Madrid Six-Day Private Food, Wine & Art Tour

Arrive in the gorgeous city of Madrid this morning! Your delightful personal chauffeur will await your arrival at Madrid’s International Airport and will whisk you off to your opulent hotel in a luxurious Mercedes. You are staying at the most glamorous hotel in town, the Four Seasons. Located in the whimsical Canalejas complex, this stunning landmark was built in 1887 and, from its creation, has always been an emblem of contemporary elegance and luxury in the historic heart of Madrid. There are various architectural styles, from Beaux-Arts to Neoclassic, and flourishes like glass domes and intricate latticework.

The palace is topped with a striking rotunda, adorned with a clock and bell, and crowned by a copper cupola. The complex is effectively a city block in the heart of Madrid between Calle de Alcalá, Calle de Sevilla, Plaza de Canalejas, and Carrera de San Jerónimo, that houses seven historic palatial monument buildings including the fantastic Four Seasons hotel as well as the ultra-luxe Galería Canalejas shopping complex (Rolex, Hermès, Valentino, Armani, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Omega, Zegna, Cartier and much more). This is the “Rodeo Drive” of Madrid!

We love this hotel for a longish stay in Madrid, as apart from the impossibly perfect central location, you are spoiled for choice with the amenities here. There is a fabulous spa with 45 foot covered swimming pool and outdoor lounge areas, steam rooms, saunas, treatment rooms including one especially for couples, and a Relaxation Lounge; various bars and restaurants (Art Deco style Isa restaurant and cocktail bar, a spectacular seventh-floor rooftop terrace Dani Brasserie whose executive chef Dani Garcia is one of Spain’s best chefs, and El Patio lobby bar which serves excellent vermouth from barrel; you also have hair and nail salon, and a good little gym. Settle into your room and freshen up.

Lunch today is Paella, the perfect comfort food after the flight and travel. The gregarious Chef Propriétaire at Casa Benigna, Benigno Rodriguez, has devoted decades to perfecting his mythical paella rice dishes, and he is equally well known for his kind manner. He treats customers like dinner-party guests; the atmosphere could not be more homey and cozy. Located outside the tourist hub, this microscopic eatery attracts Madrid’s high society and local foodies alike for the delicious rice dishes and great atmosphere. You will try his signature “Arroz a banda” with large prawns, calamari, and the famous “Bomba” rice. Another classic dish here is their baked eggplant with duck confit, so indulgent and satisfying. Wine pairings include our favorite cava, Agustí Torelló Mata Reserva and Terras Gauda Albariño.

After lunch, your driver will take you back to your hotel, where you can relax in your light, airy, and super comfortable room and adjust to the new timetable. Welcome to Madrid, Spain’s dynamic capital. Get ready for a great vacation here!

You might enjoy a refreshing morning swim before sitting down to a luxury breakfast, or sleep in and shake off jet lag. In the late morning, your private local art and architectural guide will meet you and take you on a relaxed tour of some of Madrid’s most enchanting and least-known art galleries. The first stop is at the Sorolla Museum. Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) was Spain’s most famous Impressionist Painter, and this delightful little museum is housed in the painter’s residence, in a “palacete” with a beautiful little garden. The museum features a wonderful collection of Sorolla’s masterpieces, including “Paseo a la Orilla del Mar.” Painted in 1909, it depicts the artist’s wife, Clotilde, and daughter, María, walking beside the seashore.

This place is truly special. After an entertaining tour, it’s a short walk through the “Barrio Salamanca” quarter to the Museo Lázaro Galdiano. This is another “secret” gem off the beaten track. Founded by José Lázaro Galdiano (1862-1947), a wealthy Spanish art collector, philanthropist, and bibliophile, this commissioned palace was completed in 1908 as the family home and his private museum.

