I am going to Madrid in May of 04 and want to take a tour of the city by private car Any recommendation. We also have reservations at the Hotel Convencion on O'Donnell. Have we made a good choice?

riccardo, welcome aboard. Recommendations...there are a billion recommendations in this message board alone.Have you ever been to Spain before? If not, and you plan to stay within Madrid, I would highly recommend using the metro train. It is very efficient, easy to use, and unlike a rental car, it will not get lost. Getting lost when you have a limited amount of time sucks big time. Have fun and good luck in your search for info.

Good question. I don't recall reading anything here on the message board about private car tours of Madrid. Anyone ever hear of such a thing?

Saludos, MadridMan

riccardo

What about Aerocity? I know they have a chauffeur service, maybe they can also do a tour for you? **AEROCITY**

Or, at the other end of the scale, Madrid Vision bus tours are great and allow for a lot of freedom and flexibility **MADRID VISION**

Jo

Riccardo writes: It looks like an excellent location although I am not familiar with your hotel. You are close to where c./Alcala and c./O'Donnell intersect. Florida Park is a nightclub just inside Retiro Park, off O'Donnell: it features Spanish folkloric music & dance most nights (Jotas, not just Flamenco).

Just around the corner from the hotel is c./Alcala: You can catch a city bus to Puerta del Sol or wherever. As for your tour by chauffered private car, the Hotel Concierge should be able to arrange that for you. It will most likely be his Brother-in-law or some such.

But I think Madrid is best for walking: Once you get to where you want to start (Palacio Réal, for example) you can walk to the Plaza de España, Plaza de Oriente, Opera, Plaza Mayór, Puerta del Sol, Museo del Prado, Puerta de Alcala y el Parque del buen Retiro and back to your hotel.

I can't do that anymore because of my bad knees. I don't mean to offend you with crude, insensitive comments. Please forgive me if you suffer a similar handicap. :o

I would check with Stephen Drake-Jones of the Wellington Society . He also gives private tours and he is very interesting. Do a search on this site and you will find more info about him.

A Private car or the bus tours will give you an overview of the city but you are going to miss the old quarters where the narrow street and the cobble stone pedestrian roads keep this modes of transportation out.

Andrés

Hola Riccardo,

I rented a coche particular both in Madrid for a city tour and in Santiago de Compostela to go to the coast. I was very lucky in both cases. The taxi that brought me to the hotel in Madrid, was very congenial and friendly so I asked him if he could recommend a professional licensed driver who was knowledgeable with the city to give me an overview and patient so when I wanted to stop he would do so. He said that he could do that when he was off so I arranged the time and he gave us the tournee! It was very reasonable, I paid $40.00 for the Madrid tour for four hours. When your time is limited this is a good option. Also, hotels have the name of professional coches particulares.

Buen Viaje!
Carmen