madrid self guided tapas tour

Madrid Tapas Walking Tours

Self-guided | 4 free route maps.

Discover the best Madrid tapas bars and restaurants 

From cozy tapas bars tucked away from the hustle and bustle to lively bars serving impeccable Madrid tapas morsels, we’ve done the hard yards and sampled a lot of tapas bars throughout Madrid to bring you 4 Free self-guided tapas tour maps ! 

Of course, Madrid is a mecca for foodies , and tapas bars are found on virtually every corner, but finding the best ones takes some time! A plate of chips is NOT a tapas ! 

Why settle for a small bowl of olives as a tapas when you can sample the many delicious house specialties while sipping on a cool beer or wine? So, the good news!

We’ve created 4 free downloadable Madrid tapas tour maps for you to navigate your way to the best tapas bars and restaurants Madrid has to offer. There are also plenty of tips on what to order and plenty of significant landmarks along the way! 

October 2023 Update:   Tapapies  is an annual tapas festival in Lavapies. It runs this year from  19 to 29 October . It is extremely popular, fun, and crowded. If you’re after a buzz, this is for you. 

“The best way to know a city is to eat it.”  

– Scott Westerfield –

Central Madrid Tapas Walking tour maps

At these bars and restaurants, you’ll find everything from delicious seafood dishes like the famous pulpo a la gallega, to stunning tuna tartare recipes , and of course exceptionally high-quality classic tapas favorites like patatas bravas , tortillas, gambas al ajillo , boquerones, and homemade croquetas.

• Central Madrid Tapas Tour

• La Latina Tapas Tour

• Goya Tapas Tour

Lavapies & Delicias Tapas Tour

What are tapas.

OK, first things first, for those who have never experienced tapas , a ‘tapa’ is basically a small plate of tasty Spanish food that is often served with a drink. It is very common in Spanish food culture to enjoy a few tapas and wander the town or city as the sun sets. 

Free Tapas in Madrid

Perhaps one of the best things about tapas is that in many parts of Spain, tapas is free ! Yep, that’s right, in places like the Capital of Madrid and the Andalusia region , whenever you order a drink, you’ll be given a small morsel of tapas to enjoy. Cool right?! 

And don’t worry, all of the other regions of Spain also have their own unique tapas (or pintxos in the north) that you can choose from and usually only costs a few Euro at the most. But here in Madrid, tapas is an experience that’s enjoyed whenever you order a drink (and non-alcoholic drinks get tapas too in most places).

Where to go to find the best tapas in Madrid

Madrid is huge and last time we counted, there were around 15,000 tapas bars and restaurants spread all over this beautiful city.

When you’re visiting Madrid for a vacation , it’s hard to know where to go and more importantly, what to order . But don’t worry, we got you! 

We’ve made 4 self-guided tapas tour guides to help you explore like a local the very best of the Madrid tapas scene.

Unique Self-guided Tapas Walking Tours

Each tapas route takes somewhere between 4-6 hours to complete, and of course, there are plenty of opportunities to slow right down and make a whole day of it, taking in some of the most popular tourist sights and landmarks that Madrid has to offer along the way. 

So whether you’re looking for a tasty bite while taking in the sights within central Madrid , or maybe you want to explore beyond the touristic center and discover the beautiful barrios of Madrid, we’ve got a tapas tour route planned so you can make the most of it. 

All of the tours are available as a free Google map that you can easily save to your phone, send via email and FaceBook, and best of all, they’re totally free to use, forever!

Our 4 free self-guided tapas tours include: 

• Delicias Tapas Tour

Madrid landmarks and highlights of each tour

So, along the way there’s a lot more than just tapas bars and restaurants ! We’ve created these self-guided walking tours to be enjoyed at your own pace and you’ll also pass by a number of Madrid’s famous landmarks . Here are just a few significant landmarks and sites you’ll discover whilst on the tapas tours. 