He had amassed an extensive collection of art (paintings, sculptures, and ceramics), manuscripts and historical books, archaeological treasures, and textiles. When he passed away, he donated the home and collection to the Spanish state, and it became a public museum. The collection is impressive, with over 4800 pieces, including paintings by Goya, Velazquez, Bosch, El Greco, and Murillo. Your guide will show you a few highlights, and you’ll enjoy the gorgeous palace, setting, and precious collection. You will be getting peckish at this stage of the day; your art guide will bring you to your lunch and wine-tasting venue, Reserva y Cata.

This boutique, stylish wine shop is located on one of the city’s loveliest streets, Conde de Xiquena, steps from the remarkable Church of Santa Bárbara (Salesas Reales Convent). Founded in 1997, they have built a loyal clientele of locals and international visitors who appreciate their ever-rotating, fascinating selection (between 800 and 1000 different wines at any given time) over the last two decades. Ever-smiling owner Ezequiel Sanchez-Mateos has an effervescent personality and infectious energy, and he is your host today on a private, seated masterclass on Spanish wines. This is a wine lover’s dream, and you will have so much fun tasting and learning about Spanish wines while grazing on mouthwatering tapas like homemade gazpacho, black olive and anchovy dip, select olives, and a charcuterie and cheese platter. The theme is “Spanish wines, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean,” and this will likely be the first time you taste wines from the Canary Islands. The tasting will include highly rated wines like 7 Fuentes Listán Negro from Lanzarote (93 Parker points), O Luar do Sil Godello from Valdeorras, Petalos de Bierzo (also 93+ Parker), Astrales from Ribera del Duero, RaR Essencia from Priorat, and Recaredo Terrers Brut Nature Gran Reserva from the Penedès. You may very well need a little siesta after this comprehensive wine tasting!

You will have a few hours to freshen up and rest before dinner tonight. Tonight’s venue is Lhardy, Madrid’s first-ever luxury restaurant, founded in 1839! Famous patrons have included Spanish Queen Isabel II, who, in 1847, snuck out of the Royal Palace and dined here with her ladies-in-waiting. King Alfonso XII was also a regular. The most incredible anecdote: in 1916, the dancer Mata-Hari was arrested as a spy at Madrid’s Palace Hotel after lunch at Lhardy! Located in a historic building just a few doors from your hotel, this gastronomic heirloom features a high-end patisserie and museum-quality gourmet shop & wine bar downstairs, with the proper restaurant upstairs. The restaurant spans several elegant drawing rooms. The most famous dish is their “Cocido Madrileño” (a garbanzo-, meat-, and vegetable-based stew whose origins date back to the Middle Ages). But we love the old-school Beef Wellington here, and so will you, on your special dinner tonight in one of the romantic salons. Try their Sherry-sauteed clams, the nearly-sweet onion soup, the aforementioned Beef Wellington (or the Cocido, if you want to try it), and finish the evening with their iconic Lhardy Soufflé. Sublime!

Switch gears today and head out of the city into the wine country. Head west into the pristine Sierra de Gredos, home to some of the oldest grenache vines in the country and a burgeoning cult wine industry. We will select and confirm your private wine program in the Sierra de Gredos in advance, as part of your personal proposal.

Situated in the heart of the Sierra de Gredos mountain range, this area has a rich wine history. The Cistercian monks of Santa María la Real monastery were already known for their wine production in this area during Spain’s Golden Age, attracting admiration from writers and nobles alike.

Your engaging host will welcome you and take you on a stroll through the vineyards, pointing out the historic grenache and albillo vines and explaining their organic and biodynamic winemaking practices. Continue to the tiny “garagiste” cellar, where they age their wines in French oak, then sit down for a terrific tasting (outside whenever the weather permits, overlooking the vineyards). Try their small collection of excellent wines, including Albillo Real ECO (white), Ensayo (also white, aged for 20 months in a 500-liter French oak barrel), Initio ECO (red, made with 50-100-year-old grenache), and Senda (red, 90 Parker Points). What a great way to spend a morning!

