Madrid Culinary Tours Weekend

Luxury Madrid Culinary Tours Weekend:

Highlights:

• Private VIP Tour of Madrid
• Unforgettable Cooking class and dinner with the famed Pilar Latorre
• Private art guide and tour of the Prado Museum
• Gourmet walking tour of Madrid with charming sommelier
• Wonderful gourmet gifts

View images of Madrid

Madrid is one of Spain's best-kept secrets. Oddly enough, it is little visited by tourists, who tend to flock instead to Barcelona and Seville. Yet for those in the know, Madrid is a hot spot for food and wine. We have created this very special gourmet weekend to highlight the best the city has to offer. You'll enjoy a private cooking class by the very charming Pilar Latorre, Madrid's Catalan born chef du jour, in her elegant home. This is a unique experience to meet local personalities. A trained art guide will show you the secrets and little known anecdotes in the world famous Prado museum, home to paintings by Goya, Velazquez, El Greco, Bosch, Tiziano and more. You'll discover Madrid's charming "tapas" bars with your friendly food and wine guide for the afternoon, tasting exquisite smoked cod, roast peppers, artisan cheeses, and "pintxos" (rustic bread topped with goodies ranging from "Cabrales" Asturian blue cheese and walnuts to organic pork in a mustard sauce). You'll taste a multitude of Spanish wines by the glass, from the zippy Verdejo based whites of Rueda to rich reds from Toro and sweeties from Malaga and Jerez.

You'll have plenty of free time to discover the city, as your hotel is steps away from the main sights, tucked into a quiet square. Madrid is a fabulous city for art lovers. Apart from your visit to the phenomenal Prado Museum, you could also visit the Reina Sofia museum to see Picasso's powerful and emotional "Guernica" painting, only repatriated to Spain from New York after Franco's death. Apart from Picasso, the Reina Sofia also has a large collection of Salvador Dalî, Juan Gris and Mirò. Hidden gems in Madrid include the home cum museum of the Spanish impressionist painter Sorolla and the Museo Cerralbo, a 19th century Italianate palace that was home to an art collecting Marquis. For "Foodies", Madrid has avant-garde Michelin starred restaurants and a rash of up and coming, lesser known chefs. For wine lovers, Madrid has marvellous wine bars. You can visit our favorite Sherry bar, tasting "Palo Cortados" from the barrel, or visit a wine bar that has over 500 wines from all over the world and a Japanese chef creating "Fusion tapas". If you want to discover the best food wine and culture Madrid has to offer, you will love our gourmet weekends.

Upon arrival to Madrid's airport/train station, you'll be collected by your private chauffeured Mercedes.

Arrive to your quaint hotel, a 19th century palace located right downtown, but in a quiet square next to a 16th century monastery. Check in and free afternoon.

In the early evening, your guide will meet you at your hotel and you'll enjoy a short walking tour through old Madrid, stopping for a glass of champagne at the beautiful Palace Hotel, a landmark in Madrid.

The walking tour carries on into Chueca, Madrid's "Soho", where you will arrive to the elegant private home of Pilar Latorre. Tonight, you'll enjoy a cooking class and then a sit down dinner with your globetrotting chef. Dishes can include sizzling "Gambas", Catalan sauces (like the almond based "Romesco") and Catalan crème brulée, called Crema Catalana.

Full breakfast in your hotel

Free morning to enjoy the shopping downtown or just a coffee in a lovely square.

Before lunchtime, your art guide will collect you at the hotel and walk you down to the Prado Museum (a pleasant 20 minute walk through old Madrid), where you will enjoy a private tour of the Prado. With so much to see, the Prado can be overwhelming. There are over 2000 paintings on display (and over 6000 paintings in storage!). Our guide will show you the "best of", with some fascinating anecdotes throughout the visit. You'll see Goya's twin paintings of "la maja", said to portray the Duchess of Alba; the "Garden of Delight" by the wickedly twisted Flemish painter Hieronymus Bosch; and "Las Meninas", where the moustached Velazquez painted his own cameo, in the background with a paintbrush.

After the Prado visit, the rest of the day and evening is yours to discover Madrid. For fine dining, try La Broche (run by bete-noire, Catalan chef Sergi Arola). The Spanish prince and princess have been spotted in the stylish Navarran restaurant Manduca de la Azagra. Free evening.

Full breakfast in your hotel

Around noon, your food and wine guide for the afternoon will meet you at the hotel and you will embark on a food and wine tasting walking tour. You'll begin with a vermouth ("Vermut") from the barrel at a pretty tapas bar near the Opera House. Vermut is the classic Madrid aperitif before lunch.

Over the next few hours, you'll taste an array of different courses and wines, and see some lovely architecture enroute including the 16th century Plaza Mayor (once the stomping grounds of the Spanish Inquisitioners, these days it's a huge outdoor café), the 18th century Royal Palace and the pretty Sabatini Gardens.

After lunch, your guide will walk you back to the hotel where you will probably need a siesta! Free evening to enjoy Madrid

Full breakfast in your hotel with views over the rooftops in Madrid

Free time to enjoy Madrid

Airport transfer at your desired time

End of services

This concludes your gourmet weekend in Madrid, probably the first of many return trips to this vibrant city.

What's Included:

What's Not Included:

Prices:

This is a SAMPLE TOUR ITINERARY. Please note that our chauffeured luxury tours have the following starting prices:

More Information on Madrid Culinary Tours Weekend:

If you are interested in this package, contact us today for more information. This tour can also be adapted for bigger groups with a substantial discount. All of our tours are available year round upon request for your private group of minimum 2 people. If you would like us to customize a luxury gourmet tour for you, contact us with your requirements, and we can send you a free itinerary and quote with no obligations. We organize cooking packages and wine tours from 1 day, to weekends to longer food and wine discoveries throughout Spain, Portugal & Italy. Contact us at

Email us at: info@cellartours.com