We are inviting you for this full-day walking tour with a local guide, which will give you a comprehensive introduction to the city. You will visit the historic neighborhoods that have grown up during its long history, from its time as part of Moorish Spain, through the Courts of Castille and the Napoleonic Age, until the modern-day. This is a private tour, which allows you enjoy the intimate experience and together you will walk through the historic center from your hotel lobby, through sights such as Parque de las Vistillas, San Francisco el Grande and Puerta de Toledo. You will visit Plaza Mayor and walk down the Gran Via, Madrid’s showcase shopping district and a testament to early 20th-Century Art Deco architecture. You will take in the Puerta del Sol, where Madrileños celebrate New Year’s Eve by eating a grape on the toll of each bell welcoming in the New Year. During the walk you will have the chance to try some "barquillo," the local liquor of Madroño, and to taste some "Callos a la Madrileña" or "Cocido," served in an authentic atmosphere. Madrid has been the hometown to many different cultures, and you will get to explore its intimate neighborhoods, walking along one of the oldest streets in the city to La Latina. The route you follow takes you through the old city, from the Madrid of the Austrias to the first Muslim area, which formed the origins of the city. It includes an overview of the most important sights, talking about its history and legends as you pass sites such as the magnificent royal Plaza de Oriente, and pop into small taverns to try traditional vermouth with the locals. But, perhaps most importantly, you will break for the day and enjoy a typical Spanish set-menu lunch, lingering for a couple of hours, breaking bread, drinking wine and putting the world to rights as you feast on simple yet utterly delicious food.