On the way to lunch, stop for a short visit to the ethereal Pelayos de la Presa Monastery ruins, dating back to the 12th century. You can still admire the graceful Cistercian and medieval cloister; a photo stop here is a “must.”

Talented chef Daniel Ochoa is at the helm at your rustic-chic, Michelin-starred lunch venue, Montia. The concept at this stylish venue is “wild, local cuisine”—the team forages for herbs and vegetables in the surrounding forests; game features prominently with delicacies on offer like pickled partridge, venison roast with chestnuts and chanterelles, and wild rabbit paté. They source everything possible locally (in the “Comunidad de Madrid”), from the Durum wheat, pumpkin, and mountain bread baked 3 minutes’ walk away at the marvelous Obrador Abantos to the olive oil they get from the stellar Oleum Laguna producer, south of Madrid. Dessert might include their famous caramelized smoked pear with ice cream made with Elvira García cheese. The wine pairings are thoughtful and local, with many natural and organic wines, in line with the region’s trend.

After lunch and a short 3-minute drive, you will visit El Escorial, a royal palace and monastery complex and the largest Renaissance building in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was commissioned by King Phillip II in 1563 to celebrate Spain’s 1557 victory over the French at the Battle of St Quentin in Picardy. The battle fell on St. Lorenzo’s Day, and King Phillip II named the palace San Lorenzo in honor of the saint. The vast complex includes a church, a royal Pantheon (built as a mausoleum to house the Spanish Royal family for him and future generations; indeed, many kings and queens were later buried here), a royal library, a monastery, a palace, and a college. The major highlight at El Escorial is the incredible Royal Library, with over 45,000 books and manuscripts in a beautiful room adorned with frescoes on a vaulted ceiling. The hand-carved mahogany and cedar bookshelves are breathtaking! We also love the manicured gardens, with nice views of the mountains. You will have free time to explore on your own. It’s an hour’s drive back to Madrid, where we have suggestions for a lovely evening.

Today, you will visit the highly photogenic hamlet of Chinchón and the Royal Palace and Gardens of Aranjuez. First off- Chinchón! This tiny village has amazingly been a film set for many a Hollywood film and brought famous actors and directors like Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles, John Wayne, David Niven, Shirley MacLaine, Carmen Sevilla, Wes Anderson, Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, and Scarlett Johansson to its quaint wine bars and postcard-perfect main square. What attracts the movie-makers to this speck of a sleepy town is the fact that it is impossibly cute! Medieval, balconied houses line the circular bullring of a main square, and the hamlet is home to winemakers, some of whom offer the chance to dine in the wine caves.

And this being a food and wine tour, we can’t resist sending you to the loveliest winery in town- Bodega del Nero. Founded in 1870, it is still family-run by the 5th generation (Álvaro and Roberto). What makes this winery so unique to visit is the chance to see their “Tinajas” – huge clay amphora used historically for winemaking in central Spain, which went out of fashion when stainless steel came on the scene, but which once again are being appreciated and re-introduced to many wine estates. You’ll receive a warm welcome, a private tour, and a tasting of their wines, including their “Cepas Viejas” (old vines), served with local sheep’s cheese. You won’t be able to believe they still make wine here like they did 150 years ago!

Lunch is next, at the pretty Casa del Pregonero, right in the Plaza Mayor. This is the best place in town, distributed over various rooms and balconies overlooking the square. Owner chef Miriam Hernández prepares classic, local dishes presented imaginatively with much love. The restaurant’s name refers to the last town crier of Chinchón (“pregonero”), who lived in this house. Enjoy comforting dishes like Canelón stuffed with oxtail in a red wine sauce; creamy “sea and mountains” rice with squid and wild mushrooms; smoked wild boar pastrami with capers; and homemade apple pie with hazelnut praline and lemon ice cream.

After lunch, stroll through the darling village. Neat gifts to bring back from Chinchón include the Anis liquor (sold in all the little shops here) and the homemade cookies the nuns sell at the Santa Clara convent. Enjoy a coffee or digestif in the picturesque cloister of the Parador, located in an Augustine monastery built in the 17th century.