• Statue of the bear and the strawberry tree (El Oso y el Madroño) – Puerta del Sol
• Kilometre Zero (Kilómetro 0 de las carreteras radiales de España) – Puerta del Sol
• Tío Pepe – Iconic neon sign – Puerta del Sol
• Plaza Mayor – Spain’s most famous main square.
• Cybele Fountain (Fuente de Cibeles) – Beautiful 18th-century neoclassical fountain pictures the goddess Cybele. 
• Puerta de Alcalá
• Spain Gate (Puerta de España) – large elegant stone and iron gate leading into Retiro park (west side).
• Retiro park (Parque de El Retiro) – Stunning park and gardens with a boating lake, greenhouse, plus several statues and landmarks. 
• Garden of the Prince of Anglona (Jardín del Príncipe de Anglona) – Gorgeous 18th century gardens tuccked away in La Latina. 
• Mirador de Bailén – One of the best lookouts for observing the Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena and mountain ranges surrounding Madrid. 
• Mercado de la Cebada – Famous seafood market located in the heart of La Latina
• El Rastro – La Latina’s lively flea market open on Sundays. 
• Mercado de San Fernando – Bustling food market with plenty of tapas bars and eateries. Open every day except Sunday. 
• Murales “Antigua Tabacalera” – Popular graffiti artworks located beside Embajadores Metro station.
• Estación de tren de Atocha – Madrid’s largest train station with ornate brick entry with greenhouse space inside. 
• Calle de las Huertas – Famous street in the literary district with plenty of second-hand bookstores and tapas bars.

Looking for more info on Madrid? Check out the official Madrid tourist info website .

Central Madrid tapas walking route 

• Start: Sol Metro Station
• Finish: Anton Martin Metro Station
• Total Distance: 1.38km / 0.85 miles
• Stops: 7 tapas bars and restaurants
• Proposed duration: 3-4 hours.

Just tap the star (⭐) on the map link and you’ve got all you’ll need to guide you from one tapas bar to the next in the palm of your hand! 

– Have a great tapas tour!  

Goya tapas walking route 

• Start/Finish: Goya Metro Station, Madrid.
• Total Distance: 1.96km /1.2 miles
• Stops: 6 tapas bars and restaurants

Lavapies & Delicias tapas walking route 

• Start: Lavapies Metro Station
• Distance: 4.91km \ 3.05 miles
• Stops: 10 tapas bars and restaurants 
• Proposed duration: 5-6 hours.

La Latina tapas walking route 

• Start: La Latina Metro Station
• Finish: Plaza Major
• Distance: 1.88km \ 1.16 miles
• Stops: 8 tapas bars and restaurants 

Looking for some more tasty tapas recipes?

• Roasted potatoes with chorizo and thyme - this is simply chorizo, potatoes, onion, and herbs and spices, and simply delicious. 
• Catalan roasted vegetables (escalivada Catalana) - the focus is on eggplant, red bell pepper, and onion, which are simmered down with herbs and spices until they're soft and gooey.
• Spiced cheese pate (almogrote) - from the Canary Islands, this incredible invention is important for any cheese lover out there. 
• Spanish mussels in a rich tomato sofrito sauce - the sofrito sauce is out again and it also works wonders with mussels. 
• Olive tapenade (vegan recipe) - this is a vegan version of the typical recipe so great to serve at parties or enjoy alone smeared over some bread. 
• Shrimp in a Cava bath (prawns in sparkling wine) - literally shrimp marinated in sparkling wine with a little bit of paprika and salt, then fried and ready to devour. 
• Blue cheese and sherry spread - you only need 2 ingredients to make this but the flavor combo works so well together it tastes much more complex. 
• Anchovy and red pepper (capsicum) spread - this spread has some very bold flavors and colors to boot!

Want to explore more of Madrid?

CCome explore the cuisine capital of Spain with our Madrid regional foodie guide!

We’ve compiled everything you need to know, from where to eat, and the best dishes of the region. 

They say that all roads lead to Madrid and a small stone slab lies discretely within Madrid’s  Sol Plaza  celebrating the geographic  kilometer ZERO  of Spain. But, it’s just a short stroll in any direction where you’ll find the rich aromas of authentic Spanish food wafting from the alleyways and narrow cobbled streets that are lined with  Madrid’s famous tapas bars  and prestigious restaurants. 

Madrid is not only the geographic center of Spain but also the renowned  melting pot  where  Spain’s culinary cultures merge . This is no more evident than in the enormous range of Spanish and international cuisine on offer throughout the capital, and with nearly 10,000 restaurants within the  Madrid region , you’re spoilt for choice!

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