Guided and dramatised visits, a good way to discover Spain

Do you study in Madrid? Are you always hearing talk of “El Madrid de las Letras” (the name for the literary quarter), but don't understand why it's called that? Maybe you know that Gaudí lived in Barcelona. But do you know where he spent his day-to-day life? Have you come across mediaeval castles on your travels, and tried to imagine what the life of a knight was like? These are just a few of the questions that will be answered in the numerous guided and dramatised visits you'll find all over Spain. Come and discover them.

A guided or dramatised visit is a fantastic and entertaining way to learn more about the history, tradition and character of a city. Here we list just a few, and tell you how to keep up to date with the tours you'll find in several university cities.

The Barcelona Tourist Board offers a range of tours around the city so you can discover the Barcelona of artists like Gaudí, Picasso and Miró, for example. You can see them on the city's website, where you'll also find a practical audioguide for doing the route on your own.

If you're looking for a different way of exploring Barcelona, you'll find a number of highly original options on offer. For example, you can tour the city in a sidecar while you visit local tapas bars, or take a guided tour in a vintage car. You can see all the options available on the website. 

There are also companies that organise dramatised routes around Medieval Barcelona, on the theme of mysteries and horror, and the Civil War. We recommend asking in the city's tourist offices or checking the most popular websites to see other travellers' opinions and find more information on the ones that most appeal to you.

The visits take place on Sunday, and the theme changes each week. You can check the calendar here. Available tours include a dramatised itinerary focused on the figure of Federico García Lorca, an exploration of the Romantic movement in Granada, and the route around Granada in the Spanish Golden Age.

The Madrid Tourist Board organises numerous themed guided and dramatised visits all year round, and offers a different programme adapted to each season. There are even some for people with reduced mobility. All the visits have a version in Spanish, many are also in English, and some are in other languages. Some of the most popular themes include “Literary Madrid”, “Mysteries of Madrid” and “Markets of Madrid”

You'll find some dramatised visits every season of the year. Some of the best-known include the route entitled “Crime and Mystery in Old Madrid”, “Celebrating Cervantes” and “Literature and Swords” –this last one boasting a script by the famous Spanish writer Pérez Reverte. You can see all the options in the relevant section in the official guides.

Other highly recommended dramatised visits are the Lope de Vega House-Museum and the Fomento Palace.

If you're with a group, check directly with the tourist office because the visits can be adapted to your preferred theme and language.

The surroundings of Madrid

Three excellent options are the dramatised visits to the castle in Manzanares El Real (every weekend and at night in the summer); the castle and the walled enclosure in Buitrago de Lozoya (May to June and September to October); and Chinchón, with Goya as the main protagonist.

You can find out more on the Madrid Region's tourism website.

La ciudad organiza numerosas rutas guiadas que puedes consultar en su web. Destacamos especialmente dos.

Por un lado, el programa “Las llaves de la ciudad”, que permite visitar monumentos y edificios que durante el resto del año están cerrados al público. Además, serás guiado por expertos o por los propios habitantes de los conventos o palacios. Son gratuitas y suelen hacerse durante noviembre y diciembre.

Por otro, las visitas teatralizadas a la Salamanca renacentista del Siglo de Oro. Normalmente tienen lugar en verano y descubren la ciudad de la mano de un valiente caballero que habla en español, inglés, alemán y holandés.

Between April and October, there are dramatised visits all over the country.
If you're in Spain in these months, our recommendation is always to ask at the tourist offices, because you'll find guided routes in practically all the cities, often including dramatised visits to historic quarters, castles and the main monuments. Here are a few suggestions:

Avila: its main monument, the city walls, is the setting for a dramatised visit that takes place each summer. And there are others, such as the tour of “Palatial Avila”. You can find out more on the website.

Cadiz: there are numerous dramatised visits to its historic quarter. Its website lists many of the companies that organise them. And if you want to learn more about the city's most popular street traditions, come and visit in February and enjoy its famous open-air carnival.

Cordoba: you can learn all about the history of the city on an entertaining tour lasting two hours, and guided by characters such as Queen Isabella of Castile, Maimonides or the goddess Venus. This is the Route of the 4 Cultures which takes place all year round –and in summer at night.

Segovia: each year the city prepares an extensive programme of dramatised visits, featuring particularly the Jewish quarter and the city walls. Group reservations are available all year round.

Seville: the most popular option is the nocturnal dramatised visit to the Real Alcázar palace. This usually takes place on weekends between April and October. For more information check the website of the Seville Tourist Board.

Zaragoza: the city offers a year-round tourist package entitled “Gift Zaragoza”. This is a set of themed activities that take place one weekend each month, and include guided and tourist visits around the city.