It’s just over half an hour’s drive to your next interesting visit to Aranjuez. This Unesco heritage town has a charming royal palace surrounded by over 100 hectares of magical gardens. While the palace complex was created in the 16th century, most of what we see today was created in the late 1700s by King Carlos III (the Bourbon King of Spain, Naples, and Sicily who had Pompeii excavated), whose trusted Italian architect Sabatini was put in charge of the expansion. It is a truly wonderful place to visit, and you will have free time to explore on your own. Don’t miss the enigmatic “Salon of Mirrors” and the “Prince’s Gardens” (full of romantic surprises like an oriental pagoda in the pond and fountains with elegant sculptures depicting Apollo and Narciso).

Work your way back to Madrid in the early evening, and the evening is yours. You won’t likely be starving enough to face a proper, three-course dinner tonight, and a fun thing to do in Madrid is grab casual tapas in the bar section of the restaurant. Upmarket Taberna Laredo and Castelados are favorites for elegant tapas in a cozy bar setting.

Today is dedicated to the best of Madrid, and you will spend the morning with your personal art guide visiting art masterpieces, then switch gears for a fun food-and-wine walking tour. The morning will commence with contemporary art at the Reina Sofia Gallery. This is where Picasso’s most famous work, Guernica, is housed, and you will learn about the history of this important piece and why it has become a symbol of peace. You’ll also explore works by Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and other leading figures of the Spanish avant-garde, depending on which galleries are open that day. Travel back a few hundred years and enjoy a curated visit next to the legendary Prado Museum. Your guide will point out curiosities and anecdotes about the paintings you will see, including “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch, “Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez, “The Third of May 1808” by Francisco Goya, and the exquisite Renaissance Tour de force “The Annunciation” by Fra Angelico. Then, it’s wine time! You will meet your food guide and say goodbye to your art guide.

“Es la hora de Vermut” means it’s the “Vermouth hour”; sipping on delicious, herbaceous vermouth before lunch is an essential part of your Madrid food experience. You can choose between the 80 vermouths (4 on tap in cask) at the alluring Mercado de San Miguel. Built in 1916, this historic market closed for many years before reopening as a luxury gastronomic space in 2009. Today, it showcases some of the city’s best gourmet goods.

After a vermouth or two and an array of mouthwatering olives, it’s a lovely short walk to the Plaza de Oriente, Madrid’s most beautiful square. With views of the Royal Palace and the Opera House, a table will be waiting for you on the elegant terrace at the emblematic Café de Oriente. Savor silky, hand-cut Jamón ibérico and Santoña anchovies with a bottle of Rioja Reserva. Bar Manero is the second-to-last experience. Possibly Madrid’s most beautiful bar, we love the Orient Express vibe and buzzy atmosphere. At a cozy table, tickle your taste buds with confit artichokes and Spanish tortilla with truffles. Your final stop will be a guided tasting of Spanish artisan cheeses with wine. In the heart of the beautiful Retiro neighborhood on chic Calle Doctor Castelo, Qava de Quesos is a cheese Mecca. Owner Jose Luis Martín is a maestro cheese affineur with over 30 years of experience who has created the perfect, tiny space for cheese lovers. This will be “dessert” on your food tour, and you’ll sit down to a short but select “cheese flight” with wine or even artisan beer if you prefer. The Retorta Pascualete cheese is to DIE for. You might also have a chance to taste Gamoneu, Valhondo, Néboa, or Rufino Afinado.

After the food tour, return to your hotel with time to rest, shop, or enjoy the city independently. The evening is at leisure, with restaurant recommendations selected around your interests.

Your private chauffeur will take you to Madrid’s international airport or your next port of call. This tour works well with the Northern Spain, Andalusia, and Ribera del Duero wine tours, should you like to make a pre or post-tour extension. We hope you had a magnificent time on Madrid’s luxury food and wine tour!