About this experience
If you are not visiting the capital for the first time or are a very seasoned traveler, a 3-4 hour walk through very colorful and unfairly overlooked areas of the historical center is what you need. The quarters I suggest strolling through are adjacent to the city wall that marked the boundaries for over 200 years. Here, the residential buildings of the pre-previous century have been preserved along with numerous architectural treasures of the 17th-19th centuries. You will also see hipster bars and shops, quaint stores, flea markets, and galleries of artists, original wall frescoes, and graffiti. Along the way, I will tell you things even native Madrileños don't know and help you feel the spirit of the real, far from touristy Madrid.
What to Expect
'A Mix of Bombay and Montmartre'
You will visit the colorful Lavapiés, where immigrants from Asia and Africa peacefully coexist with the youth underground and working-class pensioners. Its streets steeply descend to the Manzanares River valley, preserving the look of the 19th century. Here you will find the most budget-friendly bars and terraces in the center, as well as an informal gastro-market. This neighborhood will appeal to lovers of quality street art, especially graffiti.
Flea Markets and Secret Gardens
No less picturesque is the Rastro-Embajadores district with its famous Sunday flea market. Among its narrow streets, baroque and art deco masterpieces are hidden, as well as corrales, typical small multi-family houses of the 18th and 19th centuries. In the ancient La Latina, popular among theater and cinema actors and the creative intelligentsia in general, you will see one of the oldest and most beautiful squares in the city - Solemn Square, an authentic food market, a secret 18th-century garden, and ancient churches.
Places of Madrid's Hipsters and Non-conformists
In the very fashionable Conde Duque neighborhood among Madrid's hipsters, I will show you the giant barracks of the Royal Guard—now a cultural center—and the very cute but little-known Comendadoras Square. And then you will find yourself in Malasaña, the center of the informal culture of the eighties, and today—a hipster paradise. There will be vintage stores, clothing and record stores, points of sale for fans of Japanese cartoons, Star Trek, and Star Wars, eco-product shops, trendy bars, and cafes. Additionally, you will see unique outdoor advertisements from a century ago and lots of modern street art. And in the original Chueca, you will encounter antique taverns, baroque and modern masterpieces, and even the relics of Saint Valentine.
