Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant
Early access, before it opens

Destination
Madrid, Spain
Duration
3.5 hours
Tour size
Max 25
Language
English
Overview
Most Madrid tapas tours end outside Botín's door, waiting on a reservation booked months out. This one goes inside: early entry into the kitchen and wine cellar before opening, then dinner in a room that's run the same ovens for more than 300 years.
- •Sip vermouth where Cervantes once lived, at a tavern pouring the same aperitif for generations
- •Taste gambas al ajillo, sizzling garlic shrimp invented at this exact table
- •Step into Botín's wine cellar, an area no other group is allowed to enter
- •Peer into the 300-year-old oven that's kept Botín cooking without interruption
- •Finish the night over dinner in the dining room upstairs, past centuries of tiled walls and artwork
What's included
- Vermouth and tapas at a historic tavern once home to the author of Don Quijote
- Gambas al ajillo and family-made house wine at a century-old tavern
- Early access into Botín before opening hours, including the wine cellar and kitchen
- A sit-down dinner at Botín, with wine paired
- A local English-speaking guide for the entire evening
You will visit
- Botín: the world’s oldest restaurant
- Madrid’s historic center
- Literary Quarter
- Plaza Mayor
- Puerta del Sol
- Plaza Santa Ana
- 2 family-run tapas bars
What to expect
Casa Alberto: vermouth in Cervantes' old address
Begin at Casa Alberto, a centennial tavern set on the ground floor of the building where Miguel de Cervantes once lived. Over a glass of vermouth and a plate of Manchego cheese, your guide explains the ritual behind Madrid's favorite aperitif. This is where the night's history lesson begins, a few steps from where Don Quijote was written.
Casa del Abuelo: the shrimp dish born from hunger
Next, walk to Casa del Abuelo, a family-run tavern serving gambas al ajillo, sizzling garlic shrimp invented as a way to stretch a poor family's ingredients and now one of Spain's most-loved dishes. Alongside it, taste the house wine, made at the family's own vineyard and served here for generations. The sizzle of the pan reaches your table before the plate does.
“Guests ask if we sneak in before Botín opens. We don't sneak. We're the only group they let in the door before service starts.”
Ana,
WalksDevour Tour Guide
“"I wanted guests to taste 300 years of history in one sitting: vermouth first, dinner last, Botín's oven in between.”
Cait,
WalksDevour Tour Designer
Postcards from Madrid

Javi
A familiar face at Casa del Abuelo, one of Madrid's classics

Jose and Soraya
The newest generation behind Taberna Real, following in his father's footsteps
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant

Javi
A familiar face at Casa del Abuelo, one of Madrid's classics

Jose and Soraya
The newest generation behind Taberna Real, following in his father's footsteps
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant

Javi
A familiar face at Casa del Abuelo, one of Madrid's classics

Jose and Soraya
The newest generation behind Taberna Real, following in his father's footsteps
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant

Javi
A familiar face at Casa del Abuelo, one of Madrid's classics

Jose and Soraya
The newest generation behind Taberna Real, following in his father's footsteps
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant
Madrid tapas tour with Botín restaurant
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