. It’s a stunning palace and grounds. Lydia was a great guide and the trip was well organised. A well earned rest followed after lots of walking!
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-03-08 13:46:10

Posted By : Evie M
Ismael (Manolo) was a terrific tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and patient even considering our large group. He’s also very friendly and gave great details throughout the tour.

I wish we would have had a chance to photograph more of the rooms that were part of the tour. We went through so many rooms and were only permitted to take photos in the first three rooms.

I then toured the armory which you do on your own and it was spectacular. WOW. So interesting, but again no photos allowed. As a photographer, that was the purpose of visiting the palace. Highly disappointed in this aspect. It was affordable and we had a great tour guide. No complaints. The rest was out of their control. I recommend it.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-02-21 14:48:05

Posted By : dr_ruthSydney
We chose both the Retiro garden and the Royal Palace option. There were only four tourists in the garden but 24ish in the palace. It was a long day, but having a guide helped put the history into perspective. He was knowledgeable and humorous.

Excellent work, Alex.

A highlight was seeing the Stradivarius violins and musical instruments. Photos not allowed in those areas, only in the entrance halls and stairways.
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-11-11 19:45:28

Posted By : carriehkaruba
David was a great tour guide, knowledgeable and personable. We started in the park and then walked to Madrid Palace. I highly recommend taking this tour.
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-09-18 13:43:07

Posted By : Magee19
This was a great our. The Retiro Park tour was great, lots of good sites and excellent information about the park. The Royal Palace tour was also excellent. Our guide did a great job of explaining the history and making it come to life. Highly recommend both these tours.
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-06-09 08:54:16

Posted By : EDUARDO_R
This was amazing! I would certainly recommend this tour. All of it was fantastic but, my favorite part was the royal palace
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-02-06 21:25:29

Posted By : Nelson_P
The tour guide (Rocio) was exceptional. She was on time at the meeting points, she used a funny, approachable, and professional manner to expose the knowledge and guide us during the whole tour. I really loved being in this group. I explored and discovered new things and felt very well guided by Rocio. The experience in Madrid with her was excellent.
Rating :
Posted On : 2021-10-15 14:45:36

Posted By : N7850RAscottb
At the meeting point, there were approximately 20-30 people and 2 guides. They split us into two groups. I'm not sure why they didn't have an English-speaking group and a Spanish-speaking group, but each group was mixed. So each guide had to give instructions and information in English, then in Spanish. This made for longer and cumbersome waiting times throughout the tour. Our guide Ivan was articulate, friendly, and learned. The tour was fine, but we seemed to spend most of the time listening to instructions, getting through the entrance, and receiving our earpieces. The actual tour was rather quick. We did the optional tapas at a restaurant afterwards. By this time, we had experienced many different tapas and the ones at this restaurant were not good. We skipped the park tour as we were tired from the previous night.
Rating :
Posted On : 2019-12-31 17:55:19