Madrid Tapas Tour
 

My wife and I will be in Madrid for 6 nights. We didn't do a Tapas tour in Barcelona last year but we are considering one this time. The cost varies from 40euro to 80 euro per person. Does anyone recommend a company they recently used? If one is to do a middle of the line company, 120 euro for 2 people buys you a lot of Tapas and drinks on your own. We are staying in Alicia mate and i just want to see what people have to say about joining such an activity.

I've never joined one and had no problems locating and eating any number of very tasty tapas. in Madrid it would be very difficult to go wrong.

as you say, €120 buys you a hell of a lot of tapas! the last time we were in Spain, we ate mainly tapas in the evenings and our average bill with drinks was €50.

thanks for the reply. that's what i am struggling with. if it doesn't add any real value, why bother? hopefully someone who has done it can provide me an insight on their experience.

Self-guided tapas tours:
http://goo.gl/maps/weziE

maybe i don't get the concept. typically you go to a bar, get settled, and order your food and drinks and stay for as long as you want to. is each tapas place so unique that one must try 3 or 4 in one night?

The Walks of Spain tour gets great reviews, and it all goes on in a beautiful and old part of town.
http://www.walksofspain.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...ur-Madrid.html

And you can do a tour of your own, starting at Plaza Mayor and finishing at the end of Calle Cava Baja, one of the main restaurant and tapas bar streets in Madrid.
Some fine places along this 300-400 meters route:
Bodegas Ricla: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...la-Madrid.html
I never leave Madrid without having had the Bacalao tapa at Revuelta: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...ta-Madrid.html
And Txirimiri, close to the end of Cava Baja, gives you an idea why the Basque Country is considered the culinary heartland of Spain: http://www.yelp.com/biz/txirimiri-madrid-2

kimhe---here's are my choices in no particular order:

Laredo

Sacha

Revuelta

Estado Puro

La Cabrera

Your thoughts please?

<is each tapas place so unique that one must try 3 or 4 in one night?> Going for tapas is all about talking and walking and having some good food and drinks along the way. Basically a very social thing where a group of friends usually go from place to place. Typically one would just stand in the bar and a have a tapa and a glass before moving on, and each place has its specialities and charm. And most Spanish will have very strong opinions of how and where to do the best tapas tour.

thanks for the clarification. i guess since its only myself and my wife we'll end up trying 2 depending on how the drinks are going down and how tasty the food. but i get it how it would be fun if you are part of a larger group.

Laredo etc: they are all very spread. But Laredo in particular is in a great zone for tapas bars and restaurants just east of the Retiro park in Calles Narváez, Ibiza, Menorca and Doctor Castelo. Out of the more beaten track around Plaza Mayor. Maribelguides gives great advice: http://maribelsguides.com/mg_madriddining.pdf

And whatever you do, don't miss Revuelta ;-)

to all--many thanks

We used the following and it was really really good. We had some fantastic tapas and we went to some lesser known places...
Www.adventurousappetites.com

No, it's not typical to go to a tapas bar, settle in for the night and order food and wine. As noted, going out for tapas (or pintxos in the Basque country) is more of a social gathering.

I did the Walks of Spain tour with Andres Jarabo in mid-March. It was great, better than I expected and actually good value.

I thought a lot about doing a tour which cost more than my return flight from the UK (yes, really!).

Andres kept in regular contact about the meeting time and place, gave me directions, etc.

On the tour were 3 couples, from Portland,Oregon, Toronto, Czech Republic. We walked through the old part of town and Andres gave us some good history; we went to about 5 different bars where we tried different tapas in each with different wines/sherries, being taught what not to drink with Jamon Iberico for example, and what complemented it best.

There was good conversation (even if the Czech couple didn't understand too much of it) and the whole evening was really good fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and felt the cost was pretty fair. It was enough to eat and drink as well.

It was either 60 or 65 euros, I can't remember exactly now, and my folder has been filed in the attic!

i guess since its only myself and my wife we'll end up trying 2 depending on how the drinks are going down and how tasty the food. but i get it how it would be fun if you are part of a larger group.>>

calgary, it's great when you get into the swing of it. The area of Seville we were staying in had loads of tapas bars - the last evening we just had a drink and a tapas in each and moved on, until we'd had enough. you can easily work your way through an evening that way - I think that our maximum was 5. it's fun even if there are just two of you.

annhig---i will do it once and i'l keep your words of wisdom in mind.

Has anyone looked at the self touring guide written about in the post by Revulgo on Apr 17, 14 at 8:20pm.
it is through and you can plan your own route. The plus side is it is written by someone who lives in Madrid and is up to date.

a local tour guide would be the best reference. thanks

annhig---i will do it once and i'l keep your words of wisdom in mind.>>

I don't know about wisdom - you'll note that I only think that our maximum was 5 tapas bars - after the 3rd or 4th one tends to lose track!

Resto Estado Puro is mentioned above. It is the restaurant of Hotel NH Paseo del Prado where I am staying. It will take several days to try 3 or 4 per night. It's about 16 euros each time. There are so many choices, your prices seem high for one
one sitting.