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Madrid

OCTOBER 18-25, 2026

Madrid

Madrid is exciting and elegant, with so much to see, eat and enjoy. Join us for a weeklong adventure that brings together food, wine and culture, with a big dose of art knowledge from Art Curator extraordinaire Ronni Baer.

Madrid

What You’ll Love about Your Week in Madrid

Plaza de la Catedral in Madrid, Spain

What You’ll Love about Your Week in Madrid

Madrid is an exciting, ever-changing city with vibrant neighborhoods, beautiful architecture and an interesting food scene. We’ll explore the city through the lens of food and wine, and also art. Art curator and European painting expert Ronni Baer, currently Distinguished Curator at Princeton University Art Museum, will guide us in the Prado, explaining the works of Goya, Velasquez and El Greco, as well as still-life painter Luis Melendez. You may have had a guided tour in a museum before, but nothing like a Ronni Baer tour.

We’ll learn about Spanish food and cooking from experts – including the daughters of Clara Maria de Amezua, a tireless ambassador of Spanish cuisine who is sometimes called the Julia Child of Spain. Fausto Luchetti, a former director of the International Olive Oil Council, will teach us all we need to know about extra virgin olive oil (including how to taste it!). We’ll be introduced to the wide range of wonderful Spanish wines by local experts. As with all Oldways Culinarias, we’ll visit a range of interesting restaurants and markets and spend an evening “tapas hopping” in small groups.

We love Madrid, and we’ll also introduce you to Toledo, a historic hilltop city south of Madrid. It’s famous as the former capital of the Spanish Empire, and as a city where Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities co-existed. The city’s cultural traditions and architecture reflects this, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

And if you’re like us, you’ll just love walking the streets of Madrid. We hope you’ll join us.

The Madrid Culinaria may be eligible for CPEU credit pending CDR review and approval.

Day by Day

Day 1

Sunday, October 18

Check in at the lovely Hotel Wellington in the elegant Salamanca district. Take time to unpack, rest or explore our neighborhood for the week— walking the streets of Madrid or the many paths of the nearby 292-acre Retiro Park. In the evening, we’ll meet at the Wellington for a welcome/opening session, including an introduction to Spanish wines with a guided tasting. We’ll walk a few blocks to a neighborhood restaurant for an introduction to Spanish cuisine.

A group of people stands in a restaurant near a counter, engaged in conversation and enjoying the atmosphere.
Day 2

Monday, October 19

We’ll leave the Hotel Wellington for our guided walking tour of Old Madrid, where you can take in the spectacle of smells, sounds, tastes, colors and people in the epicenter of Madrid – the Plaza Mayor – and experience life in one of Europe’s premier cultural capitals. We will have a break in the middle of the morning for churros and chocolate. We’ll enjoy lunch at Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world (1725), very close to the Plaza Mayor in Old Madrid. After lunch, we’ll visit the nearby San Miguel Mercado and then return to the Wellington for the evening. You will be free for dinner on your own.

An expansive store filled with shelves stocked with a wide variety of merchandise.
Photo courtesy of Alambique
Day 3

Tuesday, October 20

We’ll start with a specially guided visit to Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, a jewel of a museum, and a favorite of Oldways’ and Ronni’s. The museum houses 13 paintings by Goya, as well as other paintings by Velazquez, El Greco, Zurbaran, Van Dyck and Rubens. To help you bring a taste of Spain back to your home, we’ll learn how to prepare a wide variety of traditional Spanish tapas at Alambique Cooking School. After the demo, our creations will be served for a fun and delicious lunch. Before we leave Alambique, if you wish, you’ll have time to shop in Alambique’s kitchen store. A visit to Madrid isn’t complete without a flamenco show and dinner.

Sunset over Toledo, Spain
Day 4

Wednesday, October 21

We’ll travel to Toledo, a UNESCO World Heritage city just 43 miles south of Madrid, for a day of history, architecture, food and wine. We’ll visit the Cathedral, the Jewish quarter and other important sites with Ronni Baer and our tour guide, but leave some free time for you to wander through the narrow streets of the old city or shop. After, we’ll leave for a short drive just outside the city for a lunch with a panoramic view. After a day of travel, enjoy an evening on your own. Stay in for room service or venture out for a night on town!

An expansive building with many windows, highlighting its impressive size and architectural features.
Day 5

Thursday, October 22

Art Curator Ronni Baer will guide us through the Prado Museum, with an emphasis on the treasures of the Prado and the food-focused art, and the stories behind the works. The Prado is known for its collection of paintings by Goya, Velazquez, and El Greco, as well as other Spanish, Dutch, Flemish and Italian artists. We’ve left the rest of the daytime hours free, so you can stay at the Prado and tour at your own pace. Our evening will start with an olive oil primer by Fausto Luchetti, former Executive Director of the International Olive Oil Council, followed by a spectacular paella dinner.

A tray filled with various types of food
Day 6

Friday, October 23

We’ll move to more contemporary art with a morning guided visit to the Reina Sofia, featuring a Spanish 20th-century art collection with works by Gris, Dali, Picasso & Miro, including Picasso’s Guernica. You’ll have a free afternoon until we meet again for our evening Tapas Tour in small groups.

A panoramic view of Madrid, Spain
Day 7

Saturday, October 24

Today is a day of options – a cooking class, a guided historical tour or a guided walking food tour – all with lunch. Our week together with conclude with a Farewell Dinner at Pante, an Italian restaurant close to the Wellington owned by a close friend of Oldways, featuring the foods and wines of Pantelleria.

Your Accommodations

Wellington Hotel & Spa Madrid
Photo courtesy of the Hotel Wellington Madrid

Wellington Hotel & Spa Madrid

Located in the heart of the elegant Salamanca area of Madrid, the 5-star Wellington is a favorite of Oldways and one of the most historic hotels in the capital city. Recently renovated, the hotel offers spacious and history-filled rooms and suites, as well as a state-of-the-art sports and wellness club.

Meet the Chefs/Experts

Ronni Baer
Ronni Baer Art Curator

Flight information
to Travel Destination

The moon rises over the skyline of Madrid

Flight information
to Travel Destination

You will want to fly to Madrid’s Barajas Airport. The airport code is MAD, and many airlines fly directly to Madrid from the US. The airport is approximately 30 minutes from the center of the city and the Wellington Hotel. Taxis are easy to find at the airport, or we can provide you with information about arranging for a private car or limousine.

Pricing & Registration

A row of vibrant, colorful fans

Pricing & Registration

Madrid

Please click below to register using our online registration form, which includes instructions for how to submit the form and deposit to Oldways.

Prices are based on rates of exchange, taxes, and other costs as of the tour publication date. We reserve the right to correct errors and changes, and to increase program prices to cover increased costs, tariffs, and taxes received after prices are published and to reflect currency fluctuations.

A note about the Single supplement: Because the charges for a double room and a single room at the Wellington are almost the same, it means that the cost of a single room is much higher than sharing the cost of a double room. This is a charge from the hotel and is not something we can change.

  • Price per person is $6,375 with double occupancy.
  • Single supplement is $1,725

Trip Insurance

Accident Insurance

Oldways has procured accident and evacuation insurance for all Culinaria participants while traveling on one of our Culinarias with an Accident & Health policy from The Hartford. Click here to view Oldways Certificate of Accident Insurance.

Please let us know if you need more information about the insurance.

Travel Insurance

While we cannot offer travel insurance for the cost of the trip or your air travel, here are three widely used travel insurance companies:

Allianz

Travelex

Travel Guard by AIG

For More Information

For additional questions, please reach out to [email protected] or contact Abby Sloane at  617-896-4875.